Ranking tables
Family/Children Law | UK
London (Firms)
Authored by Burgess Mee Family Law, Natalie Sutherland
Rankings overview for Departments
Band 1
Band 2
Band 3
Anthony Gold 2 Years Ranked
Edwards Family Law 2 Years Ranked
Farrer & Co LLP 1 Years Ranked
Freemans Solicitors 1 Years Ranked
Hodge Jones & Allen 2 Years Ranked
JMW Solicitors 2 Years Ranked
Laurus 2 Years Ranked
Payne Hicks Beach LLP 1 Years Ranked
Rayden Solicitors 2 Years Ranked
Withers LLP 1 Years Ranked
Senior Statespeople
Band 1
Frances Hughes Hughes Fowler Carruthers27 Years Ranked- Natalie Sutherland Burgess Mee Family Law1 Years Ranked
Nina Hansen Freemans Solicitors17 Years Ranked
Sarah Richardson Russell-Cooke8 Years Ranked- Toby Hales Irwin Mitchell11 Years Ranked
Zoë Fleetwood Mills & Reeve LLP8 Years Ranked- Emily BrandBoodle Hatfield LLP
Band 2
Abby Buckland Kingsley Napley LLP6 Years Ranked
Anest Mathias TV Edwards LLP1 Years Ranked
Charlotte Coyle Freeths LLP1 Years Ranked- Elizabeth Fletcher Family Law in Partnership LTD1 Years Ranked
Harriet Errington Payne Hicks Beach LLP5 Years Ranked
Kelly Edwards Edwards Family Law1 Years Ranked
Sarah Williams Payne Hicks Beach LLP1 Years Ranked
Sital Fontenelle Kingsley Napley LLP8 Years Ranked- Catherine SilwalTeelan & Silwal Family Law Limited
- Katie O'CallaghanBoodle Hatfield LLP
Band 3
Antonia Mee Burgess Mee Family Law8 Years Ranked
Fiona M Wilson Freeths LLP1 Years Ranked- Flora Grossman Simkins LLP7 Years Ranked
James Stewart Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP22 Years Ranked
Linzi Bull Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP9 Years Ranked
Michael Rowlands JMW Solicitors20 Years Ranked
Peter Burgess Burgess Mee Family Law8 Years Ranked
Renato Labi Hughes Fowler Carruthers19 Years Ranked
Sarah Harding Simons Muirhead Burton1 Years Ranked
Sarah Hutchinson Farrer & Co LLP5 Years Ranked- Steven Gasser Laurus1 Years Ranked
Tessa Bray Simons Muirhead Burton2 Years Ranked
Band 4
Anna Worwood Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP18 Years Ranked
Claire O'Flinn Keystone Law1 Years Ranked
Connie Atkinson Kingsley Napley LLP5 Years Ranked- Daniel Coombes Family Law in Partnership LTD17 Years Ranked
Olivia Piercy Hunters1 Years Ranked- Patricia Beckett Wilson Solicitors LLP1 Years Ranked
- Tammy Knox Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP8 Years Ranked
Tom Farley-Hills Simons Muirhead Burton9 Years Ranked
Up and Coming
All Departments profiles
Band 1
1 Burgess Mee Family LawFamily/Children Law2025 | Band 1 | 2 Years RankedBurgess Mee Family Law demonstrates strength in a range of private children cases, including international relocations and parental disputes involving allegations of severe abuse. The firm also offers expert knowledge of modern families and in particular the law surrounding fertility treatment and surrogacy.1 Kingsley Napley LLPFamily/Children Law2025 | Band 1 | 2 Years RankedThe family law group at Kingsley Napley can offer a broad range of expertise in work relating to child arrangements and welfare. The team advises on Schedule 1 applications, contact disputes, emergency injunctions and international child relocations. It also has experience in handling parental orders for couples who have had children via surrogacy.
1 Mills & Reeve LLPFamily/Children Law2025 | Band 1 | 2 Years RankedMills & Reeve offers the full range of family law services with notable expertise in child-related disputes. The team advises on contested Children Act proceedings, including cases that involve allegations of abuse or coercive control, as well as on international relocations. It has further expertise in issues relating to surrogacy and fertility.
