Natalie Dickson

Practice Areas

Natalie is well known as a family specialist in the North West dealing with a wide range of family law matters. She deals predominantly with divorce, financial settlements on divorce and arrangements for children. Natalie is known for her calm and pragmatic approach.

She specialises in advising and representing a range of clients but particularly those with complex asset bases, sports and media personalities, owners of landed estates with inherited and dynastic wealth, business owners, directors, lottery winners, members of the judiciary and other professionals.

Natalie’s specialism is complex Financial Remedy proceedings. She is known to be a pragmatist and straight talker who can get to the crux of a matter quickly. Natalie also advises families and wealthy individuals on wealth protection agreements including pre-nups, post-nups and cohabitation agreements.

Natalie’s work includes private children matters (including a specialism in internal and international relocation in the High Court), financial provision for children under Schedule 1 Children Act and dealing with property disputes arising from the breakdown of cohabiting relationships.

Natalie takes a proactive and pragmatic approach. She focuses on negotiated settlements and joint settlement meetings where appropriate, provides legal support alongside mediation and arbitration, and representation at Court where necessary.

Career

Natalie is a Partner and Head of the Liverpool Family Team at Freeths.

Natalie joined the highly regarded national family team at Freeths in 2023 having been a partner at Brabners LLP where she had been for 16 years.

Natalie has been ranked in Chambers and Partners since 2021 and Legal 500 since 2000. The most recent edition of Chambers noted that “she has incredible attention to detail, a phenomenal manner with clients and an incredibly impressive knowledge of the law”.

Professional Memberships

Natalie is a trained mental health first aider and utilises this to support clients as much as possible.

Natalie is an active member of Resolution and former Secretary of Merseyside Young Professionals. She actively takes part organising and running both networking and charity events across the city. She sits of the Board of the Sefton Park Palm House Preservation Trust and the Liverpool Sportswoman’s Lunch.

Personal

Natalie lives in South Liverpool with her husband, 3 Labradors, 10 chickens and very small smallholding.

Work Highlights

• Advised Wife in complex divorce, Financial Remedy and Children Act proceedings. Husband worked offshore with unclear income and a pre-nuptial agreement in place giving Wife virtually nothing on divorce. Challenging the pre-nuptial agreement on the basis it does not meet Wife’s reasonable needs and running strenuous conduct and costs arguments on the basis of Husband’s litigation conduct. Successfully represented Wife heavily contested litigation comprising non-molestation and occupation order proceedings, Children Act proceedings, maintenance pending suit proceedings and LSPO proceedings. Wife was in a low income part time role with primary care of the parties’ young child. Husband was a high earner who unilaterally cut the Wife off financially following the breakdown of the relationship and evicted her from the matrimonial home. Secured Wife’s return to the matrimonial home and sole occupation. Successful secured a financial settlement for the wife 6 times larger than she would have received under the pre-nuptial agreement.

• Acted for wife to be in negotiations to enter into a pre-nuptial agreement. Wife to be was the financially weaker party marrying into historic landed family with significant dynastic wealth. Conservative estimates put Husband’s wealth at £50m with a very meagre provision suggested for wife to be in the initial draft of the agreement. Instructed King’s Counsel to advise as to a more realistic provision and negotiated with Husband to be’s solicitors which resulted in a significantly enhanced provision for Wife to be including a significant improvement in housing provision, joint lives spousal maintenance and day and night live in childcare.

• Represented Wife in highly contested Financial Remedy proceedings in which there were virtually no matrimonial assets, but Husband was beneficiary to a large family trust which owned the family home. Secured a favourable outcome for Wife through negotiations with trustees whereby she received half the value of the home and the right to occupy until the children are 21. Also secured her the ability to purchase a greater share of the property from the trustees over time until she owns it outright. Successfully represented Wife in contested international relocation proceedings. Wife sought permission to take the parties’ children overseas for a fixed term of 3 years to allow her to work.

• Acted for Husband in divorce and Financial Remedy proceedings. Husband was Chief Operating Officer for a worldwide oil company earning a significant salary. Negotiated settlement with Wife, who did not work, to ensure her housing and income needs were met. Navigated company valuation of Husband’s side company. Negotiated arrangements for children and defending conduct arguments put forward by Wife.

• Represented mother and her Husband in Children Act proceedings against her former partner and his mother. Children’s father was recently released from prison for violent offenses and drug crimes. He had no relationship or interaction with either of the children, one who he had not seen since he was 1 and one who was not born when he went to prison. There was a history of domestic violence. Original proceedings were brought by paternal grandmother with father joining as a party during proceedings. Mother was vehemently opposed to contact. Obtained Parental Responsibility for mother’s new Husband as step-father and secure an outcome with no physical contact between father and children; indirect contact only.

• Acted for Wife in divorce and Financial Remedy proceedings. Both Husband and Wife from multi-generational farming families. Complexities arose due to value and illiquidity of family farm and the potential for multi-million-pound uplift in value if large tranches of land sold for residential development. Additional interesting elements due to a lottery win during the course of the marriage and the matrimonial v non-matrimonial property arguments that followed.

• Acted for Wife in divorce proceedings, Financial Remedy proceedings and non-molestation order proceedings. Police involvement due to domestic violence and Husband’s behaviour stalking and harassing the Wife. Complexities arose due to Husband’s bankruptcy in the UK for non-payment of £1m tax and child maintenance arrears. Husband had extensive business and property assets outside of the jurisdiction including Spain, USA and China. Overseas tracing agents employed to explore extent of Husband’s overseas wealth. Difficulties of non-disclosure from Husband.

• Advised Husband in divorce and Financial Remedy proceedings. Husband was successful business owner and Wife was exec at an international finance firm. Very short marriage of 2 years with 2 years pre-marriage cohabitation. No children of the marriage. Despite Wife earning a 6-figure salary, all matrimonial property derives from Husband. Ran non-matrimonial property arguments and seeking to settlement matters on the basis of Wife’s needs. Matters compromised by agreement at FDR on favourable clean break basis to Husband.

• Acted for Father in Children Act proceedings. Father lived and worked in Dubai in the oil and gas industry. He had a 4 year old child with a Korean national. The marriage broke down and Father unilaterally relocated to the UK with the child. As a result of Father resigning from his job he lost the right to live in the UAE, as did the child and her mother. Acting for Father in High Court proceedings to ensure that child could remain in the UK and gain citizenship.

Languages Spoken

England and Wales

Awards