Fourteen

Alex joined FOURTEEN as a tenant following a three-month probationary tenancy ending in December 2022. He now welcomes instructions in all areas of family law and has experience acting for clients at both first instance and appellate levels.

Alex is regularly instructed in financial remedy proceedings and has appeared in cases involving joinder of 3rd party intervenors, disputes as to assets held under trust and property held internationally. He regularly appears in First Appointments, FDRs, and Final Hearings. Alex is currently acting as junior to leading counsel in complex High Court proceedings.

Alex has a particular interest in cases involving an international element. He recently appeared on behalf of the respondent mother in published article 13(b) Hague Convention proceedings. Judgment was reported as XK v JY [2023] EWHC 2996 (Fam). Alex has also appeared in the High Court opposing enforcement of a foreign return order under article 11 of Brussels IIa and is currently involved in a case concerning conflict between domestic proceedings, proceedings in a foreign jurisdiction and overlapping extradition issues.

Alex has experience conducting protracted fact-finding and final hearings in private child law proceedings. He recently represented the applicant father in the reported matter of Re A-M & Anor [2023] EWFC 124, a case involving significant allegations of abuse across multiple jurisdictions. He further appeared in the reported matter of The Mother v The Father [2024] EWFC 139.

Alex regularly appears in public law proceedings. He particularly enjoys engaging with unusual and novel points of law and recently appeared in proceedings concerning interplay between the making of a Special Guardianship order alongside a Prohibited Steps order.

Before completing pupillage, Alex was a paralegal at boutique Mayfair solicitors Peters May and assisted on a broad range of family law matters. Alex maintains a strong academic interest in family law stretching back to his research thesis and time spent as a part-time family law academic at Durham University.

https://fourteen.co.uk/our-people/our-barristers/alex-aspinwall/

Called 2021.

FLBA;

Inner Temple.