Stewarts Law LLP

Divorce and Family

Partner in the Divorce and Family department.

The Legal 500 has described Richard as "ferociously clever and very solution focused" and a "star in the making". Richard focuses particularly on negotiating the financial aspects of divorce (and civil partnership dissolution), separation and preparing pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements.

Richard focuses particularly on negotiating the financial aspects of divorce (and civil partnership dissolution), separation and preparing pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements. Often, these matters will have an international element and, with pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements especially, Richard is accustomed to liaising with lawyers in several different jurisdictions.

Reflective of his private client background, Richard is also regularly involved in cases involving complex tax and trust issues.

Richard acted for HRH Prince Louis of Luxembourg in the successful application for a reporting restrictions order relating to family proceedings – [2017] EWHC 3095 (Fam).

Richard also acted for the wife in XW v XH 2017 EWFC 76 (and XW v XH (No.2) (Reporting Restrictions Order) [2018] EWFC 44) in which the wife was awarded one of the highest recorded English divorce settlements.  In addition the case dealt with issues of special contribution, privacy and whether foreign marital contracts should be treated as pre-nuptial agreements. At the Court of Appeal the wife was successful, exceptionally, in her application for the reporting restrictions order granted in the High Court to be maintained (XW v XH [2019] EWCA Civ 549).  Furthermore her lump sum award was increased from £115m to £145m (XW v XH [2019] EWCA Civ 2262).

Richard graduated from Oxford University (1997). Upon qualification in 2001, he practised initially as a corporate tax lawyer at Slaughter and May before moving to Speechly Bircham (now Charles Russell Speechlys) as a private client tax and trusts lawyer (and subsequently as a family lawyer). He joined Stewarts in May 2011.

Resolution (previously the Solicitors Family Law Association) Collaborative Lawyer Fellow of International Academy of Family Lawyers

King Edward’s School, Bath; Hertford College, University of Oxford (1997 BA Hons Geography); College of Law, London (1998 CPE); College of Law, London (1999 LPC).

Eating out, travel, skiing, gym, cello.