Marcus Dearle

Marcus is one of the most experienced and senior international family lawyers and thought leaders in London specialising in UHNW and HNW cases. Many of his competitors at his level have retired. He hasn’t and remains on full throttle. He has acted in some of the biggest and most complex divorce cases in England and Hong Kong, including in a major multi-billion pound cross border London divorce in 2025 concerning the enforceability of a nuptial agreement (possibly the highest value divorce of the year) and for Sir Frederick Barclay: he put the case back on the rails and successfully defended Sir Frederick in committal proceedings - including going into the witness box for him in the full gaze of the world’s media.

He was recruited to Withers in 1990 having been trained and qualified at Eversheds Daynes Hill and Perks (now Eversheds Sutherland).

He was made a partner at Withers at aged 31, the first partner to be made up in the family law team at Withers after Diana Partner.

In 2009 he moved to the Withers Hong Kong office to spearhead the launch of a family law team which became (then) the leading family law team in Hong Kong. For a period he was managing director of the Withers Hong Kong and Singapore offices. There he acted in major divorce cases, including in the Florence Tsang case (Hong Kong’s then biggest divorce), for HSBC Trustee (International) Limited in Otto Poon (up to the Court of Final Appeal) and in LCYP v JEK, the leading nuptial agreement case on the detailed interpretation of Radmacher.

He moved back to London in January 2021 to join what was then Miles Preston & Co with a view to taking over the firm with Julia Stanzcyk’s blessing. He became owner and senior partner of Miles Preston in July 2023. Miles Preston was the original leading family law boutique in London and Marcus is credited for having ‘rejuvenated’ the firm since he took over.

Withers in London and Hong Kong (1990-2016) - partner from 1995, BCLP Hong Kong (2016-2020) and Miles Preston, London (2021 to date): Senior Partner at Miles Preston from 1 July 2023;

He co-trained and/or co-recruited many of the Withers current members or Withers alumni listed in this Chambers HNW Edition 2026 (UK-wide).

- IBA (Chair of the Family Law Committee 2021-23);

- Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers;

- Resolution;

- Law Society of England & Wales;

- Law Society of Hong Kong.

Contributing Editor and co-founder of the Global Legal Post’s comparative jurisdictional guide to Family Asset Protection: Divorce, Finance and the Media;

Contributing Editor of the ICLG Cross Border Family Law Guide;

Author of the Divorce and Trust Chapter in Sweet & Maxwell’s ‘Family Law in Hong Kong’.