Richard Handel

Practice Areas

Richard is a partner in the Family Law and Divorce team. He is a highly experienced adviser to high-net-worth individuals on financial settlements following divorce or relationship breakdown.

He regularly acts for those with complex finances, often involving corporate or trust structures and with international elements. He is well known for his technical expertise, eye for detail and pragmatic approach to reaching settlements. He also advises on marital agreements as a means of protecting wealth in the event of divorce, and regularly advises clients where there are international issues, working with leading family lawyers in other jurisdictions.

As well as financial matters, Richard also advises on arrangements for children following the breakdown of a relationship, including applications for children to relocate abroad.

Career

Dawsons LLP, qualified 2009; Withers 2011 to 2019, Senior Associate; Burges Salmon 2019, Director; Burges Salmon 2022, Partner.

Professional Memberships

Resolution: member of the Drafting Committee, former Co-Chair of YRes London; former committee member of National YRes Committee.

Experience

• Senior City professional: Advising in relation to a financial settlement. The case involved a number of properties, trust structures and significant income. Settlement was reached following a private Financial Dispute Resolution hearing.

• Well-known entrepreneur: Acting in relation to a pre-nuptial agreement to protect his wealth of over £200 million, whilst also making appropriate provision for his fiancée and their children.

• Well-known television personality: Acting in financial proceedings. Due to the high-profile nature of the case, Richard advised on applications for anonymisation, reporting restrictions and permission for the proceedings to be held in private.

• Dispute in relation to children: Acting for a mother opposing an application made by the father to relocate their children to Spain. The mother successfully defended the application and the children remained living with her in England.

• Dispute in relation to children: Acting for a father in court proceedings to determine contact arrangements with his child in circumstances where the mother refused to agree any contact.

• Divorce with international issues: Acting for the wife in an application for financial relief after an overseas divorce, reported as Johnson v Takieddine & Anor [2016] EWHC 1895 (Fam). The case involved assets of c. €100 million held in several companies and structures in the UK and abroad.