Burgess Mee Family Law

Senior Partners: Antonia Mee, Peter Burgess

Partners: David Lillywhite, Henrietta Thomas, Natalie Sutherland, Kirsty Morris and Rachel Freeman

Number of solicitors, legal directors and consultants: 20

Number of other fee-earners: 5

The Firm and our clients:

Burgess Mee is an award-winning law firm offering a full range of family law and private client services with offices in Clapham and Liverpool Street. We are experts in our field and our level of knowledge and client care are frequently recognised by external publications and accolades.

The firm acts for UHNW/HNW clients, high-profile individuals, professionals, businesspeople (particularly C-suite and those in the technology sector), and entrepreneurs.

Our family department specialises in advising on complex financial remedy matters stemming from divorce and civil partnership dissolution proceedings and private children disputes. Our cases often have an international element. Our lawyers regularly advise on pre/post-nuptial agreements, cohabitation agreements, domestic violence injunctions and all aspects of modern families law (including surrogacy, fertility and adoption).

Our private client department advises on estate planning, complex wills, administration of estates, trusts and Court of Protection matters. Our clients benefit from the firm’s overall expertise and its partnerships with other professional advisors.

Recent reported family law cases include:

AH v BH [2024] EWFC 125– In this case with £60m of assets, Mr Justice Peel gave significant weight to a prenuptial agreement entered into prior to the marriage. The case gives important guidance about when it is appropriate to depart from the provision agreed between the parties prior to the marriage.

Cazalet v Abu-Zalaf [2023] EWCA Civ 1065– In this case, we successfully argued in the Court of Appeal on behalf of a wife that, after a reconciliation, she should be entitled to pursue a fresh claim and set aside the divorce orders and financial orders made ten years previously..

X, Re (Catastrophic Injury: Collection and Storage of Sperm) [2022] EWCOP 48 -In this case, we acted for the parents of a 22 year old man who had suffered a stroke while playing sport; he was in intensive care with no prospect of recovery. His parents made an application for a declaration that it would be lawful for a doctor to retrieve his sperm and for that sperm to be stored.

Our team:

Our team is what make Burgess Mee who we are. Our lawyers, paralegals and operations team have often trained and worked at leading firms within the Industry.We have four in house mediators, two collaboratively trained solicitors and two Resolution Together (one lawyer, two clients) trained solicitors. We are supported by two consultant lawyers ensuring the highest standards of work and strategic thinking for our clients.

We are committed to providing a positive work environment with opportunities for individuals to build a rewarding career and to make a difference. We believe we have a responsibility to our team and we invest in wellbeing initiatives, mental health first aiders, free counselling and advisory services and a broad range of fertility support and benefits.We partner our lawyers with in-house mentors to guide their personal and professional development.

Our values are an important part of who we are. We believe we have a responsibility to the wider community to make a difference where we can. Currently, we partner with the Drive Forward Foundation, an organisation committed to supporting care leavers transition successfully to the workplace, and several of our lawyers advise voluntarily at the family law clinic at Peckham Citizens Advice. We also offer free-to-view information, expert opinion and guidance on co-parenting through our sister websiteThe Happy Co-Parent.

Contact:Antonia Mee +44 (0)203 824 9951 or Peter Burgess +44(0)203 824 9952

Email: [email protected]; [email protected]