Profile description
Family Law
Stephen has acted in all aspects family law, including acting for parties seeking divorce, financial provision and all manner of Child Arrangements Orders.
Divorce and financial settlement
A key interest for Stephen is matrimonial finance. His experience in business is often very useful in dealing with such disputes, particularly when one of the parties owns a company, and the value of which has to be assessed. In family disputes Stephen’s realistic and “commercial” approach can be very helpful to the parties. He is well aware that matrimonial disputes can severely deplete the assets of most families unless great care is taken, and he is often able to make the process less contentious and expensive. Stephen is frequently instructed to advise and represent clients in relation to complex and high value financial proceedings involving business assets, property (including property held overseas), inheritance and pensions. Stephen has also acted in difficult cases where the respondent husband or wife is overseas and is uncooperative or cannot be contacted.
Family law – Children
Stephen represents clients at all stages of private law children disputes. He regularly represents parents and guardians in disputes about the living arrangements for children, disputes about contact arrangements, and disputes about the exercise of parental responsibility. Stephen has specific experience of proceedings involving:
- Intractable disputes
- Fact-finding hearings
- Domestic violence and abuse
- Removal from the jurisdiction
- Applications to relocate overseas
- Wardship
- Abduction and complex international issues
Stephen offers extensive experience of representing parties involved in contested non-molestation and occupation order proceedings, often arising out of associated disputes over child arrangements or divorce. He also has experience of cases where one parent wishes to take a child out of the jurisdiction against the wishes of the other parent.
Injunctive remedies
Stephen is frequently instructed to advise and represent clients in relation to the various injunctive remedies that often arise out of his family law practice. These include fiercely contested applications for Non-molestation Orders, Occupation Orders and Prohibited Steps Orders.
Business and Company Law
Stephen has acted for many owners of companies who are selling their businesses, and regularly lectures solicitors at seminars on the process of buying or selling companies.
In particular, Stephen is very experienced in the drafting of sale agreements and in securing the effectiveness of warranties and indemnities. Partnership disputes are a particular interest, and Stephen is experienced both in the litigation and the avoidance of such disputes.
Stephen also accepts instructions to advise and represent commercial clients in relation to contractual disputes and debt recovery claims.