Nick is a specialist family lawyer who focuses on all areas of family law, including issues arising from divorce, cohabitation and the financial consequences of a relationship breakdown.
He also regularly advises on children disputes involving contact, residence and relocation (including international relocation), as well as pre and post-nuptial agreements. He works for a variety of high net worth and ultra high net worth clients on both contentious and non-contentious matters, including those with a complex international angle. He also has experience of advising clients upon the breakdown of civil partnerships and Inheritance Act claims.
Nick has been involved in a number of high profile and reported cases at both first instance and the Court of Appeal, and has been quoted in national media (The Times, Daily Mail), on family law matters.
Nick is an accredited member of Resolution. He is also listed by The Spear’s Family Lawyers Index as “Recommended” and has been named in the eprivateclient NextGen Leaders list 2023.
He joined Payne Hicks Beach in 2008, qualified in 2010, was promoted to Senior Associate in June 2017 and to Partner in December 2020.
To learn more about divorce and separation visit our dedicated webpage and download our guide.
Nick is ranked as a Next Generation Partner in The Legal 500 UK 2024 and is described as “strategically astute and very clever”. He is ranked in Chambers UK 2024 under Family/Matrimonial Finance: Ultra High Net Worth.
“Promoted to partner in December 2020, Nick Manners has spent the past decade climbing the ranks at Payne Hicks Beach, working closely with the legendary Baroness Shackleton throughout his career. He has been closely involved in many of the firm’s most notable cases, including Appleton & Gallagher v News Group Newspaper and PA, Ciccone v Ritchie, and Kerman v Akhmedova.” Spear’s 500
Ranked as a Leading Individual in Chambers HNW 2023, the esteemed law directory writes that Nick is regularly instructed by high net worth clients for complex matrimonial finance matters and says that “Nick is excellent for financial work in particular; a combination of tenacity, tactical nous and consummate charm makes him a formidable opponent.”
Nick is ranked as a “Next Generation Partner” in the Legal 500 UK 2023 and is “Recommended” in the Spear’s 2021, 2022 and 2023 Family Law Index and in Spear’s 500 2023
Comments in the Legal 500 UK include:
“Nick Manners is stand out. Managing hugely complicated and high profile cases with ease. He is also a pleasure to deal with which enables a conciliatory approach when possible” Legal 500 UK 2023
“Nick Manners is careful balanced and articulate, and can be trusted to tease out the most important and helpful elements in a client’s case.” Legal 500 UK 2022
“Nick Manners is a calm voice of reason. He understands the case thoroughly.” Legal 500 UK 2022
Recent Insights
March 20, 2024
Last night dozens of family lawyers representing a wide range of firms and chambers met at the launc...
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Nick Manners named as one of the 2023 eprivateclient NextGen Leaders
September 11, 2023
Nick Manners, partner in Payne Hicks Beach’s leading Family department, has been named in the ep...
Read more
Nick is a member of Resolution
- Her Royal Highness Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein
- HD v WB [2023] EWFC 2 (13 January 2023)
- Potanina v Potanin [2021] EWCA Civ 702
- Barclay v Barclay [2021] EWFC 40 (Financial remedy proceedings leading to award of £100m to the wife).
- Potanin v Potanina [2019] EWHC 2956
- Ciccone v Ritchie (No 1) [2016] EWHC 608 (Fam).
- Ciccone v Ritchie (No 2) [2016] EWHC 616 (Fam).
- AAZ v BBZ [2016] EWHC 3234 (Fam) (Financial remedy proceedings leading to award of over £453m to a wife).
- AAZ v BBZ & Ors [2016] EWHC 3349 (Fam) (Judgment supplemental to case above, concerning the principles of Legal Professional Privilege).
- Appleton & Gallagher v News Group Newspapers and PA [2015] EWHC 2689 (Fam) (client privacy and the Family Court).
Launch of the Mental Health & Family Breakdown initiative to support and protect vulnerable clients
March 20, 2024
Last night dozens of family lawyers representing a wide range of firms and chambers met at the launc...
Read more
Nick Manners named as one of the 2023 eprivateclient NextGen Leaders
September 11, 2023
Nick Manners, partner in Payne Hicks Beach’s leading Family department, has been named in the ep...
Read more
Cohabitation: how can cohabiting couples protect themselves in the event of a split?
August 20, 2021
Commentary by Nick Manners, a specialist family lawyer and partner in the Family department at Payne...
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Wealthy divorces: the most fought-over assets in high net worth splits
August 10, 2021
Commentary by Nick Manners, a specialist divorce lawyer and partner in the Family department at P...
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Family Courts in crisis
July 01, 2021
Commentary by Nick Manners, Partner in the Family department at Payne Hicks Beach, on the officia...
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Covid’s horrific toll on families: ‘Alarm bells should be ringing’ – Nick Manners quoted in the Daily Mail
March 29, 2021
The Daily Mail quotes Nick Manners, Partner in the Family department at Payne Hicks Beach, in its...
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Alarming increase in domestic violence due to lockdown – Nick Manners for The Times
March 26, 2021
Commentary by Nick Manners, Partner in the Family department at Payne Hicks Beach, on domestic viole...
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