1 Penningtons Manches Cooper LLPFamily/Children Law2025 | Band 1 | 2 Years RankedThe family team at Penningtons Manches Cooper fields a wide range of expertise in private children law, including both domestic and cross-border cases. Lawyers in the group represent clients in disputes regarding child relocation and leave to remove as well as high-conflict Children Act proceedings following divorce and separation. The firm is adept at managing sensitive cases that involve abuse allegations or children with behavioural and mental health difficulties.
1 Russell-CookeFamily/Children Law2025 | Band 1 | 2 Years RankedRussell Cooke handles the full spectrum of children law work, acting for parents, children and guardians. The firm's work includes high-conflict cases involving injunctive orders and sensitive issues around mental health and abuse allegations. The team is experienced handling a wide range of international matters, including abduction cases and arrangements regarding adoption and surrogacy.
Band 2
2 Family Law in Partnership LTDFamily/Children Law2025 | Band 2 | 2 Years RankedFamily Law in Partnership is known for its strong commitment to ADR solutions, housing leading professionals in mediation, arbitration and collaborative law proceedings. The firm represents clients in highly contested Children Act proceedings concerning a range of issues, including leave to remove, variations to child arrangements orders and abuse allegations. The team has notable experience in representing high net worth individuals and foreign nationals.
2 Freeths LLPFamily/Children Law2025 | Band 2 | 2 Years RankedFreeths has a strong bench of family practitioners who frequently advise on private children law, including contentious Children Act proceedings and very sensitive disputes with allegations of abuse and coercive control within families. It also offers strength in matters pertaining to surrogacy.
2 Hughes Fowler CarruthersFamily/Children Law2025 | Band 2 | 2 Years RankedHughes Fowler Carruthers has an extensive family law practice that offers broad-ranging advice on private children law to its ultra high net worth client base. The firm has a strong focus on international work, including relocation disputes and abduction cases, and also has notable skill in handling sensitive cases involving complex mental health aspects and allegations of coercive control.
2 Irwin MitchellFamily/Children Law2025 | Band 2 | 2 Years RankedIrwin Mitchell advises clients on a range of private children matters, including applications for child arrangements orders and relocations. The team represents parents during and after divorce proceedings as well as in situations where serious allegations have been made regarding abusive or criminal behaviour. The firm has a strong track record protecting the rights of vulnerable clients.
2 Simons Muirhead BurtonFamily/Children Law2025 | Band 2 | 2 Years RankedSimons Muirhead Burton's family practice is well equipped to handle all manner of disputes arising in relation to child arrangements and welfare issues. The team represents parents in proceedings relating to existing contact and residence arrangements as well as assisting them with applications for non-molestation and prohibited steps orders. The firm is able to advise clients both on domestic and cross-border matters.2 StewartsFamily/Children Law2025 | Band 2 | 2 Years RankedThe Stewarts family law team offers expertise in private children law alongside its top-quality finance practice. Lawyers in the group advise on a range of disputes related to child arrangements orders, including highly contentious proceedings that concern allegations of abuse, coercive control and alienation. They also assist clients, including ultra high net worth individuals, on international matters related to child residency and relocation.
2 TV Edwards LLPFamily/Children Law2025 | Band 2 | 2 Years RankedTV Edwards has an experienced team of lawyers advising on all aspects of children law. The firm frequently represents vulnerable parents as well as children in highly sensitive proceedings requiring assessment of abuse allegations and complex medical evidence. It also offers expertise in international adoption, surrogacy and abduction cases.
