Dawson Cornwell

Partner Carolina Marín Pedreño and Senior Associate Floriane LARUELLE, instructing Ruth Kirby KC and Frankie Shama of 4PB, represented the father in the case of R (Child Abduction: Parent's Refusal to Accompany) EWCA Civ 1296. The father made a summary return application under the 1980 Hague Convention at first instance, after his three children were removed from France to England by the mother. The High Court dismissed the application on the basis that the mother's allegation that she would not return with her children should be taken at its highest, and that the children would suffer intolerable harm if returned to France without their mother. The father appealed this decision on the basis mainly that the wrong test was applied by the High Court. Whilst the Court of Appeal admitted that the wrong test was applied they found that the result would have been the same regardless and therefore dismissed the appeal.   Read the judgment in full here: https://bit.ly/4hzgcUW

Partner Hilka Hollmann represented the child in Z (Foreign Surrogacy) [2024] EWFC 304, a cross-border surrogacy case in which the court gave valuable guidance on international surrogacy arrangements and urged early due diligence from intended parents to avoid confusion, difficulties and delay for their child later on. This is a very interesting judgment, acting as a reminder that things can go wrong with international surrogacy arrangements, and can help intended parents and their lawyers to avoid the common pitfalls. Read the judgment in full here: https://bit.ly/40wy24Y

Associate Sacha Lee was delighted to be interviewed by 42BR Barristers following her being shortlisted for Family Law Young Solicitor of the Year at the LexisNexis UK Family Law Awards.   Sacha discusses her career and why she chose law, in addition to her concerns around the continuing cuts to legal aid and cases that have left an impact.   Read more below.

Writing in Family Law Week, partner Carolina Marín Pedreño and solicitor Isabela Maculan, along with Naima Asif of Pump Court Chambers, discuss what can be done when faced with a refusal to comply with an order for scientific testing to establish parentage. Ascertaining the truth of a child's parentage is almost always in a child's best interests, but sometimes a parent refuses to engage or allow the child to engage in scientific testing. Carolina, Isabela and Naima look at differences between situations where the father, the mother, or even the child refuse to engage, and the impact this may have on proceedings. Read the article in Family Law Week here: https://bit.ly/40M0Bvt

Partner Sulema. Jahangir is speaking at the European Union Agency for Asylum – EUAA Country of Origin Information Specialist Network Meeting Pakistan, from 30 - 31 October at the EUAA headquarters in Valletta, Malta.   On the first day, Sulema provided an outline on the general political situation in Pakistan, and will be speaking on the situation of women on the second day.   The EUAA is an agency of the European Union mandated with supporting Member States in applying the package of EU laws that governs asylum, international protection and reception conditions, seeking to harmonise the asylum practices across all EU+ Member States.   Read more about the EUAA here: https://bit.ly/3YEzvVt

Partners Carolina Marín Pedreño and Simon Bruce, and Associate Isidro Niñerola Torres will be attending and speaking at the 68th congress of the UIA Union Internationale des Avocats, which takes place from 30 October to 3 November.   The conference, taking place in Paris, brings together legal professionals from around the world to discuss trends in the industry, and connect like minded individuals in insightful discussion.   Isidro, who is President of the NextGen Network, will be chairing its session on 1 November which will discuss, amongst other hot topics, AI, and trends in law firms, and “Throuples: Is three the magic number?”. Attendees will also receive a coaching panel "The Mindset Game", led by Cayetana Hurtado-Malidin of Gangtey. Carolina, vice president of the Family Law Commission, is chairing their panel titled 'International enforcement of financial orders: How, when and how much?'.   Simon will be speaking on the ‘International Family Law: New Challenges’ panel on 2 November. The panel will examine ‘forum shopping’ or the possibility of choosing certain jurisdictions for international divorce proceedings, updates regarding domestic violence regulations across jurisdictions, and procedural good faith.    Read more here: https://bit.ly/4eVI4km   #FamilyLaw #UIA

Partner Simon Bruce recently wrote in the LexisNexis Family Law Journal on the state of equality and the unfair treatment of wives in divorce cases.   Simon discussed how maintenance for wives is often inadequate, which is particularly concerning during times of economic uncertainty. Furthermore, he highlights the lack of security - both financial and emotional - afforded to wives on divorce.   Read Simon's article in the latest volume of Family Law Journal here: https://bit.ly/4fdjQll

Partner Carolina Marín Pedreño was delighted to be interviewed by 42BR Barristers following her being shortlisted for Family Lawyer of the Year at the LexisNexis UK Family Law Awards.   Carolina discusses her practice, why she chose a career in law, and how family law has changed throughout her career.   Read more below.

Partner Forum Shah will be speaking alongside Anita Guha KC of 7BR Chambers at the Family Law Week Public & Private Children Law conference on 24 October.   Forum and Anita will be discussing Private Law disputes with reference to recent case law and guidance at 9:40am.   Read more and register here: https://bit.ly/4eZff6f   #FamilyLaw #ChildrenLaw #FamilyLawWeek

We are pleased to have once again been highly ranked in the Chambers and Partners UK Guide 2025, with four departmental rankings as well as eight lawyers being individually recognised as leaders in their field. The firm was ranked Band 1 in Family/Children Law: Cross-Border Disputes, and recognised as a leading firm in Family/Children Law, Family/Matrimonial Finance: High Net Worth, and Family/Children Law: Public Law Matters. In Family/Children Law: Cross-Border Disputes, Partners Carolina Marín Pedreño and Hilka Hollmann have been ranked in Band 1, with Partners Sulema. Jahangir and Forum Shah also being recognised as leading lawyers. Our particular congratulations to Hilka, whose ranking has increased this year! In Family/Matrimonial Finance: High Net Worth, Partners Jessica Reid and Russell Bywater have both been recognised as leading lawyers. Partner Simon Bruce continues to be recognised as a ‘Senior Statesperson’ in Family /Matrimonial Finance: Ultra High Net Worth.   In Family/Children Law: Public Law Matters, Partners Hilka Hollmann and Charlotte I. have both been recognised as leading lawyers. We remain incredibly proud of our team, and this year’s rankings demonstrate our continued commitment to top-tier expertise and client care across all practice areas. View our Chambers profile in full here: https://bit.ly/3NvNxCq #ChambersUKGuide2025 #FamilyLaw #ChildrenLaw #MatrimonialFinance