FINALIST FOR FAMILY LAW FIRM AT 2025 EPRIVATECLIENT EXCELLENCE AWARDS

FINALIST FOR FAMILY LAW FIRM AT 2025 EPRIVATECLIENT EXCELLENCE AWARDS

We have been named as a finalist in the category of Family Law Firm (Full Service) at the 2025 eprivateclient Excellence Awards. 

These awards celebrate outstanding achievement across the UK and offshore legal, tax, fiduciary and advisory professions over the past 12 months and recognise firms that go above and beyond for their clients. Being named a finalist is a testament to our market-challenging and dynamic family law team and the level of service we provide to our clients. 

The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on Thursday 12 June at the Nobu Hotel in London.  

Find out more about the awards and the other finalists here.

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Catherine Bedford Senior Partner

Widely regarded as one of the UK’s most revered family lawyers, Catherine leads the family practice and is the firm's senior partner.

Widely regarded as one of the UK’s most revered family lawyers, Catherine leads the family practice and is the firm's senior partner.

Catherine has established her reputation at the pinnacle of family law. Her practice encompasses the full spectrum of family law in instances of relationship breakdown, and she advises on the highest profile, highest value and most complex cases in the family courts.

Her clients typically face significant public and media scrutiny; Catherine resolves their most personal issues with empathy, sensitivity, determination and discretion. She’s described as having an “incredibly impressive strategic approach” and “unparalleled” client care skills. In April 2024 she was elected as the firm’s first female senior partner.

Depending on each client’s needs, Catherine’s approach is tailor made; whether that be successful negotiating outside of the court process or tough litigating within it. Her work frequently involves high net worth individuals, ranging from successful CEOs and investment bankers, to sports stars and entertainers. Catherine specialises in complex financial matters, frequently advising her clients with regard to assets and trust structures, including locating hidden assets.

Catherine is also highly experienced in all private law children matters including residence and contact, leave to remove children from the jurisdiction (both achieving and preventing), specific issue applications and prohibited steps orders.

Catherine is particularly concerned with mental health issues for children and adolescents; she has for some time been involved with the Anna Freud Centre and is a trustee. She is also a trustee of the National Gallery Foundation Trust.

Nicholas Westley Partner

Nicholas is a partner and an experienced family barrister.

Nicholas is a partner and an experienced family barrister.

Nicholas specialises in complex financial matters (both financial remedy and Schedule 1 claims). He is particularly experienced in advising in cases involving substantial wealth and complex asset-holding structures, including assets held outside of England. He also is adept at protecting family wealth, drafting nuptial agreements and advising family trusts and family offices in the context of marriages, civil partnerships and divorce. Nicholas also represents clients in relation to disputes involving children, both in respect of domestic issues but also international relocation cases. He regularly represents clients in High Court proceedings and on occasion in the Court of Appeal.

Nicholas acts for people from all walks of life. He regularly acts for people in the public eye, working closely with the firm's reputation management experts to protect his clients’ confidentiality. He also frequently acts for people in the financial services industry (and their spouses) and has significant experience of acting in cases involving private equity issues.

Nicholas studied law at Oxford University where he was awarded a first class degree, before practising as a barrister for eight years at Queen Elizabeth Building Chambers. Nicholas is consistently recognised as a leading partner in The Legal 500 and Chambers. He is also a "Top Recommended" family lawyer in Spear’s 500 and has been listed as one of Spear’s top 30 family lawyers.

Mark Irving Partner

Mark is a partner specialising in complex financial and children cases, often with an international dimension.

Mark is a partner specialising in complex financial and children cases, often with an international dimension.

Mark’s expertise include negotiating financial settlements on divorce and separation, as well as nuptial agreements. He regularly advises on arrangements for children following relationship breakdown and the international relocation of children. Mark has dealt with numerous jurisdiction disputes where there are contested proceedings in multiple countries.

Mark is known for his “pitch-perfect” and strategic approach to cases. His clients appreciate his down to earth manner and his ability to simplify complex matters. He has been described by a leading KC as having “calm, grace and a great determination to achieve his clients’ objectives”. 

Mark represents clients from all walks of life, including those in the public eye. Often his clients have significant family assets, business interests, offshore assets, or complex asset-holding structures such as Trusts. Mark advises trustees in the context of matrimonial proceedings. He also regularly represents clients seeking to uncover hidden wealth. 

Mark is experienced in a number of sectors where the valuation of business interests, international property, as well as music, literary and other intellectual property rights is required. He regularly advises entrepreneurs and those working in the private equity, sport and technology sectors.

Mark is recognised as a leading lawyer in The Legal 500 and Chambers, and is a "Top Recommended" family lawyer in Spear’s 500, having won a number of industry awards.  He has been a partner since 2016 and holds a number of management roles in the firm.

Lidia Cantele Partner

Lidia advises on all aspects of family law and the ramifications of relationship breakdown.

Lidia advises on all aspects of family law and the ramifications of relationship breakdown.

She advises on divorce and dealing with spouse’s financial claims against each other, whether through court proceedings or using alternative forms of dispute resolution where appropriate. Lidia can obtain emergency injunctions for clients who may be at risk of physical or emotional harm from their partners.

Lidia also acts for parents in disputes relating to children, for example, applications for child arrangement orders which regulate children’s living arrangements as between their parents, obtaining financial provision from non-resident parents for children and obtaining parental orders for the intended parents of children born via surrogacy arrangements.

Lidia drafts and negotiates pre-emptive agreements which regulate financial claims on the breakdown of relationships including nuptial agreements in the case of spouses and cohabitation agreements for unmarried couples. Lidia’s clients come from a wide range of professional backgrounds including media, finance, fashion, sport and those with complex business interests held across jurisdictions in different corporate and trust structures.

Alex Ward Partner

Alex is a partner and family lawyer.

Alex is a partner and family lawyer.

Alex’s skills are broad and varied. As well as specialising in sorting out high value financial disputes on divorce, he is adept at resolving complex issues concerning children’s arrangements. Alex also has a burgeoning wealth protection practice, which includes advising on, and drafting, pre-nuptial agreements.

Alex is trusted and instructed by clients from a wide range of backgrounds. They include entrepreneurs, city professionals, landowners, home-makers and professional sportspeople.

Recognised as a recommended family lawyer by Spear’s, Alex is a ranked solicitor in both Chambers UK and The Legal 500. He is also a member of Resolution.