Family Supporting you and your family
Gratefully received Just some of the consistent comments about the DWF Family Team, taken from Chambers Guide, the Legal 500 and our clients feedback over the last two years. Thank you for the very professional and considerate way you handled my case. Highly geared towards customer service and client care, whilst continuously giving realistic advice. The outcome of court was what I needed and could only dream would happen. Delighted with the outcome, which exceeded my expectations. Well focussed and a straight talker who cuts through the jargon.
David Pickering National Head of Family DD: +44 (0)161 603 4983 david.pickering@dwf.co.uk Mary-Ann Wright Partner DD: +44 (0)207 645 9583 maryann.wright@dwf.co.uk Meet the team Our family team is committed to supporting you through the different stages of your relationships. We understand how difficult and upsetting the breakdown of a relationship can be for everyone involved and the emotional and financial pressures this involves. It is important that you understand your legal position as early as possible. We provide you with a bespoke service using individual members of our team with the right skills and expertise to deal with each case in the most cost effective manner. The advice we provide is both realistic and objective, combining legal expertise with a commercial and sensitive approach. Our experience allows us to accurately estimate the potential costs, depending on the circumstances of your case and in some instances we will be able to agree the cost with you on a fixed fee basis. We also have foreign language skills in the team which enables us to provide support in cases with cross jurisdictional elements.
Lesley Smythe Partner DD: +44 (0)161 603 4998 lesley.smythe@dwf.co.uk Beverley Jones Associate Head of the Family team, Liverpool DD: +44 (0)151 907 3372 beverley.jones@dwf.co.uk Christina Coker Associate DD: +44 (0)207 645 9599 christina.coker@dwf.co.uk Gareth Curtis Associate DD: +44(0)161 603 4955 gareth.curtis@dwf.co.uk Our Services We can provide advice and assistance at all stages of your relationship: When you start a relationship Pre-Nuptial Agreements Pre-Civil Partnership Agreements Cohabitation Agreements When your relationship breaks down Separation Divorce and Dissolution of Civil Partnerships Cohabitation Disputes Dealing with financial settlements including assets in the UK and abroad, trusts, pensions and businesses Injunctive relief to secure the protection of you and your assets Disputes relating to children Contact and Residence Parental Responsibility Change of Name Adoption International child abduction Child support Re-location within the UK and abroad In addition to our team expertise we have an excellent network of professionals who can provide help, support and advice on: Pensions Tax Planning following divorce Wills and Trusts Conveyancing Child Support Agency The Team Our Family team is rated Tier 1 in the North West by Legal 500 2014 and Chambers. The team, led by David Pickering, has a wealth of experience in all areas of Family Law. This enables them to quickly get to the heart of the issues and find the right solution for each client in a quick cost effective manner, with an accurate and transparent fee structure. David Pickering David is recognised as a leader in his field in Legal 500 and Chambers. He deals in cases following relationship breakdowns involving all forms of assets, on and off shore including businesses, residential and commercial property, trusts and pensions. His approach is commercial seeking to resolve matters quickly and cost effectively. Mary-Ann Wright Mary-Ann joined DWF in April 2011 as a Partner in the Litigation team. She is based in the Firm s City of London office and heads the Family Law team. She has a proven track record as an experienced Family lawyer dealing with a variety of matters, including cases of high value and complexity, often with a foreign jurisdiction element. She is particularly experienced in dealing with high net worth individuals in the Insurance, Property and Banking industries. Mary-Ann is a member of both the Law Society s specialist Family Law Panel and Resolution. She is currently Chair of the Law Society s Women Lawyers Division, has been an Ambassador for the London Chamber of Commerce for the last 5 years and a member of the City of London Law Society.
