Regional Family Law Firm of the Year Finalists

1st September 2025

Image: Regional Family Law Firm of the Year Finalists

On top of our shortlistings for Children Law Team of the Year and Lizzie's for Family Law Champion we have just been told that we are finalists in the newly introduced category Family Law Firm of the Year Regional. 

In past years we have won (in 2020) and been shortlisted for Family Law Firm of the Year: South. A regional award was made far harder to win this year as all of the law firms around the UK not based in London are now in the same category. We were therefore even more thrilled and proud to be told that we had made the shortlist in 2025.

The award ceremony will be held in London in November. 

So what have we done to deserve this? 

Well, we are the leading family law firm in Jersey, advising on every aspect of family law and have particular expertise in international law, HNW clients, pre-nuptial agreements and trusts elevated by our excellent Private Client team. We also are experts in respect of all matters relating to children: residence, contact, leave to remove, child abduction, adoption and surrogacy.

We have some exceptionally well qualified lawyers with a wide range of experience in England and Jersey. We have three advocates and an Écrivan specialising in family law as well as a full time paralegal. Three advocates are on the Children Panel and two on the Mental Health Review Tribunal Panel. Barbara contributes the Jersey family section of the Practical Law Guide and speaks at international conferences. Nick is the Secretary for the Jersey Family Law Association and a governor for a fertility charity. Kate Donohue is a Deputy District Judge in England which brings a wealth of additional experience to the firm. Jamie-Lee has been appointed a family law lecturer at the Institute of Law and is undertaking training for the Children Panel this year.

Quality of legal services offered

We won several significant HNW appeals this year including a hard fought battle with several children being joined as beneficiaries of a trust in a £50 million divorce case. We are extremely proud of the quality of the services we offer due to the experience and dedication of our accomplished team. We provide excellent advice and are unfailingly caring. We encourage our staff to operate to their strengths. We provide an efficient, supportive and very good value service.

Our paralegals contribute hugely to the quality of the legal services we offer. Jess Dunning is an integral part of the team ensuring clients receive an exemplary service. She has excellent interpersonal skills and impeccable attention to detail. 

We have cautiously embraced some AI technology to better serve our clients and upgraded many of our systems in the last year.

Conferences

We run two very popular international conferences each year. People travel from as far away as New Zealand, America and the Caribbean to attend.  Our most recent guest speaker was Lord Justice Peter Jackson. During his visit he met with key members of the Jersey judiciary in the hope that FDACs could be introduced in Jersey. Barbara has since been interviewed by local media and various charities and officials have been in touch with her, since showing there is a real impetus to move forward with this.

The Family Foundation, a service run by the Family Court which helps families resolve disputes, was set up as a direct result of a conversation between a local judge and a visiting key note speaker at one of our conferences. This shows how important these events can be in improving the legal landscape for clients.

Lizzie Keogh has been shortlisted for Family Law Champion for the work she has done arranging these conferences. 

Pro bono initiatives/services benefiting the local community

We support a different charity each year. This year we are supporting Jersey Autism. Nick is the only male governor of fertility charity Tiny Seeds

Barbara has just joined the board of Jersey Cheshire Homes. Barbara was invited to speak at a lunch and learn event supporting new parents and educating employers in respect of breastfeeding. We are Dementia Friends. We are appointed in a significant proportion of public law cases in Jersey and regularly assist Citizen’s Advice Bureau and various charities. We also offer free 30 minute consultations and our senior lawyers do these consultations. 

Core values within the workplace

We are very supportive of working parents, offering flexible parental leave, flexible working hours and working a four day week. Our compassionate leave policies include support (and leave) for staff members undergoing assisted reproduction, surrogacy, adoption and baby loss.

[i] An Écrivain is a Jersey solicitor.