The Family Team is shortlisted at the Family Law Awards 2024 in the following categories:
· Family Law Firm of the Year – London;
· Financial Remedies Team of the Year;
· Family Law Case of the Year with 1 Hare Court for the case of Potanina (respondent) v Potanin (appellant) [2024] UKSC 3);
· Family Law Partner of the Year – Nick Manners;
· Family Law Commentator of the Year – Sarah Williams.
The LexisNexis Family Law Awards recognise the important work of family lawyers, and celebrate their many successes and outstanding achievements.
The Family Law Firm of the Year – London award recognises the outstanding quality of legal service provided to clients, reported cases, pro bono initiatives/services benefiting the local community, training and career progression of employees and the high levels of teamwork both internally and externally with other lawyers and other professionals.
The Financial Remedies Team of the Year award recognises the family law firm, chambers or other legal organisation demonstrating excellence in the area of financial remedies.
The Family Law Case of the Year award recognises the most important family law cases, including those may be significant in having established a precedent, determined a new legal principle or otherwise substantially affected the interpretation of existing law.
The Family Law Partner award recognises an individual who has made a major contribution to the field of family law through their practice, and shown that they have executed a strategic vision through outstanding leadership.
The Family Law Commentator award recognises a commentator who the family law community consider to have provided the most useful commentary to help them in their practice, or to promote the practice of family law through any format including books, journal articles, videos or blogs.
We are proud that the Family Team is a finalist in the in five categories, including individual categories for Nick Manners and Sarah Williams. It is testament to the team’s dedication and commitment to their clients providing a personalised, client centric and expert-led approach and is recognition of yet another stellar year the team has had engaging in high profile and ground breaking cases, alongside spearheading the Mental Health & Family Breakdown initiative, launched in March 2024, supporting vulnerable clients and the lawyers who guide them through what can be a highly emotional and distressful time. The shortlisting at the Family Law Awards 2024 follows the team being named Family Law Team of the Year at the Chambers High Net Worth Awards 2024 and receiving a top tier Band 1 ranking in Chambers HNW 2024, as well as Ben Parry-Smith being named as a finalist at the Resolution Awards 2024 for the Wellbeing Champion Award for his work leading the team’s Mental Health & Family Breakdown initiative.
The Payne Hicks Beach Family Team includes some of the pre-eminent practitioners in the field including the peerless Baroness Shackleton whose international reputation is unparalleled. The team, under the leadership of Nick Manners, has an outstanding and renowned reputation for dispensing high quality specialist advice and delivering bespoke solutions for complex family law issues to high profile, ultra-high net worth and high net worth individuals. All of our lawyers are technically excellent and well-versed in the law but at the same time recognise that family law requires sensitivity and the need to provide emotional support for clients. At the heart of the team is a desire to foster a deeply engaged connection with clients – their lives, their businesses and above all, their families.
The Family Team is frequently instructed in high profile cases and appears in the Senior Courts including the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal and has been involved in cases that have developed the law in a number of key areas: notably nuptial agreements, Part III MFPA 1984, treatment of pre-acquired and inherited wealth, special contributions, compensation, the matrimonialisation of assets and the international relocation and return of children.
The past year has been another stellar year for the Family Team continuing to engage in high profile and ground breaking cases. Matters have included and are not limited to:
- Potanina vs Potanin – Supreme Court Judgment – acting for Mr Vladimir Potanin and successfully achieving a significant landmark victory on 31 January 2024 when the Supreme Court handed down Judgment. The Judgment clarifies the test for permission for those seeking to bring applications under Part III of the Matrimonial and family Proceedings Act 1984.
- AS v RS [2024] – acting for the Respondent Husband in this reported case that concerned an application under Part III of the Matrimonial and Family Proceedings Act 1984 following the parties’ divorce in Malaysia and whether the applicant wife had a substantial ground to bring her application in England. The case also examined the applicable costs regime.
- L v O [2024] EWFC 6 – representing the Respondent Wife when the Judge’s decision provides some rare and helpful guidance as to the potential interim remedies that the Court can grant in a case where one party is seeking to vary, discharge or set aside a final financial order. The Final Hearing is to be heard in Summer 2024.
- Prospective Adopters v London Borough of Ealing (1), SK (2), NS (3) and E (by the Children’s Guardian AS) (4) [2023] EWFC 294 (B) – representing the prospective adopters and successfully obtained an Adoption Order for them in this sensitive and complex case.
- WK v GC [2023] EWFC 151 – acting for the former wife, WK, who successfully obtained a capitalised lump sum based on an increased level of spousal periodical payments, as well as an order for costs.
- Re S (Inherent Jurisdiction: Transgender Surgery Abroad) [2023] EWHC 347, acting ProBono, represented the mother of a transgender adolescent in a case brought under the Inherent Jurisdiction of the High Court. In his Judgment, the President of the Family Division set out his commentary as to proper engagement of s.100 Children Act 1989.
The Family Law Awards brings the family law community together, celebrating excellence, networking and recognising its vital contribution to society. The Family Law Awards were launched in 2011 to recognise the important work of family lawyers, and celebrate their many successes and outstanding achievements. The shortlist has been chosen by a judging panel made up of the heads of the Family Law Bar Association, Resolution, the Association of Lawyers for Children and the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives, along with Family Law editors and publishing professionals.
Winners will announced at the awards ceremony on Wednesday 20 November 2024 at Park Plaza Westminster Bridge Hotel.
We extend our congratulations to all those shortlisted and our sincere thanks to all our supporters who have made this possible.
The full shortlist for the LexisNexis Family Law Awards 2024 can be found here
For further details on our on our Family Department and their expertise in family law click here
To access our dedicated web page with free Essential Resources for Supporting and Protecting Vulnerable Clients click here