Elspeth Kinder Associate DD: +44 (0)161 603 4957 elspeth.kinder@dwf.co.uk Denise Moran Senior Solicitor DD: +44 (0)161 603 4959 denise.moran@dwf.co.uk Luned Rees Williams Senior Solicitor DD: +44 (0)207 645 9594 luned.rees-williams@dwf.co.uk Chrissy Blount Solicitor DD: +44 (0)164 262 3427 christine.blount@dwf.co.uk Mary-Ann Wright advises high net worth and high-profile clients in divorce proceedings, as well as assisting in private children law matters. She is noted for being highly geared towards customer service and client care, whilst continuously giving realistic advice. Chambers UK (2014) Lesley Smythe Lesley is also recognised as a leader in her field in Legal 500 and Chambers. She handles the most complex matrimonial finance cases and regularly represents wealthy and high profile individuals. Her client care is second to none and she is well known in her field for her depth and breadth of knowledge in this area. Lesley is particularly experienced in dealing with cases involving businesses and comfortable dealing with valuations and liquidity issues, trusts, assets on and off shore and large complex pension arrangements. Lesley also regularly prepares pre-nuptial agreements. She has developed a reputation for approaching cases in an incisive manner and identifies solution driven outcomes for her clients at an early stage. Lesley is also a member of Resolution. Well focussed and a straight talker who cuts through the jargon. Legal 500 2014 Beverley Jones Beverley is an Associate in the Family Team in Liverpool. She undertakes all aspects of family law, including divorce, financial remedy proceedings, dissolution of civil partnerships, cohabitation disputes, pre-nuptial agreements and children matters. She is an experienced lawyer dealing with medium to high net worth individuals in financial remedy cases following divorce or separation, regularly securing favourable settlements for her clients. Beverley is further experienced in complex children act matters having been trained in a publicly funded firm specialising in care proceedings. Beverley is a member of Resolution. Beverley is the only solicitor I have felt I trusted. She is personable, yet direct. She has an excellent eye for detail and is very client focused. The Good Lawyer Guide 2014 Gareth Curtis Gareth Curtis is an experienced family lawyer with a track record in dealing with high value financial cases, frequently involving business and trust assets. Gareth has a dynamic but client friendly approach and has a particular interest in niche areas, cases concerning financial provision for children and dividing the assets of unmarried couples. Gareth qualified in 2003 and has worked at DWF for over 7 years. He is also a member of Resolution. When navigating through the often stressful and complicated legal process of separation and divorce you need someone on your side who s grasp of the legal issues are second to none. Client review 2014 Christina Coker Christina is an Associate Solicitor with extensive experience dealing with all aspects of Family Law. She advises high net worth and high profile individuals from the UK and abroad and her cases often involve an international element. Christina has particular expertise in dealing with international child abduction and relocation cases. As a fluent Spanish speaker and able linguist, Christina is also highly experienced in working with lawyers and experts in other jurisdictions, particularly in Spain and South America. Christina is a member of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce. She is also a member of Resolution.
Kate Corby Solicitor DD: +44 (0)161 603 4978 kate.corby@dwf.co.uk Richard Rigg Solicitor DD: +44 (0)151 907 3424 richard.rigg@dwf.co.uk Kelly Meredith Paralegal DD: +44 (0)161 603 5041 kelly.meredith@dwf.co.uk Elspeth Kinder Elspeth has a wealth of experience in dealing with all aspects of marriage breakdown but in particular with regard to high value cases involving all forms of businesses, trusts and assets on and offshore. Elspeth s empathetic approach puts clients immediately at ease and allows her to get to the relevant issues quickly and then deal with them effectively. She is also a member of Resolution. Denise Moran Denise has experience in acting within divorce cases and all aspects of the associated financial matters particularly for medium to high net worth individuals. She also specialises in the drafting of prenuptial, cohabitation and separation agreements. Denise has experience in acting in complicated disputes in relation to children. She has a commercial and pragmatic approach to cases with a view to accruing the best possible results for clients tailored to their specific circumstances. She is also a member of Resolution. Luned Rees Williams Luned is a Senior Solicitor who deals with all matters pertaining to Family Law for both married and unmarried couples. She represents high profile and high net worth individuals with sophisticated financial affairs and who often own assets in various jurisdictions. Luned specialises in dealing with the complex financial matters within a divorce or separation that regularly have an international