England - London • Private client
Russell-Cooke LLP
Russell-Cooke LLP ‘is extremely well led' and provides a ’golden circle service’. It has a broad range of specialisms and advises on a diverse range of matters, such as nuptial agreements, cohabitation issues, international mandates, and complex children issues. Other fields of expertise include assisting clients with fertility law, surrogacy, and adoption, as well as LGBTQ+ family law advice. James Carroll, Kate Hamilton , Fiona Read, and Sarah Richardson are ‘hugely experienced’ and have an 'uncanny ability to see around corners’. Hannah Minty, Hannah Field, Samantha Little, and Miranda Green produce work that is ’consistently of an excellent standard’. Jemma Pollock has been promoted to the partnership, and Jade Quirke ‘knows everything there is to know on any complicated area of fertility law’.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Samantha Little is a standout solicitor within the firm, and within family law as a whole. She deals with extremely complex cases and is always able to get to grips with very complex medical evidence quickly. She is also regularly sought after.'
'Jade Quirke is a leader in the field of surrogacy. She gives an enormous amount of thought to her cases and is highly experienced. She has a very supportive approach to her clients alongside superb technical skills.'
‘Imogen Nolan, Fiona Read and Hannah Field all excellent.'
‘Sarah Richardson has a mixture of fantastic legal knowledge, down to earth common sense, and real sensitivity to be able to work with and represent vulnerable teenagers. This is often missing in other solicitors who do the same kind of work.'
- 'Hannah Field is a practical lawyer who gives clear advice to clients. She is excellent at exploiting good points in cases, but always advises clients where the pitfalls are in their case.'
‘James Carroll is focused on resolving matters in the most advantageous and cost-effective way. He isn't afraid to be firm when he needs to be but in a very charming and compelling way. Jasmin Talai is effective, efficient and responsive. Jemma Pollock is pragmatic and sensible.’
‘Hannah Minty is particularly strong in pre-nuptial agreements. She is easy to work with, sensible, measured, clever and a tough negotiator but one who does not argue unnecessarily. She is always willing to make sensible compromises and concessions.'
- 'Kate Hamilton is a superb solicitor. She exudes authority and is pragmatic and results driven.’
Work highlights
- Advised the British parents of an adult child born via gestational surrogacy in California in the 1990s on obtaining a parental order.
- Advised multiple members of an international ultra-high-net-worth family on family law matters, relationship planning, and wealth protection.
- Advised a wife on divorce and financial remedy claims against an ultra-high-net-worth international businessman who had set up a complex structure of companies and trusts in order to protect his wealth.
Lawyers
Rising stars
Leading individuals
Kate has considerable expertise in acting for barristers, solicitors and clients in the financial sector. Many of her cases involve foreign jurisdictions with off-shore assets and/or international lifestyles. She has expertise in disputes between property owners, being either family members or couples, financial provision upon divorce/dissolution, intervening in divorces, advising unmarried parents in their claims, undertaking complex children work such as leave to remove applications and negotiating pre and post nuptial agreements. Reported cases: Re: D (A Child) (Abduction: foreign custody rights) [2006] UKHL 510, El Gamal v HRH Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed al-Maktoum [2011] EWHC B27 (Fam); Re A (A Child) [2014] EWCA Civ 1577 and GN v MA [2015] EWHC 3939 (Fam), Ashby v Kilduff [2010] EWHC 2034 (Ch.).
Sarah is a partner in the children and education law team. She specialises in complex cases involving vulnerable adults and children during care proceedings and family disputes such as children spending time with and or living with one family member. In this changing world of how families develop and are formed, Sarah has the ability to adapt and change as well as take on new challenges to meet her clients changing needs. Sarah is particularly experienced in advising and representing children, parents and family members in difficult and sensitive cases which are often life changing for families - for example, where there are issues of parental drug and alcohol addiction, domestic violence and or a mental health difficulty. Sarah has a reputation for being able to tackle a difficult area in a case such as mental health without being phased by the added complexities. Many cases often involve allegations of sexual abuse or physical harm to children. She handles these highly emotional cases with sensitivity and kindness. Sarah is also experienced in international and domestic adoption and surrogacy and advising LGBTQ+ families.
Next Generation Partners
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
James Carroll, Kate Hamilton, Jemma Pollock, Fiona Read, Hannah Minty, Hannah Field, Miranda Green, Samantha Little, Sarah Richardson