Profile
Work Department
Position
Partner / Head of Sheffield
Career
Alison is a Partner and Head of our Sheffield office and has been a specialist family lawyer for over 30 years. Alison is recognised concurrently as a Band 1 Family Lawyer in Chambers & Partners and a Leading Partner, Tier 1 Family lawyer in Legal 500 directories which is testament to the high-quality advice and service she provides to her clients. Under Alison’s direction, the Sheffield office of Hall Brown has grown in strength and depth and is now the only Family Law team in the region to be ranked as a Tier 1 team in both legal directories.
Alison has a no-nonsense, proactive approach and clients say “Alison is very personable and also extremely knowledgeable” ”She is professional, gives clear, good advice, has compassion and not only listens, but hears” (Legal 500) and “she is second to none and really goes the extra mile, paying attention to all the details” “ she is fantastic, prompt, approachable, and she really explains things and breaks them down in a way I can understand”. (Chambers and Partners).
Alison previously worked with a number of prestigious law firms in Nottingham, Cambridge and Sheffield. Alison was a partner and joint head of the Sheffield Family department at Irwin Mitchell before joining Hall Brown in April 2020 to head their new South Yorkshire team.
Alison is experienced in all aspects of family law and is a Resolution Accredited specialist in financial cases and private children law. She has a particular interest in complex financial cases involving pre-marital assets/non-matrimonial assets including inherited assets and assets acquired prior to marriage. Alison also has extensive experience of cases involving public sector professionals and military personnel where a significant portion of pension is often accrued prior to marriage. However, Alison’s clients have ranged from property developers, manufacturers and farmers to sports professionals and other professionals. The type of assets involved have also been varied, including international property and offshore trusts. Alison is frequently sought out by clients to advise in relation to asset protection through pre and post nuptial/partnership agreements and cohabitation agreements.
In addition, Alison is often instructed in complex private children cases. She has extensive experience of cases involving alienating behaviours and also where one or more parents have suffered substance and/or alcohol addiction. Alison’s sensitive and constructive approach to those cases has been praised by clients and other professionals involved.
Alison is a confident and tough litigator. She is often recommended on the basis of her “straight talking, pragmatic and commercial approach” to helping clients reach their desired outcome. However, Alison is also one of the most experienced Collaborative Lawyers in the region. This enables Alison to offer Collaborative law as a method of dispute resolution for clients who prefer an alternative to Court.
Recognised as an expert in family law, Alison frequently lectures to other professionals on family law in relation to their services, including Accountants, Bankers, Financial Planners/IFA’s and Medical professionals. Alison has also given television and radio interviews and comment to national and local press on developments in family law.
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Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Dedication to client care, insightful advice and superb reliable administration.’
‘The Hall Brown team are really close knit, the solicitors enjoy working there and feel valued. This supports them to provide a high level of service to their clients.'
‘Zoe Round has very sound judgment and an unerring ability to get to the heart of a difficult case and find a way through it, whether finance or children. She makes herself very available for clients and they feel incredibly supported by her. She's a very straight talker and cuts through the padding to deal with what's really important.'
‘One of the most experienced teams in the country. The core of the Sheffield team have been working together for decades. They are warm but robust, academic but practical. Nothing is beyond them.’
‘Melanie Hadwin is a standout Senior Associate, operating effectively at the level of a partner, with with day-to-day conduct of her matters. Her clients are extremely lucky. She gives counsel constructive ideas about how to approach a case and adds enormous value.'
'Zoe Round is robust and practical, an extremely safe pair of hands.’‘Alison Fernandes has a brilliant manner with clients she is warm and yet robust when required, she has excellent judgment and advice. Zoe Round has a winning manner with clients and an energy which drives cases to good outcomes - yet she is mindful of costs and practical.'
‘Hall Brown are known for dealing with high-net-worth individuals in family cases and complex matters. We have no hesitation in referring such clients knowing that they will be expertly looked after by the team there, who have built a strong and unparalleled reputation.’