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Unusually Michael also has extensive experience in difficult child cases. He was instructed consistently in the past not only by the Official Solicitor, and Cafcass Legal, but also by local authorities in highly demanding cases in the High Court, Court of Appeal and House of Lords, which have raised difficult questions of fact and law.

Michael is an expert in contests between England and Wales and other jurisdictions as to which should decide the divorce – both in respect of Brussels II (revised) and generally – also in relation to injunctions to prevent a party from proceeding with divorce in a foreign jurisdiction. He has lectured on the topic.

Michael has acted as an advocate to the court in a series of reported decisions. He succeeded against the UK Government in relation to a breaches of Articles 8 and 12 of the ECHR, on behalf of a post-operative transsexual, heard by the Grand Chamber in Strasbourg (I v UK [2002] 2 FLR 518). Michael was previously listed as a leading junior in the relatively small list of practitioners in London within The Legal 500 since 2001. Chambers Guide to the UK Legal Profession also for many years rated him as one of the few leading juniors. Michael is a member of the Family Law Bar Association and he was the Assistant Secretary from 1986 – 1988.

Michael is also the author of two chapters in David Davidson’s book “Pensions and Marriage Breakdown “ 3rd Edition (published by the Law Society in 2005).

Michael was in 2009 nominated by the Chairman of the Bar to chair a joint tribunal set up by the Bar Council and the Law Society / OSS to resolve major dispute between a leading junior Barrister and a prominent firm of solicitors.

Michael was one of only 3 Leading Counsel to be invited to appear as a principal speaker on issues of spousal support after divorce, at the Butterworths Lexis Nexis Matrimonial Finance and Divorce National Conference on 28th April 2010.

On 4th February 2011 Michael chaired a day conference on advanced financial remedy topics at the RAF Club attended by over 100 solicitors at which 5 QC’s spoke. He chaired a similar financial remedy day conference for the White Paper Company in January 2013 and twice in January and April 2014.

Michael is a Qualified Mediator and Collaborative lawyer. In September 2011 he attended the first course run by The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators to become one of the first Family Law Arbitrators.

In March 2013 Michael chaired Lexis Nexis webinar on all aspects of ADR.

Michael is the Chair of the Trustees of the Three Faith Forum – the country’s leading active interfaith charitable agency, which since 1997 has been generating understanding, goodwill and friendship between Muslims, Christians and Jews, as well as people of other faiths and in the wider society.