Family & Divorce

We are a family department that are conscious of the financial restraints on families, regardless of your financial position, during the current pandemic and we facilitate settlement and mediation rather than conflict if the circumstances permit.

Wedlake Bell’s Family Department boasts solicitors who are experienced and qualified mediators, collaborative solicitors, family law arbitrators (CIArb) and one of the only family solicitors in the UK and Wales to be listed as an e-Private Client 50 most influential solicitors 2018.

We are also a top recommended family lawyers in the Spears 2021 Index.

Our experienced Family team can advise you on all matters relating to family law, from the most simple of cases to the more complex and sensitive situations including international law.

 

“They have good work and they are a very busy department with a lot of energy and a forward-thinking attitude.”

Chambers UK, 2021

The family law department at Wedlake Bell conducts some of the biggest and most complex of financial family law cases. It has a wealth of experience and is led by one of the family law’s greatest tacticians, Charmaine Hast’. Legal 500, 2021

A top London firm with high-profile clients and strength in big money and international cases Supported by a strong team of business and commercial lawyers’. Legal 500, 2021

A very commercial firm of solicitors with high-net-worth clients. Provides an excellent, bespoke service, feisty when necessary, smooth when appropriate’. Legal 500, 2021

We use our broad experience and detailed insight of family law to provide our clients with first class advice on a range of matrimonial matters. The department boasts solicitors who are leaders in their field including, mediation, collaborative law, arbitration and a specialist children law department who are able to deal with, leave to remove children abroad, abductions, surrogacy agreement and all aspects of children work.

The department prides itself on acting for well known personalities in every sphere of life and despite many public figures being represented by the family department, confidentiality and ensuring that the media are excluded is the departments priority. The department is pleased to have acquired the result in the recent reported High Court case of:

FW v FH [2019] EWHC 1338 (Fam)

Our extensive knowledge in this area means we can advise people who may be married, living together, in civil partnerships or living as husband and wife in accordance with Shariah Law.

Our Family team has the advantage of a dedicated data protection and information law specialist, which enables us to provide expert advice in this specialised and complex area.

This specialist expertise sets our Family Law team apart and means that we can advise you on protecting your persona, confidential and sensitive information, protecting your dignity and emotional wellbeing and giving you peace of mind.

Wherever possible, our Family team helps clients to resolve any disputes through negotiation and agreement but where this is not possible, we are ready to protect and promote our clients’ interests with robust action.

Our Family team can provide advice on pre and post-nuptial agreements, cohabitation agreements, civil partnerships, divorce and separation, issues involving children and can help with a number of alternatives to court-based process.

Many of our clients require help on an international basis so we have developed an extensive network of expert lawyers who are ready to help protect and promote our clients’ interests in foreign jurisdictions.

We also have Shariah law experts who work with respected professionals and Shariah Councils to achieve outcomes that are in accordance with Shariah law and compatible with civil legal proceedings.

Whatever the situation, we ensure that matters are dealt with sensitively and with our clients’ best interests to the fore.

Our Children team are reflected in the reported surrogacy case of Re AB (Surrogacy: Consent) [2016] EWHC 2643 (Fam).

For a confidential, no-obligation call-back from one of our family lawyers, please email your contact details and a brief summary.

Legal Podcast

Talking Divorce and Expat Law, the UAE and What Not to Do!

Trisha Siddique has collaborated with Tosh Brittan on the Divorce Goddess Podcast. Click here to listen to the episode.

Handles issues for individuals with highly complex wealth structures, both domestic and offshore. Also maintains complementary strength in its private client team.

— Chambers UK, 2022

Charmaine Hast maintains strength in assisting high net worth individuals with international matrimonial disputes, and has additional expertise in offshore trust structures and tax issues.

— Chambers UK, 2022

Wedlake Bell LLP is known for its skill at handling complex prenuptial agreements where the assets are worth hundreds of millions (sometimes billions) and where there are significant international issues to be considered. Head of department Charmaine Hast is an 'inspirational leader and clients love her' - she is a dual-qualified South African lawyer. Trisha Siddique specialises in Sharia law and high-net-worth divorce cases. Conrad Adam is now at Adler Family Law Solicitors LLP.

— Legal 500, 2022

Wedlake Bell has a solid reputation for high end family law cases.

— Legal 500, 2022

People, all about the people. Truly fantastic team relationship breakdown.

— Legal 500, 2022

The team at Wedlake Bell has fantastic knowledge of the law and can provide clear advice to clients about any issues in respect of relationship breakdown.

— Legal 500, 2022

Great mix of commercial and family. Charmaine Hast is a veteran and seasoned warrior. Loved by all she works with

— Legal 500, 2021

Good, solid team of family lawyers. Charmaine Hast has been the totemic figure for this firm for years and she has garnered an impressive reputation for managing difficult, high-profile clients.

— Legal 500, 2021

The team at Wedlake Bell has fantastic knowledge of the law and can provide clear advice to clients about any issues in respect of relationship breakdown. Trish Siddique is a sensible, intelligent and diligent solicitor who fights firmly for her clients interests. She is a pragmatic practitioner who will always try to settle a case if at all possible.

— Legal 500, 2021

I dealt predominantly with Charmaine and Natasha and soon referred to them as the Dream Team. Someone once described Charmaine to me as a street fighter with a heart of gold. She truly cares and whilst she doesn’t mind adopting a very direct approach at times the final result was far better than I could ever have hoped for. Both my daughter and I will be eternally grateful.

— Legal 500, 2021

Wedlake Bell has a solid reputation for high end family law cases. Charmaine Hast is an exceptionally highly-regarded family lawyer with a strong reputation for high end family law work.

— Legal 500, 2021

"They're a quality set of solicitors providing first-class services with a friendly, approachable demeanour"

— Chambers UK, 2020

Charmaine Hast – is one of the best family law solicitors'.

— Legal 500, 2020

'Excellent family team with strong support from its commercial and private client colleagues'.

— Legal 500, 2020

'Has a formidable team of family lawyers. It has fantastic resources and is able to do the very biggest cases very effectively and offers good value for money.

— Legal 500, 2020

"Wedlake Bell LLP has a ‘strong team of fee earners possessed of the highest calibre of legal knowledge'."

— Legal 500, 2018

"I think Wedlake Bell offers excellent value for money compared with others."

— Chambers UK, 2018

"Conrad Adam is particularly good on ‘tricky technical points’."

— Legal 500, 2017