Vardags

Vardags is a leading, law-changing, blue-chip law firm, specialising in high stakes, complex, and international cases for high net worth individuals and their companies. ‘Britain’s top divorce lawyer’ Ayesha Vardag leads a team of the country’s best legal minds. The firm has taken City quality into the private sphere, and become one of the very few UK lawyers called upon to advise heads of state, on matters of both English and international law. The firm’s lawyers are frequently called upon as experts on the biggest cases and legal issues of the day, by outlets such as BBC News, CNN,the Today Programme, and Newsnight.

PRINCIPAL AREAS OF WORK 

Divorce

Vardags is best known as one of the country’s top divorce firms, providing a full range of matrimonial law services for high net worth individuals. The firm has been involved in many if not most of the leading ‘big money’ cases of our times. Vardags is outspoken in its support for no-fault divorce and co-parenting, consistent with its own commitment to equality and family-friendly policies. The firm is unique in having an in-house financial forensics team, led by ex-Deloitte director Jonathan Ruffell. Vardags’ invaluable expertise in remuneration and complex corporate structures, valuations, options and derivatives, and asset tracing ensures every client gets their fair share. In the 2010 landmark case of Radmacher v Granatino, Vardags changed the law by making prenuptial agreements enforceable in England and Wales. Since then, Vardags has acted in many high profile cases heard in the English courts, including:

• Obtaining a record award against declared bankrupt Mr Young and a record costs award for Michelle Young in Young v Young
• Acting for Yasmin Prest in the ‘corporate veil’ case Prest v Petrodel, providing the beneficial interest arguments which ultimately won in the Supreme Court
• Acting successfully in a ground-breaking transatlantic nullity case involving Sharia, English, US and Italian law
• Obtaining what is believed to be a record interim child maintenance award against a foreign royal family member
• Acting in a case involving a head of state which was England’s first concluded family law arbitration
• Acting for Li Quan in the international tiger charity case
• Acting for the Marchioness of Northampton in her famous divorce settlement
• Securing the highest award ever award after a foreign divorce in Al-Baker v Al-Baker
• Winning the leviathan jurisdiction battle and one of the largest ever reported divorce awards for the former Miss Malaysia against her Laura Ashley tycoon husband, in Chai v Khoo

Children & Family

Vardags’ children and family department offers a full range of family law services, including prenuptial, postnuptial, and cohabitation agreements, fertility and surrogacy, and disputes involving children.

Vardags’ dedicated children team handles a wide range of matters, from fertility and surrogacy to disputes relating to family breakdown. Many of the department’s cases have an international element, such as international relocation, the registration and enforcement of foreign contact orders, and all other forms of cross-border children disputes.

Vardags is a champion of the reform of UK surrogacy laws, which often force hopeful parents to go abroad or to enter into precarious agreements. The Vardags team can help legally secure and protect families created through assisted conception, fertility treatment, donor conception, and surrogacy. Familiar with the sensitivities of modern family-building, Vardags offers specialist legal advice and representation to help high net worth individuals place their family life on a firm legal footing.

Commercial & Civil Litigation: 

The civil and commercial litigation department works on a wide range of commercial matters, including shareholder disputes, professional negligence, and insolvency agreements. The department advises on some of the most high-stakes, complex disputes across a range of industries, including construction, manufacturing, and international arbitration.

Criminal Defence: 

The criminal department advises clients who are subject to investigation by the police and other investigative bodies, including the SFO and HMRC. The team provides full representation and advice from before arrest to trial and appeal, and has acted in some of the most high-profile cases in the Old Bailey over recent years. The department provides comprehensive representation in relation to assault, drugs, harassment and sexual offences as well as all aspects of white-collar crime, regulatory crime, and confiscation proceedings. It has an extraordinary record in shutting down investigations before charges are brought.

Property:

Vardags’ property department acts for clients in buying, selling, mortgaging, and restructuring prime and super-prime properties in London and across the country. The team provides a discreet, meticulous, and comprehensive service to high and ultra-high net worth clients involved in property transactions, and works tirelessly to ensure these are completed with speed and precision. Recent cases include contract races won and deals secured in under 7 hours.

Reputation & Privacy

Vardags’ reputation and privacy team works to protect the best interests of high profile and high net worth individuals and successful companies. It represents celebrities, sports stars, entrepreneurs, and business executives on all areas of media and privacy litigation, including press management, online media issues, and defence against smear campaigns.

The department has also ensured that some of Vardags’ most high profile cases going through the English family courts are kept entirely out of the public eye. The firm handles these cases with the utmost discretion and expertise cultivated from years of experience in handling the press.

CLIENTS

Vardags acts for high net worth individuals, their families, and their companies in high-stakes legal matters when a successful outcome is paramount.

Its divorce lawyers always aim to find a resolution, but are prepared to fight hard to win clients their fair share. They are also well-equipped to assist the financially weaker party by facilitating lending, tracing hidden assets and defending their best interests.

Vardags also supports its clients by providing a top-quality legal service to high net worth individuals in need of a children, criminal, civil litigation, property, or reputation lawyer.

REGIONAL OFFICES

Led by a surge in client demand, Vardags has expanded nationally and now works with clients from across the world in London, Manchester, Cambridge,  Oxford, and Winchester.

INTERNATIONAL

Vardags has unrivalled international expertise and a global clientele. Their familiarity with complex legal work spanning international jurisdictions is unparalleled and the firm is truly multi-lingual.

RECRUITMENT

Vardags hand-picks stellar individuals who demonstrate intellect, creativity, determination and integrity and hail from the top academic and commercial institutions, including leading City firms. The firm has created a unique graduate training programme allowing the most talented young lawyers to join the firm directly on graduation from university and study through to qualification while being paid a full salary and doing real work. This leads their lawyers to qualify at a level described at the Bar as several years ahead of those of other firms.