Ranking tables

Family/Matrimonial | UK

The South

Our Family/Matrimonial tables rank law firms and lawyers who deal with issues surrounding the inception and breakdown of personal relationships. This includes the creation of pre-nuptial, civil partnership and cohabitation agreements relating to financial and property assets, the resolution of divorces or separations involving financial and property disputes, and the handling of matters relating to children in the context of divorce or separation. Public law proceedings related to children in care may also be included, as may work relating to surrogacy and fertility law.

Rankings overview for Departments

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1

Band 1

  1. Charles Russell Speechlys
    1
    Charles Russell Speechlys
    Family/Matrimonial
    2025 | Band 1 | 1 Years Ranked
    Charles Russell Speechlys has a top-drawer team in Guildford practising across all areas of family law, with the ability to provide collaborative law and mediation options. The team has experience in handling complex children law cases revolving around allegations of abuse, controlling behaviour and parental alienation. Additionally, it has deep expertise in handling financial matters with tax, pensions and trusts elements.
  2. Cripps
    1
    Cripps
    Family/Matrimonial
    2025 | Band 1 | 1 Years Ranked
    Cripps is a leading firm in Tunbridge Wells, advising clients on a variety of high net worth matrimonial finance cases. It handles cohabitation and nuptial agreements as well as a range of private children matters. The firm offers expert advice on cases that involve assault, domestic violence and sexual abuse allegations. It can advise on the full range of dispute resolution proceedings, including all forms of ADR as well as litigation.
  3. Family Law Partners
    1
    Family Law Partners
    Family/Matrimonial
    2025 | Band 1 | 1 Years Ranked
    Family Law Partners is a boutique firm with capabilities across a whole host of alternative dispute resolution processes, including mediation, arbitration and collaborative law. It has strong teams in Brighton and Horsham handling children law and financial remedy cases, as well as prenuptial and postnuptial agreements. The team is experienced in handling the dissolution of civil partnerships as well as advising on TOLATA proceedings and inheritance claims. It is also noted for its deft handling of financial disputes involving complex pensions and trusts aspects.
  4. Jones Nickolds
    1
    Jones Nickolds
    Family/Matrimonial
    2025 | Band 1 | 1 Years Ranked
    Jones Nickolds is a notable Kent-based outfit with an expert team specialising in complex private children matters and high net worth matrimonial finance cases. It represents clients in financial remedy proceedings involving corporate assets, pensions and inherited wealth and is expert in divorce as well as the dissolution of civil partnerships. The team is well versed in family law litigation and also committed to collaborative methods and alternative dispute resolution.
  5. Paris Smith LLP
    1
    Paris Smith LLP
    Family/Matrimonial
    2025 | Band 1 | 1 Years Ranked
    Paris Smith is a standout firm in Southampton representing high net worth individuals in matrimonial disputes concerning trusts, inherited wealth and property, with additional expertise in drafting high-value nuptial agreements. The team also has experience in handling highly acrimonious private children matters. The firm offers litigation expertise and also provides mediation services as well as collaboratively trained lawyers.
  6. Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP
    1
    Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP
    Family/Matrimonial
    2025 | Band 1 | 1 Years Ranked
    Penningtons Manches Cooper has a strong family team in Guildford. The firm is well-versed in handling complex Children Act matters including cases that involve serious issues such as child abduction, parental alienation and alleged sexual harm. It also advises on high-value financial disputes involving corporate assets, trusts and other issues, and is experienced in cases including non-disclosure and cross-border elements. The firm is able to draw on complementary expertise in private client matters to offer a holistic service in traditional litigation as well as more collaborative forms of dispute resolution.
  7. Thomson Snell & Passmore
    1
    Thomson Snell & Passmore
    Family/Matrimonial
    2025 | Band 1 | 1 Years Ranked
    Thomson Snell & Passmore is a leading firm in Kent offering a wide variety of family law services. The team is recognised for its proficiency in tackling substantial matrimonial finance cases, including those that involve shareholdings and inherited wealth. It also assists clients with complicated children law matters including international relocation and parental alienation cases. The firm represents clients from across the region and further afield in the UK, offering them the benefit of the firm's wider expertise in private client and property law, and it can provide a range of alternative dispute resolution options.
2

