Dawson Cornwell

Dawson Cornwell is one of the UK’s leading specialist family law firms, described in Chambers High Net Worth as a well-respected family law boutique firm, particularly well regarded for cross-border work: "...client oriented, focused, and able to adapt the work they do to the needs of the clients. Their ability to manage the expectations and objectives of the most demanding client is unparalleled".

The firm: Dawson Cornwell combines its highly regarded expertise in all aspects of family law with an unrivalled reputation in the field of international children law. The firm is unusual in that it has developed two specialist departments: the matrimonial department and the international children department, which work together as “a strong team of talented lawyers who are tactical, experienced and pragmatic”, providing its clients with a bespoke service.

The matrimonial partners are Russell Bywater who “has great judgement combined with a down-to-earth manner”, the “very supportive” Charlotte Conner, Jessica Reid who “is an excellent choice: measured, responsive, great on paper and in person”, Sarah Jane Lenihan who “really cares about her clients and achieving the best possible outcomes for them”, Simon Bruce “who continues to provide an effortlessly first class service” and Anna Shadbolt who "provides clear, insightful and very valuable advice." The matrimonial department also includes consultants: the “super bright” Kate Allen and Rhiannon Lewis who is “excellent and extremely knowledgeable”.

The international children department is headed by the “absolutely superb” dual-qualified partner Carolina Marín Pedreño who “has strong experience at the highest level of international cases. Her tactical judgment is excellent, and her international links and knowledge are impressive”, Sulema Jahangir who stands out for her “knowledge and experience in very sensitive matters”, Hilka Hollmann who is "an impressive advocate who deals with some of the most complex cases for children", "the emotionally intelligent and committed" Charlotte Image-Flower and "the incredibly bright" Forum Shah.

The vast majority of the firm’s cases are international. The firm’s lawyers have extensive experience dealing with jurisdiction and other international issues. “They have every language under the sun covered”, including Azerbaijani, Bengali, Catalan, Creole, French, German, Gujarati, Hindi, Italian, Krio, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Tamil, Turkish and Urdu. They are trailblazers in the field of cross-border children work, to which their unparalleled and ongoing record of reported cases is testament.

Dawson Cornwell has a reputation for taking on the trickiest international cases, and as a firm who “handle the heavyweight, complex and cross-jurisdictional cases well”. “They are known for their tenacity and fighting a client’s cause”. The firm has thus been instrumental in developing entirely new areas of law, including failure to maintain applications for spouses who are stranded abroad and Schedule I applications following sperm donation cases.

The firm prides itself on its partner-led approach, with strategic thinking and deft negotiation. While fee-earners assist partners to ensure that all work is undertaken cost-effectively, clients are always able to speak directly to, and deal directly with, the partner in charge of their case. Each partner has, deliberately, a different speciality so that they are able to offer collaborative law and mediation through to a high level of experience in jurisdictional work and complex litigation and trusts. At the same time the firm is known for being united in resolution rather than litigation and proportionality in respect of costs.

Sources say about the firm, “An excellent team that has a good mix of experienced heads at the top of the tree and a lot of young, keen and clever junior lawyers coming through”.

Types of work undertaken: The firm advises clients in the UK and internationally on all areas of family law, including prenuptial and post-nuptial agreements, separation, divorce, dissolution of civil partnerships, international forum disputes, complex financial investigations, high-net-worth financial settlements, child maintenance, enforcing foreign orders, EU regulation cases and pensions.

Its award-winning specialist international children department undertakes international custody disputes, child abduction, adoption, relocation, leave to remove, stranded spouses, forced marriage, honour-based violence, EU regulation recognition and enforcement, and complex international care cases.

The firm also has a highly regarded reputation in international surrogacy, assisted reproduction law and same-sex parenting cases and has represented several high-profile commissioning parents in this field. This work is undertaken by partners Carolina Marín Pedreño and Hilka Hollmann and senior associate Aysel Akhundova.

In addition to its litigation practice, the firm actively promotes alternative dispute resolution, with collaborative lawyers, Simon Bruce and Carolina Marín Pedreño and Resolution trained mediator Jessica Reid. The firm is described as “an outstanding supporter of mediation” and is known for having “a strong practice handling mediated and collaborative solutions to family matters”.