St John’s Chambers is a strong set for divorce and financial remedy work, with several barristers, including a KC, well-known across the Western Circuit for acting in high-value and technically complex cases.”

The Legal 500 2024, Family: Divorce and Financial Remedy

Voted ‘Regional Family Law Chambers of the Year’ at Family Law Awards 2023

Our Divorce and Financial Remedy team has expertise and considerable experience across the whole range of matrimonial law and financial remedies associated with the break-up of a relationship, whether upon divorce, after cohabitation, or on the dissolution of a civil partnership.

We are one of the leading Chambers for advising and representing clients in all financial and property disputes, including time-critical applications to preserve assets. Our barristers are experts in pre- and post-nuptial agreements as well as financial and property trusts, advising clients both in the UK and overseas.

We have particular expertise in high net worth and international cases and in matters relating to jurisdiction disputes. In financial claims we represent all parties including interveners and third parties, as well as spouses and partners, and we work alongside experts such as valuers, pension specialists and accountants to reach the best financial solution for each client.

Areas of expertise:

  • Arbitration
  • Cohabitee disputes (including claims under ToLATA 1996)
  • Claims under Schedule 1 of the Children Act 1989
  • Civil Partnership Act 2004
  • Claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975
  • CMS Tribunals
  • Complex pensions, accountancy issues, tax, company valuations and liquidity enforcement
  • Cases involving farms and farming businesses
  • International cases and offshore assets
  • Preparation of pre- and post-nuptial agreements
  • Private FDRs (as Judges and Counsel)
  • Professional Negligence
  • Matrimonial Causes Act 1973
  • Mediation (as Mediators and Counsel)
  • Separation and divorce

We enjoy a reputation for the friendly and practical legal service we provide, and our large and established legal team means we can provide advice at all levels of dispute, regardless of the complexity and value.

Members also undertake injunction and committal work relating to all family finance matters as well as offering an independent settlement advice service.

The team provide all ADR services including private FDRs (chairing and representing), represented mediation (leading and representing). We also offer Arbitration in both financial remedy and Children Act matters and are the only Set in the South West offering this service. Download brochure here.

Chambers regularly hosts multi-party conferences in our modern premises.

Our barristers are often quoted in articles about family law, or indeed publish their own, both in the mainstream and legal press, along with specialist journals and via their own respected family law blogs. Barristers have been featured in a variety of publications and BBC programmes.

Our clerking team are always accessible, and take care and time to understand the case or the individual personalities involved when recommending individual barristers. Read more.

View our Divorce & Financial Remedy digital book here for further details about how we can help you.

Public Access

Some members of the team are also available to act, where appropriate, for members of the public, under the Public Access scheme. Read more.

Publications and training

Members regularly conduct seminars in Chambers, at solicitors’ offices, or at other chosen venues throughout the UK. We maintain close ties with academics and our members include several published authors, as well as writing for legal periodicals. If you would like to discuss any in-house training, please contact our family clerks on 0117 923 4720 or email [email protected].

Divorce & Financial Remedy Team

Christopher Sharp QC

Christopher Sharp KC

  • Call: 1975
  • Silk: 1999

With many reported cases, Christopher is frequently instructed on appeals to the Court of Appeal. He has extensive experience in high-value financial remedy, ToLATA and Schedule 1 cases, including those with a foreign element, many of which are...

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Nick Miller

Nick Miller

  • Call: 1994

Nick advises and represents clients solely in financial remedy issues, particularly complex high value pensions, farm and company cases. He enjoys an enviable reputation for his expertise and is consistently ranked by the legal directories for his ancillary...

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Jacqueline Humphreys

Jacqueline Humphreys

  • Call: 1994

Jacqueline is a matrimonial finance specialist, with particular expertise in cases with high-value assets and/or complex issues. She was recognised for her work in this area in Legal 500 shortly before moving to part-time work. She is well...

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Zoë Saunders

  • Call: 2003

Zoë is a financial remedy specialist dealing with complex cases involving significant assets as well as more modest asset cases. Zoë has extensive experience of cohabitation disputes involving ToLATA and Applications under Schedule 1 of the Children Act...

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Jody Atkinson

  • Call: 2005

Jody’s divorce and financial remedy practice focuses on the most high-value and intractable cases. He is often instructed by solicitors when divorces involve complicating factors such as: Family businesses Family trusts Overseas elements Disputes concerning third party ownership...

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Richard Norman

Richard Norman

  • Call: 2009

Richard’s particular area of interest is in financial remedies and he has developed a strong practice in this sphere. He accepts instructions in cases involving a variety of issues including matrimonial/non-matrimonial property, nuptial settlements, company interests (and valuation...

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Jack Harris

  • Call: 2012

Jack is frequently instructed in cases with complex issues involving companies, farms, trusts, pensions, pre/post nuptial agreements, foreign and inherited wealth, and cases involving disputes about matrimonial / non-matrimonial property and intervenor issues, as well as cases involving...

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Oliver Riley

Oliver Riley

  • Call: 2013

Oliver is a specialist financial remedies barrister who is regularly instructed to advise and represent clients at all stages of the financial remedies process. He deals with substantial assets as well as more modest cases, which often include...