Band 2

  1. Blake Morgan
    2
    Blake Morgan
    Family/Matrimonial
    2025 | Band 2 | 1 Years Ranked
    Blake Morgan has a well-regarded family law practice in Southampton offering alternative dispute resolution services as well as traditional litigation advice. It handles matrimonial finance and private children cases, including maintenance and relocation matters as well as international child abduction. The team is able to assist clients with both limited-asset cases and high net worth matters drawing on additional expertise from its employment, commercial and tax teams to aid clients where necessary.
  2. Brachers LLP
    2
    Brachers LLP
    Family/Matrimonial
    2025 | Band 2 | 1 Years Ranked
    Brachers is a well-established family law practice in Kent, with key offices in Maidstone and Canterbury. The firm advises on substantial matrimonial finance cases, providing expertise on complex commercial, agricultural and trust structures. It possesses further expertise in handling Children Act matters, including internal and international relocation cases. The team readily assists clients with alternative dispute resolution methods such as collaborative law and mediation. The firm can also offer clients the benefit of the firm's wider expertise in private client and property law.
  3. Dawson Hart
    2
    Dawson Hart
    Family/Matrimonial
    2025 | Band 2 | 1 Years Ranked
    Dawson Hart in Uckfield has a respected team specialising in complex financial issues connected with relationship breakdown. The firm is also experienced in private children law, including Schedule 1 applications and cases of parental alienation. It represents professional clients from a range of industry sectors and is committed to resolving disputes outside of court where possible, with team members who are qualified mediators and arbitrators, as well as collaborative lawyers.
  4. Dean Wilson LLP
    2
    Dean Wilson LLP
    Family/Matrimonial
    2025 | Band 2 | 1 Years Ranked
    Dean Wilson is a Brighton-based firm advising high net worth individuals on the full range of family law issues. The firm assists with both financial and private children matters associated with divorce and separation, while also being well versed in nuptial and cohabitation agreements and emergency protection issues. The team frequently handles cases concerning complex pensions, property and business arrangements. It is able to take charge of cases in a traditional litigation context as well as through mediation and collaborative law processes.
  5. Moore Barlow LLP
    2
    Moore Barlow LLP
    Family/Matrimonial
    2025 | Band 2 | 1 Years Ranked
    Moore Barlow houses an impressive team of lawyers acting on high-value, complex financial disputes arising out of marriage or relationship breakdown. The team demonstrates particular experience in matters involving corporate assets, properties, inherited wealth and trusts both in the UK and offshore. It also acts on complex private law children cases with a particular focus on child arrangement orders and relocation cases. The firm has additional experience in high-value nuptial agreements, TOLATA proceedings and pension arrangements. Moore Barlow has offices in Guildford, Richmond, Southampton and Woking.
  6. 2
    Russell-Cooke
    Family/Matrimonial
    2025 | Band 2 | 1 Years Ranked
    Russell-Cooke has a well-established family law practice in Kingston-upon-Thames that advises clients on a variety of issues, including high-value matrimonial finance matters, nuptial agreements and cross-border children disputes. The firm's education practice works closely with the family team to support clients. It has expertise in alternative family law matters, with notable expertise in the area of international and domestic surrogacy.
  7. Stevens & Bolton LLP
    2
    Stevens & Bolton LLP
    Family/Matrimonial
    2025 | Band 2 | 1 Years Ranked
    Stevens & Bolton in Guildford has an established family and matrimonial practice acting for high net worth professionals on both domestic and cross-border matters. The firm has substantial expertise in finance cases involving companies and family businesses, and is able to draw on its market-leading corporate team to further assist on such matters. The team has additional expertise in child arrangement orders and other children law issues. It offers alternative dispute resolution options in addition to traditional litigation advice.
  8. Adler Family Law
    Family/Matrimonial
    2025 | Band 2
3

