Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP‘s family team is ’amongst the strongest in London‘, led ’extremely well‘ by Anna Worwood, ’an international relocation expert’, and arbitrator and head of strategy for the team James Stewart, who is ‘a first choice for cases involving prenuptial agreements or cross-border matters’. A number of team members have specialist experience of international matters, including Anglo-US experienced Elizabeth Carson and Rebecca Carlyon, whose client base includes high-profile figures in entertainment, politics and finance. Jane Craig is particularly engaged in the law around cohabitees, and Linzi Bull is specialised in LGBTQ+ family issues including international surrogacy, and innovative use of pre-conception agreements. For complex financial matters, including those involving trust structures, family offices and offshore assets, Amanda Andrews is a go-to, while international child abduction work is regularly handled by Tammy Knox. In October 2024, the team was joined by Tom Amlot, Lucy Brown, and Kate Williams, all previously at AFP Bloom.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘This is my first choice family law firm in London, backed by an exceptional private client team and the team to whom I refer the vast majority of my friends and family - all of whom have given me excellent feedback and profuse thanks for the recommendation.’

  • 'James Stewart is my absolute go to and a first choice for cases involving prenuptial agreements or cross-border matters due to his incredible international network and experience in this sort of work.'

  • ‘You can't beat partner Linzi Bull for expertise, empathy and endeavour. She really is top notch.'

  • ‘The family team at Penningtons is amongst the strongest in London. It is extremely well led by Anna Worwood who is an international relocation expert and leads from the front. Clients will always be reassured that by being represented by PMC they will have the right mix of fight and negotiation skills.'

  • 'Tammy Knox is a leading children lawyer, Chair of the Resolution Children Committee and able to find a way through the most complicated and intractable cases. She can deal exceptionally quickly with child abduction and international enquiries.'
  • ‘Penningtons Manches Cooper has a well deserved reputation as one of the strongest London firms. It is very efficient - in-house expertise is always available. The new generation coming through is exceptionally good. ’

  • ‘Rebecca Carlyon has deep expertise in matrimonial matters. She is a very sympathetic listener who gives sensible, well judged advice based on a her many years of experience. She is extremely personable to deal with.’

  • 'Anna Worwood is a standout partner. She handles the most complex of cases both dealing with the finances and the children. She has all the interpersonal skills to manage the most difficult of situations and clients. She has perfect judgement and makes all the right calls in the big cases. The team goes from strength to strength with her as head of it.'

Lawyers

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Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Anna Worwood, James Stewart

Other key lawyers

Jane Craig, Amanda Andrews, Rebecca Carlyon, Elizabeth Carson, Tammy Knox, Amy Fox, Hannah Hayward, Linzi Bull, Lee Henderson, Tom Amlot, Lucy Brown, Kate Williams