Stewarts

Managing Partner: John Cahill
Number of partners: 69

Firm Overview:
Stewarts is a law firm like no other. Specialising in high-value and complex disputes, its track record of success for clients has helped Stewarts become the UK’s leading litigation-only law firm. Clients choose Stewarts for its legal excellence, its specialist expertise and pioneering approach to complex litigation. The firm’s focus is always on success: achieving the best results for its clients around the world.

Main Areas of Practice:

Divorce & Family: The team is the pre-eminent divorce and family practice in the UK, ranked No.1 in the legal directories. They act for high net worth individuals based in the UK and overseas. Partners are regarded as ‘the leading lights of the profession,’ spearheading a department of unrivalled strength and depth advising on all aspects of family law. Stewarts takes time to understand the issues clients face, and help them achieve the best possible outcome both in relation to their children and their finances. The team’s lawyers have particular expertise in unravelling complicated trusts, identifying assets held within companies and advising on complex cross-border issues. The team is at the forefront of taking a collaborative approach to divorce and family issues and, when appropriate, uses arbitration and mediation as an alternative to court proceedings. A number of partners are accredited mediators and arbitrators.
Contact: Stephen Foster

Employment:
Stewarts has a leading employment law team, highly ranked by legal directories. The team has an outstanding reputation in the financial and professional services sectors. Partners are recognised for their cutting-edge work for senior executives and their ‘excellent knowledge of how the City works.’ The team’s lawyers have particular expertise advising on individual and team moves, whistleblowing, and discrimination claims. The team’s advice goes beyond beyond legal analysis to address the wider practical, commercial and strategic issues, ensuring its clients achieve the best possible outcome.
Contact: Joseph Lappin

Financial Crime:
The team’s lawyers have an outstanding track record of acting for individuals with potential and actual criminal exposure. Head of department Richard Kovalevsky QC is described as ‘a great tactician for corporates and individuals facing prosecution,’ and is recognised as a leading QC. The team has in-depth experience of dealing with all aspects of bribery, corruption, fraud, asset recovery, tax evasion, money laundering and the manipulation of financial markets. In financial crime cases, there is often an overlap with different areas of law. Stewarts’ expertise in civil fraud, asset recovery, tax litigation and employment law enables it to provide its clients with advice on a range of interconnected issues. The firm provides clients with the assistance they need whatever direction a case may take.
Contact: Richard Kovalevsky QC

Media Disputes:
Stewarts has a specialist UK-based media litigation team that acts in high-value, complex and often multi-jurisdictional disputes for domestic and international clients. Its client base includes high profile, high net worth and ultra-high net worth individuals, particularly when they have issues relating to media intrusion, defamation, intellectual property protection, malicious postings on social media platforms, infringements of privacy and data protection rights, and confidentiality breaches.
Contact: Ryan Dunleavy

Tax Litigation & Investigations:
The team advises high net worth individuals on tax disputes with HMRC, from enquiry stage through to appeals before the tax tribunals and courts. Stewarts also advises on commercial disputes arising out of tax issues, including claims against professional advisers in relation to negligent tax advice and financial institutions involved in structured planning. The firm’s lawyers have acted in many of the recent high profile cases brought before the Tax Tribunals, and the UK and European courts.
Contact: David Pickstone

Trust & Probate Litigation:
The team advises on complex, large scale and often high profile disputes in the UK and other jurisdictions. Stewarts acts for high net worth individuals, families, family offices, trustees and trust companies. The work undertaken includes both onshore and offshore trust litigation, and domestic and international probate disputes. In addition to conducting litigation in the UK, the firm’s lawyers coordinate claims in overseas jurisdictions, when necessary working alongside specialist law firms around the world.
Contact: James Price