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Suzanne is President Elect of the International Academy of Family Lawyers.
She is one of the most highly respected international family lawyers of her generation in London with more than two decades of experience of conflict resolution which is illustrated by the long history of awards and accolades she has achieved. All legal and industry directories rate her highly. Her practice includes dealing with complex international financial cases, often involving family businesses, inherited wealth or sophisticated trust and pension issues. She is adept at handling private law children disputes including surrogacy and has a stellar practice in negotiating multi-jurisdictional pre and post nuptial agreements. Suzanne has a substantial Italian theme running through her career and is the go-to lawyer in London for Italian family related matters. Chambers says 'She has so many strengths. She's very organised, systematic and a solution focussed mastermind.' 'She demonstrates specific strength in handling Anglo-Italian issues'. She even delivers family law presentations in Italian!
Her key strengths are her compassion, efficiency, persuasiveness and collaboration. She is undoubtedly results focussed and is known in the industry as a tenacious litigator. What is always clear is that her advice is given discreetly, strategically and with a commercial eye to the end game.
Suzanne fields additional strength in ADR as a practicing Mediator and Collaborative lawyer. Legal 500 describes her as 'very talented' ensuring discussions are realistic and all options are explored.
Suzanne has extensive experience in 'private dispute resolution', alongside Court-led litigation, offering clients a range of alternative means to resolve their situation.
Clients say.....
'She is incredibly calm and never rattled, she has superb empathy and determination, she shows extreme dedication to her client cases, she has the right balance of sympathy combined with a razor-sharp legal brain but a calm and non-confrontational approach to divorce negotiations combined with an obvious will to win. Suzanne is efficient, available and responsive as well as being a strategic thinker and very tactical. She always gives 100% for her client and provides very sound advice.'
'She really invests in her clients' cases and is phenomenally hard-working and a very good communicator'
'She juggles management of a full caseload and a top team pretty effortlessly'.
Her clients include internationally mobile professionals from all walks of life (often the female breadwinner), successful individuals from the entertainment industry, the motorsport industry and their partners. She works with Founders, senior City professionals, their partners, international families directly, with their General Counsel or through the Family Office.
Suzanne contributes to the national press (FT, The Times, The Evening Standard), legal press including The Lawyer and The Law Society Gazette, Family Law as well as Managing Partner, Spears and Vanity Fair Italy.
Recent recognition
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Me in a minute
I am hard-working, conscientious and fiercely devoted to my clients
Despite having left Northern Ireland more than 20 years ago, I still have many of the personality traits that make us universally 'well' liked. My contagious energy and bright, sunny 'can-do' attitude are reflected in the fact that I am hugely hard-working, conscientious and fiercely devoted to my clients. You can take the girl out of Ireland but you cannot take Ireland out of the girl!
As a family lawyer I am solution focused always with a keen eye on the commercial detail and reality of the situation. The most rewarding part of the job is guiding clients through the choppy emotional waters of a separation and helping them reach the other side safely to enable them to move forward and open a new chapter of their life story.There is a strong Italian theme running through my career dating back to my love of languages at school - indeed, I wish I had done a language degree and not a law degree!
I am extremely proud of the range of my professional achievements to date, both in a family law context and a wider legal context, which reflect my determination, drive and work ethic. I am married to a (legal) IT consultant and we have two boys. Outside of the office I have also been known as 'Shere Khan', if you know what that means, and am the proud owner of a 'Wood badge'. After more than 20 years of playing hockey, I still dabble on the hockey pitch from time to time.
Track record
Shortcut court procedure
Acting for the Applicant mother in S v P [2008] which created a shortcut court procedure for individuals who reach agreement through the collaborative process to have their agreement approved by the Court. This procedure has recently been followed by the President in relation to Awards made in an Arbitration context.
Non-disclosure
Acting for the wife in the Court of Appeal case of Mahon v Mahon [2008] involving serious non-disclosure by a husband.
Trustees
Advising the Trustees in the Jersey case of In the Matter of the Truro Trust and the PF Life Interest Trust [2007].
Intervenor
Acting for the Intervenor in the matter of AM v SS and WA [2014], securing her rights in a property held by the Intervenor's brother on trust for her.
Talks
Co-chairing the IAFL Young Lawyers' Virtual Conference in March 2021 (virtual)
Lamwyk seminar - 'your career journey in 10 minutes' - March 2021 (virtual)
ICALI Brexit & Family Law Talk on Facebook Live - January 2021 (virtual)
AIAF Milan Seminar on Brexit & Family Law - November 2020 (virtual)
British Spanish Lawyers Association on alternative dispute resolution processes in Madrid - October 2019
STEP California - San Francisco and Silicon Valley on English Family Law - May 2019
Co-chairing the IAFL Young Lawyers Conference in Milan - March 2019
AIAF Seminar (in Italian) on Family Law and Brexit - Supreme Court - Rome - June 2018
AIAF Seminar on Cohabitation (in Italian) - Milan - July 2017
Civil Partnerships (in Italian) in Milan - April 2017
Co-chairing the IAFL Young Lawyers Conference in Madrid - March 2016
Co-chairing the IAFL Young Lawyers Conference in Berlin - March 2015
Law Society 'Women's Lawyer's Division' event on Women in Law - 2014
IFB Forum on Pre-Nuptial Agreements - 2011
AIMMF Conference in Milan (in Italian) on parental responsibility - February 2011
Collaborative Conference in Milan (in Italian) - February 2010
Radmacher and all things relating to pre-nups in Dublin - 2010
Collaborative Law (in Italian) - Milan 2009
Trusts & Divorce (in Italian) - Lugano 2006
Insight
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Admissions
Northern Ireland, 2012
England and Wales, 1999
Education
Nottingham Law School, Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice
University of Leicester, LLB (European Community) Hons
Erasmus Scholarship, University of Modena (1993 - 1994)
Diritto Constituzionale
Diritto Privato Comparato
Languages
- English
- Italian
Memberships
International Academy of Family Lawyers, Fellow, Member of the Board of the IAFL & Secretary
Member of the International Women's Forum (UK) and Member of the Board & Company Secretary
British Italian Law Association, Member of the Management Committee
Resolution
The City of London Solicitors Company
Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Solicitors
The Association of Women Solicitors
The London Collaborative Group
Women's Irish Network
One Loud Voice for Women
Key dates
- Year joined: 1997
- Year became partner: 2007