1 Hare Court

The outstanding specialist family law set (The Legal 500). Chambers prides itself on having been the family law market leader in every legal guide for every year since those guides were first published. It is a position earned and retained by an unrivalled expertise in relationship generated disputes. A large proportion of the specialist matrimonial money silks in England and Wales are at 1 Hare Court. They have an array of talent at every level among the juniors. The annual Chambers Seminar is an important fixture in the family law year which all the top professionals attend, providing up-to-date analysis of the law from the sets expert barristers.

The set: Chambers traces its history back more than 200 years. Its former members include Law Lords and Lords Justice of Appeal. Recent past members include Baroness Butler-Sloss and Sir Nicholas Wall, former presidents of the family division, Lord Justice Thorpe, High Court Judges, Nicholas Mostyn and Philip Moor and former High Court Judge Mary Hogg.

Members write or contribute to the leading text books and leading periodicals. It is the home of the leading practitioners work Rayden & Jackson. Chambers now numbers 12 silks, 31 juniors and an 11 strong clerks team.

Types of work undertaken: Chambers provides cutting edge expertise at every level. Recent important Supreme Court private family law cases have been dominated by members of chambers; whether in international divorce (where Nigel Dyer KC and Eleanor Harris were for the successful Mrs Agbaje), the nine Justice Supreme Court decision in Radmacher v Granatino (where Richard Todd KC and Geoffrey Kingscote  were pitted against fellow member of chambers, Nicholas Mostyn KC) or before seven Justices in the case of Petrodel v Prest (where Richard Todd KC and Stephen Trowell acted for Mrs Prest). Martin Pointer KC was also recently in the cases of Sharland and Vince v Wyatt in the Supreme Court. Martin Pointer KC and Nigel Dyer KC have also been involved in cases in the Privy Council and Tim Bishop KC and Nicholas Cusworth KC have just been against each other in Work v Gray, a case concerning special contribution.

Members of chambers have had an active part as advocates in all the most celebrated divorce cases of recent years: White, Cowan, Lambert, Miller, McFarlane, Charman and McCartney. 85% of the hundreds of reported cases referred to in At a Glance have had involvement by members of chambers. Obviously the higher court cases attract greater publicity but chambers maintains a strong representation at every level of litigation and, increasingly alternative dispute resolution.

The majority of chambers' work takes the form of resolving disputes on divorce, both financial and regarding arrangements for children. The breakdown of civil partnerships or property disputes arising from unmarried parties cohabitation also represents an important part of chambers' work. Hare Court has an excellent reputation in drafting nuptial agreements. 1 Hare Court also deals with a large number of international jurisdiction disputes and members of chambers have acted in many of the leading authorities in this field.

In addition to traditional court work, Chambers has a strong offering in private dispute resolution services. 1 Hare Court offers private mediation services through a large and expert team of specialist barrister-mediators. Chambers has been at the forefront of the new family arbitration movement and has the largest number of family law arbitrators under one roof. Senior members of chambers regularly act as evaluators in private FDR hearings, and some members are also associates of collaborative law pods.

Chambers also has an impressive international presence with its members providing representation or expert evidence in many other jurisdictions. In the last ten years members of chambers have acted in 30 foreign jurisdictions. In recent years members of chambers have been found advocating in cases as geographically far apart as the Cayman Islands and Hong Kong.

Members are supported by a highly efficient clerks room run under the supervision of Steve McCrone.