Queen Elizabeth Building QEB

Head of Chambers: Catherine Cowton KC and James Ewins KC

Senior Clerk: Howard Rayner

Tenants: 38

THE CHAMBERS QEB specialises in family law, particularly in matrimonial finance and international family law, but also in child law including child abduction and forced marriage. The set has been established for well over 100 years and is consistently rated as one of the very best sets for family law. It is also very forward-looking and client-focussed. Chambers has expanded premises for private FDRs and other forms of dispute resolution including arbitration, mediation and collaborative law. Many members of Chambers are listed as leaders in their field in Chambers and Partners and The Legal 500. The legal directories’ praise for QEB includes the following published reviews: “heavyweight family law chambers”; “skilled at all aspects of family law”; “long held reputation for excellence”; “hotbed of talent”; “good commercial sense”; “fine tradition of producing the very best financial barristers”; “jam-packed with trouble shooters capable of tackling the thorniest money cases” and “offers real depth of experience across the silk and junior end of the market” (Chambers and Partners); while The Legal 500 says ‘QEB is hailed as ‘the best family set from top to bottom,’ with ‘an eminent matrimonial practice,’ which ‘has been in the top echelons for decades. ’The barristers are of consistently high quality, they never let you down and solicitors cannot praise them highly enough. ’Members appear in the most important family cases, particularly involving high-net-worth finance and complex cross-jurisdiction elements.’

QEB has always had an excellent reputation for the quality of the advocates it produces and has been involved in many high profile and historic decisions. Many members of Chambers have continued into high judicial office and Lord Wilson sits in the Supreme Court. In addition Sir Alan Ward, following his retirement from the Court of Appeal, and Sir David Bodey and Sir Paul Coleridge, former High Court Judges, have joined chambers as associate members. Sir Alan Ward is the chair of the Civil Mediaton Council and acts as an arbitrator, private FDR judge and mediator. Sir David Bodey and Sir Paul Coleridge act as arbitrators and private-FDR judges as do many members of chambers.

WORK UNDERTAKEN QEB is particularly well known for dealing with the financial consequences of relationship breakdown but there is immense experience in all aspects of family law including: jurisdictional disputes, foreign divorces, pre-marital agreements, civil partnerships, injunctions both financial and domestic and private law child work, child abduction and forced marriage, Inheritance Act claims and disputes between former cohabitees. In addition some members practise in general common law with particular emphasis on personal injury and professional negligence work. As a complement to its international work QEB offers a range of languages including members of chambers professionally fluent in French, German, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu. Members of QEB appear in courts throughout the country and abroad, ranging from magistrates’ courts to the UK Supreme Court and the Court of Justice of the European Union. The confidentiality of chambers’ work is strictly respected but recent public decisions in which members of QEB were briefed include Jones, Z v Z (No.2.), Petrodel v Prest, Luckwell v. Limata, Cooper-Hohn, AB v JB (EMR modification), Arif v Anwar, Bromfield, A v B (CJEU), E v E (Art 19 and Seisin B IIa) and Fields. QEB has always been at the forefront of the development of matrimonial law and members have appeared in many of the leading authorities including such seminal decisions as Wachtel, F v F, Duxbury, Preston, White, Miller, Charman and Spencer.

The QEB clerks are happy to recommend particular members of Chambers for particular cases and provide charging rates on request, as well as practical assistance in the management of cases. The QEB clerks are regularly singled out for special praise by external commentators who have hailed the ‘superlative clerking’ at QEB, which is rightly described as ‘seamless, professional and courteous’ and ‘the best in London, without question.’