Vanessa Duff (Mitchell)

Vanessa is qualified in England & Wales and Hong Kong, and she is a native French speaker.

She has over 12 years of experience in advising on all aspects of family law and issues which result from the breakdown of a relationship, including divorce, financial arrangements, and separation. She also advises clients in connection with disputes involving children, to include the financial aspects, issues relating to custody, care and control and access, as well as on applications for leave to remove a child from the jurisdiction.

Vanessa has particular expertise in dealing with cases which have an international perspective, with a particular interest in cases having a Hong Kong-European dimension and jurisdictional disputes. She has numerous relationships with foreign lawyers and is able to manage multi-country cases and rapidly source foreign advice where necessary.

She is a specialist in advising on and drafting prenuptial/postnuptial agreements, cohabitation agreements, and separation agreements, both domestic and international. This is an area of practice which requires sensitivity and tact. She also has a good understanding of European marital regimes and marriage contracts.

Vanessa’s client base primarily consists of high net worth individuals, entrepreneurs and city professionals. She is skilled in resolving cases with complex financial and disclosure issues, including trusts, and cases involving inherited wealth and family businesses. Many of her clients are expatriates, and French speaking. She always goes the extra mile for her clients.

Where appropriate, Vanessa is committed to resolving disputes outside of the Courtroom and is a keen advocate of alternative methods of dispute resolution, including mediation, arbitration and private FDRs.

Prior to joining the Hong Kong family team, Vanessa worked in the Withers London family team for over 11 years. She grew up, and was educated in Belgium, and subsequently studied in London and Paris.