Band 3
3 Anthony GoldFamily/Children Law2025 | Band 3 | 2 Years RankedThe family law team at Anthony Gold advises on Children Act proceedings including disputes that involve abuse allegations and child welfare issues. The firm also has notable experience in international relocation and abduction cases concerning a broad array of jurisdictions globally.3 Edwards Family LawFamily/Children Law2025 | Band 3 | 2 Years RankedEdwards Family Law is a boutique practice that specialises in representing high net worth clients. Its private children law expertise includes Schedule 1 applications and complex international disputes relating to relocation and enforcement of child arrangements orders. The team can also advise clients on matters involving abuse allegations and mental health concerns.3 Farrer & Co LLPFamily/Children Law2025 | Band 3 | 1 Years RankedThe family law team at Farrer & Co provides expertise across a broad spectrum of private children work. This includes highly contested child arrangement orders along with international surrogacy agreements and other cross-border matters. The firm is adept at advising on cases where domestic abuse, alienation and other welfare concerns play a part.3 Freemans SolicitorsFamily/Children Law2025 | Band 3 | 1 Years RankedThe team at Freemans Solicitors has notable strength in handling international disputes concerning children. Areas of expertise for the firm include wardships, relocation, international abduction and cross-border enforcement of child arrangements orders. The firm also advises on domestic private children law including complex disputes regarding child arrangement orders.3 Hodge Jones & AllenFamily/Children Law2025 | Band 3 | 2 Years RankedHodge Jones & Allen handles both private and public law matters relating to children. The team's experience covers a whole host of cases where very serious allegations have been made, including domestic abuse, parental alienation, substance misuse and criminal offences. The firm's expertise in this area is bolstered by its strong practices in crime, civil liberties and Court of Protection work.3 JMW SolicitorsFamily/Children Law2025 | Band 3 | 2 Years RankedThe team at JMW Solicitors is particularly adept at advising on private children disputes that have an international aspect, such as contested applications for child relocation and summary return. The firm also advises on other contentious child law proceedings and has notable expertise in matters alleging abuse and domestic violence.3 LaurusFamily/Children Law2025 | Band 3 | 2 Years RankedLaurus has an experienced family team well able to advise on the most complex Children Act disputes and safeguarding issues. The team assists clients with applications for and variations to child arrangements orders as well as supporting parents who are refuting or bringing allegations of abuse, domestic violence and substance misuse.3 Payne Hicks Beach LLPFamily/Children Law2025 | Band 3 | 1 Years RankedThe family team at Payne Hicks Beach advise clients on private children matters in addition to handling high-value financial disputes. The team garners recognition in particular for its cross-border work, including Hague Convention proceedings, as well as its focus on highly contentious Children Act cases.3 Rayden SolicitorsFamily/Children Law2025 | Band 3 | 2 Years RankedRayden Solicitors advises clients in children law matters as part of its broad family law practice. The team offers expertise in the full range of work, from private Children Act proceedings to public law matters to adoption and surrogacy cases. The firm has notable experience in cases with significant international elements.3 Withers LLPFamily/Children Law2025 | Band 3 | 1 Years RankedThe team at Withers is recognised for its expertise in private law children work. The team advises clients on a wide range of matters including child arrangements, relocation and alleged parental alienation. The firm also offers expertise in cross-border issues.
Band 4
4 Bindmans LLPFamily/Children Law2025 | Band 4 | 1 Years RankedThe team at Bindmans advises on complexinternationalchildren law matters, including abduction to Hague Convention and non-Hague Convention jurisdictions. The firm has notable expertise in cases involving immigration issues and trafficking or abuse concerns. It also has strong knowledge of the law pertaining to international adoption and surrogacy.
4 Charles Russell SpeechlysFamily/Children Law2025 | Band 4 | 1 Years RankedThe team at Charles Russell Speechlys handles the full range of private children work, from child arrangement orders and associated disputes through to surrogacy, fertility law and adoption. Its lawyers can also advise on cross-border matters including those brought under the Hague Convention.
4 Dawson CornwellFamily/Children Law2025 | Band 4 | 1 Years RankedDawson Cornwell is a preeminent firm for international disputes concerning children, including leave to remove and international abduction cases relating to jurisdictions around the world. The team also has expertise in cross-border matters relating to surrogacy and adoption agreements. It can further advise on disputes concerning domestic child arrangements, often in cases where domestic abuse is alleged.
4 Goodman RayFamily/Children Law2025 | Band 4 | 1 Years RankedThe team at Goodman Ray advises on the full range of children law with notable focus on cross-border disputes. The firm has particular experience in advising on Hague Convention proceedings and also advises on public care matters that have an international element.
4 Osbornes LawFamily/Children Law2025 | Band 4 | 1 Years RankedOsbornes Law has an established family team with a notable focus on Hague Convention proceedings. The team also offers a range of expertise in private law work, including international relocation, adoption, surrogacy and childcare arrangements.