Band 3

  1. Blackfords LLP
    3
    Blackfords LLP
    Family/Matrimonial
    2025 | Band 3 | 1 Years Ranked
    Blackfords has a strong team focusing on public law children matters, including those that concern serious criminal conduct, non-accidental injuries and mental illness. The team is vastly experienced in cases involving complex medical evidence and child witnesses and has expertise in international as well as domestic matters. It regularly handles care proceedings acting both for parents and for intervenors, as well as offering a wide variety of private children law services. The firm has offices in Croydon and Woking.
  2. DMH Stallard LLP
    3
    DMH Stallard LLP
    Family/Matrimonial
    2025 | Band 3 | 1 Years Ranked
    DMH Stallard advises on a broad range of family and matrimonial law matters, both contentious and non-contentious. It has expertise in handling inheritance claims and TOLATA proceedings as well as financial remedy cases, with additional strength in cohabitation and nuptial agreements. The team acts on child care aspects of divorce and separation cases, as well as on domestic violence cases. It has offices across the South East, including Brighton, Horsham and Guildford.
  3. Edward Cooke Family Law
    3
    Edward Cooke Family Law
    Family/Matrimonial
    2025 | Band 3 | 1 Years Ranked
    Edward Cooke Family Law has a strong presence across Sussex, with offices in both Brighton and Chichester, and is noted for its expertise in complex family law matters. The firm acts on behalf of high net worth individuals in divorce and financial remedy proceedings, often where substantial assets are involved. The team is also experienced in preparing prenuptial agreements and handling children matters arising from separation. It can provide clients with mediation services as well as advising them on court proceedings.
  4. Mayo Wynne Baxter LLP
    3
    Mayo Wynne Baxter LLP
    Family/Matrimonial
    2025 | Band 3 | 1 Years Ranked
    Mayo Wynne Baxter is a well-known firm in Sussex with key offices in locations such as Brighton, Crawley and Eastbourne. The family team handles complex matrimonial finance and children law cases through litigation, collaborative law and mediation. It is experienced in advising on TOLATA matters and same-sex relationship breakdown, as well as traditional divorce proceedings. The firm acts on complex Children Act proceedings concerning alleged domestic abuse as well as cross-border removal from jurisdiction cases. It also offers clients additional assistance with nuptial agreements.
  5. Morr & Co
    3
    Morr & Co
    Family/Matrimonial
    2025 | Band 3 | 1 Years Ranked
    Morr & Co has a strong team across Surry and Hampshire, with offices in locations including Guildford, Redhill, Farnborough and Fleet. The firm regularly acts for individuals on high-value financial disputes arising from divorce, including complex matters involving assets such as companies, properties and trusts. It also supports clients on children matters, including cases involving international relocation and domestic abuse.
  6. Trethowans LLP
    3
    Trethowans LLP
    Family/Matrimonial
    2025 | Band 3 | 1 Years Ranked
    Trethowans has a robust matrimonial finance and children practice in Southampton and Winchester, offering both collaborative law and mediation services. It has extensive knowledge of property and pension assets as well as inherited wealth in the context of divorce and separation, as well as in nuptial agreemens, and is able to assist on matters involving businesses and trusts. In addition, the team has expertise in a range of private children matters, including surrogacy, child arrangements and relocation cases.
  7. TWM Solicitors LLP
    3
    TWM Solicitors LLP
    Family/Matrimonial
    2025 | Band 3 | 1 Years Ranked
    TWM Solicitors is a respected firm in the Surrey area, providing collaborative law and mediation services as well as advice on traditional litigation. The team is adept at handling divorce proceedings and nuptial agreements involving substantial assets, as well as LGBT family and matrimonial matters and TOLATA issues. The firm is also called upon regularly for Schedule 1 applications and other Children Act matters, including contact disputes, leave to remove and international relocation cases.
  8. Warners Solicitors
    3
    Warners Solicitors
    Family/Matrimonial
    2025 | Band 3 | 1 Years Ranked
    Warners Solicitors represents clients on financial remedies and Children Act proceedings. with notable cross-border experience. It advises high net worth individuals on post-separation issues as well as wealth protection and nuptial agreements. In addition, the firm advises clients on an array of complex pension arrangements and trust structures. The team offers the full range of dispute resolution options, including mediation, from its offices in Tonbridge and Sevenoaks.
  9. Brighton & Hove Law
    Family/Matrimonial
    2025 | Band 3
  10. Clarkson Wright & Jakes Ltd
    Family/Matrimonial
    2025 | Band 3
  11. Coole Bevis LLP
    Family/Matrimonial
    2025 | Band 3
4

Band 4

  1. Irwin Mitchell
    4
    Irwin Mitchell
    Family/Matrimonial
    2025 | Band 4 | 1 Years Ranked
    Irwin Mitchell is building a strong family law team on the South Coast, with key locations including Southampton and Chichester. The team advises clients on a range of finance matters including financial remedy, cohabitation disputes and prenuptial agreements, as well as proceedings concerning the Children Act.
  2. Thrings LLP
    4
    Thrings LLP
    Family/Matrimonial
    2025 | Band 4 | 1 Years Ranked
    Thrings has a thriving family department in Romsey, known for its expertise across a wide range of matrimonial finance and children law matters. The team frequently advises clients with substantial business assets, as well as farming families, on divorce proceedings and wealth protection agreements. It also assists with disputes concerning child arrangements orders.
  3. Boys & Maughan
    Family/Matrimonial
    2025 | Band 4
  4. Thomas Mansfield Solicitors
    Family/Matrimonial
    2025 | Band 4
  5. ThomasHaywood
    Family/Matrimonial
    2025 | Band 4
  6. Tisshaws Family Law Solicitors
    Family/Matrimonial
    2025 | Band 4