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Bethany Hardwicke

Bethany Scarsbrook

  • Call: 2014

Bethany’s practice encompasses the full range of financial remedy proceedings. She is comfortable handling complex trust structures, pension issues and family businesses. She has further acted in cases with offshore assets and suspected non-disclosure. Bethany is well aware...

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Sophie Smith Holland

Sophie Smith-Holland

  • Call: 2015

Sophie has extensive experience of representing applicants and respondents at all stages of proceedings, from FDAs, preliminary issue hearings, FDRs and final hearings. Sophie is regularly instructed in cases where there are complex issues concerning third-party interests, non-matrimonial...

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Harriet Dudbridge

Harriet Dudbridge

  • Call: 2015

Harriet has a growing practice representing both applicants and respondents throughout divorce proceedings including FDAs, FDRs, final hearings and preliminary issue hearings. Recent examples of work include:  T v T – Contested final hearing on the appropriate division...

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Georgina Swinglehurst

Georgina Swinglehurst

  • Call: 2019

Georgina joined Chambers as a tenant in October 2023 following the successful completion of her specialist family pupillage under the supervision of Zoë Saunders. During pupillage, Georgina observed a number of high-value claims for financial relief, involving complicated...

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Vivien Croly

  • Call: 2019

Vivien joined Chambers as a tenant in October 2022 following the successful completion of her specialist family pupillage under the supervision of Zoë Saunders. During pupillage, Vivien observed a number of high value claims for financial relief involving...

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Kate Pearson

  • Call: 2019

Kate is building a broad practice as a specialist family law barrister, and accepts instructions in the following areas: Private Law Children Act matters Divorce and Financial Remedies Schedule 1 Children Act 1989 Part IV Family Law Act...

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Directory Quotes

A lengthy roster of silks and juniors with invaluable expertise in a wide range of family and matrimonial matters. Chambers has good quality and experienced counsel available to deal with all aspects of cases and all levels of complexity.”

Chambers UK 2024, Family/Matrimonial

St John’s Chambers is one of the leading sets on the Western Circuit for public and private child law work.”

The Legal 500 2024, Family: Children and Domestic Violence

All of the barristers at St John’s are extremely capable of dealing with all types of matters, from simple cases through to incredibly complicated and contentious ones.”

Chambers UK 2023, Family & Matrimonial

St John’s Chambers is a very strong family set, housing a team which covers all aspects of family law.”

Legal 500 2023, Family & Children Law

The clerks are always available at the end of the phone or by email. If any issue arises they will go above and beyond in order to find a solution so that there is minimal difficulty to the instructing solicitor. A truly faultless service.”

Chambers UK 2023, Family & Matrimonial (Client Service)

St John’s Chambers is very efficient and counsel are exceptional.”

Legal 500 2023, Family & Children Law (Client Service)

All of the barristers at St John’s are extremely capable of dealing with all types of matters, from simple cases through to incredibly complicated and contentious ones.”

Chambers UK 2023, Family & Matrimonial

St John’s Chambers has a lengthy roster of silks and juniors with invaluable expertise in a wide range of family and matrimonial matters. Members are particularly skilled at handling cross-jurisdictional matters for high net worth individuals, especially those concerning the division of assets as part of divorce proceedings. The barristers are frequently called upon to assist with the most complex public children mandates encompassing sexual abuse, brain injury and trafficking matters, and also take on private work such as Children Act proceedings. ‘It is an excellent chambers with strength at all levels,’ one interviewee notes.”

Chambers UK 2022, Family/Matrimonial

Luke Hodgson, practice manager, gives a service which feels tailored to the individual. This is mirrored by his team, whose response times to a request are always impressive. The chambers is very organised and very well run. The clerks go above and beyond and are very quick to respond to enquiries. The clerking team are friendly, approachable and extremely efficient, always exceeding expectations.”

Chambers UK 2022, Family/Matrimonial (Client Service)

Excellent set’ St John’s Chambers is ‘a go-to’ chambers in the South West for hard working, knowledgeable and good quality barristers across the board in the arena of family law.”

Legal 500 2022, Family and Children Law

St John’s Chambers has a lengthy roster of silks and juniors with invaluable expertise in a wide range of family and matrimonial matters. Members are particularly skilled at handling cross-jurisdictional matters for high net worth individuals, especially those concerning the division of assets as part of divorce proceedings. The barristers are frequently called upon to assist with the most complex public children mandates encompassing sexual abuse, brain injury and trafficking matters, and also take on private work such as Children Act proceedings. ‘St John’s is our first choice of chambers on the Western Circuit. What sets them apart is the breadth and depth of their membership,” one source says.’ “

Chambers UK 2021, Family/Matrimonial

Luke Hodgson is the practice manager for the family team and Elaine Jewell-Moore, the family law practice team leader, is described as ‘particularly great, prompt and efficient.’ “

Chambers UK 2021, Family & Divorce (Client Service)

St John’s Chambers is home to a large team of family barristers specialising in high-profile public and private family matters on the Western Circuit.”

Legal 500 2021, Family and Children Law

Client Quotes

St John’s are very well respected in Bristol and the South West, used by our team across our offices. They have a range of specialisms and have assisted in cases involving children, complex finances and unmarried couples.”

Legal 500 client feedback

Solid set of family law barristers from most senior to most junior. Excellent support and collaboration provided to their up and coming juniors.”

Legal 500 client feedback

Seminars & Events

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