element. She also advises clients about how to protect their assets and wealth and has experience in drafting pre-nuptial, post-nuptial and cohabitation agreements. She is a fluent French speaker and sits on the Young French Chamber of Commerce Committee. Luned is also a member of Resolution. Chrissy Blount Chrissy is an accomplished Family Lawyer with over 16 years experience. She deals with all aspects of relationship breakdown, with particular interest in dealing with resolution of financial matters for both married and unmarried couples. Chrissy advises on preventative matters such as pre-nuptial and cohabitation agreements. She has an empathetic, yet pragmatic approach to resolving issues surrounding children. Kate Corby Kate has considerable experience in dealing with all aspects of family law having practiced exclusively in this area since qualification in 2004. She regularly deals with medium to high net worth cases often with complex issues as well as difficult Children Act matters. Kate is a member of Resolution and takes pride in a strong commitment to client care as well as resolving matters as quickly and amicably as possible. Richard Rigg Richard undertakes all aspects of Family law including divorce, financial remedy, dissolution of civil partnerships, cohabitation issues, pre-nuptial agreements, injunctions and children matters. He is a member of Resolution and is the Treasurer for Young Resolution Merseyside. Kelly Meredith Kelly is a paralegal engaged in all forms of family work. She assists the team in preparing and drafting documents, attending meetings and court.
Our values At the heart of the way we work are our values. Our values provide us with a framework that is helping us build our reputation as one of the UK s most highly regarded law firms. This framework unites us to reinforce a culture of trust and integrity that, in turn, influences our business conduct. At DWF our values shape who we are, what we do and how we do it. But ultimately, they represent a promise to our clients, our people, and the communities in which we live and work. Diversity and inclusion We believe that an active policy on diversity and inclusion is an essential part of our culture-valuing and respecting individual differences is fundamental to the pursuit of business excellence. We look to find, recruit, develop and retain the best talent available. Corporate Responsibility Creating a culture of Corporate Responsibility is fundamental to the success of our business strategy. Building and maintaining CR excellence into our day-to-day activities is key to driving our business forward in a responsible and sustainable way. We recognise that the capacity to change is fundamental to our continuing development and growth. During periods of change, the support of all our stakeholders, particularly our people and our clients, is absolutely crucial. Our full CR report is available on TheKnowledge and online at We care about our people Visible leadership, good management and training & development helps every employee enjoy a rewarding and fulfilling career. We care about our clients Combining commercial insight with a can do approach to deliver outstanding service, time after time. We care about our communities We donate time, expertise and money to make a positive impact and build stronger sustainable relationships within the communities in which we work. We care about our environment Maintaining careful management of energy, paper, waste and water, and cutting back on business travel to steadily reduce our carbon footprint.
Go Further DWF is the business law firm with industry insight. Our legal experts combine real commercial understanding and deep sector knowledge to help clients anticipate issues, create opportunities and achieve the outcomes they need. We ll deliver the results that help you go in the right direction, wherever you are. DWF LLP 2014. DWF LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales with registered number OC328794. The term Partner is used to refer to a Member of DWF LLP or an employee or consultant with equivalent standing and qualifications. DWF LLP (registered number OC328794) is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. ISO 9001:2008 Certificate No LRQ 4003826. ISO 14001:2004 Certificate Number LRQ 4006597. DWF LLP is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority to carry out consumer credit activities with consumer credit licence number: 663508. DWF LLP is also recognised as an incorporated practice by the Law Society of Scotland with registered number 43186. ISO 27001: 2005 Certificate Number GB12/85932. DWF Fishburns is a brand name of DWF LLP. A list of the Members of DWF LLP and of the Non-Members who are designated as Partners is open to inspection at its registered office, 1 Scott Place, 2 Hardman Street, Manchester, M3 3AA. This information is intended as a general discussion surrounding the topics covered and is for guidance purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice and should not be regarded as a substitute for taking legal advice. DWF is not responsible for any activity undertaken based on this information. Ref:2966