Caroline Holley

Partner

Caroline practises all areas of family law, often representing high-profile clients with complex legal needs. She speaks French and Italian and is well known for her expertise in international cases.

Caroline is an award-winning lawyer who advises in high-level financial litigation, frequently involving complex financial structures and multiple jurisdictions, as well as in disputes concerning children, such as abduction, relocation and custody. Her practice also includes non-contentious work, with expertise drafting and negotiating pre- and post-nuptial agreements and advising in respect of surrogacy arrangements.

Clients value Caroline’s ability to empathise and respond quickly and sensitively in difficult situations. She combines a resolute commitment to securing results in their best long-term interests with a sensible and pragmatic approach.

She acts for high-profile individuals in the worlds of sports and entertainment, as well as professionals, financiers and entrepreneurs and their families. Caroline works closely with specialists across the firm’s reputation management, property and estate planning teams as and when her clients’ needs require it.

Caroline is best known for her success in the influential Supreme Court case Petrodel v Prest, which saw a landmark ruling in her client’s favour.

Expertise

Individuals & Families

Caroline advises in complex financial disputes, particularly matters involving trusts and other structures. She is well known for her work in the influential UK Supreme Court Case Prest v Petrodel. Decided in her client’s favour, Prest was a landmark ruling concerning the ability of divorcing spouses to access assets held by companies. Caroline also acted in the noted case of Whaley v Whaley. Caroline advises on all private law matters relating to children. She works on matters of international and domestic relocation, those relating to custody, holiday and living arrangements and abduction cases. A large part of Caroline’s work is international. She has spent time on secondment to a top family law firm in Los Angeles and has particular expertise in cross-border US/UK work.

Memberships & Accolades

Caroline is a fellow of International Academy of Family Lawyers.
Resolution
AIJA (Association International des Jeunes Avocats)
ABA (American Bar Association)
UIA (Union Internationale des Avocats)
STEP (Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners)
Ranked in Chambers High Net Worth 2022: Family/Matrimonial: Ultra High Net Worth
Ranked as a Leading Individual in Legal 500 2022
A recommended family lawyer in Spears 2022

Testimonials

"Caroline Holley is a simply superb lawyer. She has fantastic strategic vision and a real mastery of the law. She is formidable and has an incredible drive. She cares deeply about her clients, both in terms of the outcome for them and their welfare. This really shines through in her interactions with them and they respond sensationally well to it." (Legal 500 2025)

“Caroline is a really brilliant solicitor. She has a wonderful understanding of the mechanics of the law and the emotions going on between the parties." (Chambers HNW 2024)

“Caroline gets really good cases and inspires confidence with her clients. She's unflappable really, you'd want her in a crisis." (Chambers HNW 2024)

“Caroline is an unflappable, highly knowledgeable and collegiate lawyer." (Chambers HNW 2024)

"Caroline Holley is one of the greats of family law. She is an incredible solicitor totally dedicated to her work and clients. She has an enormous intellect and a wonderful client manner. She brings a light touch to her cases which clients love. All her opponents respect her for her judgement and sensibility." (Legal 500 2024)

"Caroline has an international practice with a particular expertise of clients in America. She is very adept at dealing with clients with complicated global assets." (Chambers HNW 2023)

"She is absolutely top of the game. A fabulous practitioner that clients really love, and incredibly intelligent with a good bedside manner. Great to work with as she takes the sting out of the case." (Chambers HNW 2023)

"Caroline Holley is simply brilliant. She guides her clients through the stormy waters of divorce and takes them to a safe port of good settlement or victory in court." (Legal 500 2023)

"She's completely unflappable and has a great insight into her cases." (Chambers UK 2023)

"Caroline is always thinking ten steps ahead, which makes her remarkable. She has fantastic instincts and she always has the answer." (Chambers UK 2023)

"She is a very shrewd and tactical lawyer who is always ahead of her opponent. She is a brilliant strategist." (Chambers UK 2023)

"She is extremely thorough and brings intellectual rigour to both financial and children work." (Chambers UK 2023)

"Caroline is always thinking ten steps ahead, which makes her remarkable...She has fantastic instincts and she always has the answer." (Chambers HNW 2022)

Caroline is recognised as a Next Generation Partner for Family: Matrimonial in the Legal 500 2022 Guide.

"Caroline Holley is a superstar. Her clients adore her for her incisive mind, strategic abilities and charming manner. You couldn’t find a better solicitor to fight your case and give you calm realistic advice." (Legal 500 2022)

"Caroline Holley – another brilliant partner who has made a great name for herself." (Legal 500 2022)

Caroline is ranked in Band 3 for Family/ Matrimonial in the Chambers High Net Worth Guide 2021.

"She is brilliant. She has very good client management skills and is able to deal with enormously complicated cases. She has an exceptional legal mind and great client management skills." (Chambers HNW 2021)

Winner of the Family Lawyer award at the Spear’s Young Turks Awards 2014

Named as a Rising Star in Spear's Wealth Management magazine's list of leading family lawyers in the country, May 2014

Nominated for Associate of the Year at the British Legal Awards 2012

Citywealth Future Leaders Awards Lawyer of the Year – Silver – 2017

Reported Cases

HAT v LAT [2023] EWFC 162

A case dealing with applications for interim maintenance and legal costs provision, including applicable case law where there are arguments about delay, in which we successfully represented the applicant wife.

XO v YO & Anor [2022] EWFC 114

A case considering the beneficial ownership of overseas property and dealing with adverse inferences and steps to take when a party fails to engage in proceedings, see here.

G v T [2020] EWHC 1613 (Fam)

A case addressing the correct methodology to adopt to value the husband’s business interest.

Prest v Prest [2015] EWCA Civ 714

A husband's application against a four-week prison sentence for breach of a financial order was dismissed.

Y v Y (Financial Remedy: Marriage Contract) [2014] EWHC 2920

A case concerning the impact of a French marriage contract on the division of assets upon an English divorce.

Prest v Petrodel [2013] UKSC 34

A case of major importance in family and corporate law, involving the doctrine of piercing corporate veils.

Whaley v Whaley [2011] EWCA Civ 617

A court of Appeal case successfully defeating a husband's appeal against an order in the High Court that trust assets were resources available to the husband.

U v U [2010] EWHC 2472 (Fam)

Successfully seeking the summary return of two children to their father in Nigeria.

W v H [2008] EWHC 2038 (Fam)

A "big money" case concerning practice and procedure where one party seeks to shorten the litigation on the basis that an agreement has already been concluded (and the other party disputes that).

Publications and Talks

Caroline regularly speaks on a range of family law issues both domestically and internationally;
Recent speaking engagements include those for the Union Internationale des Avocats, talks to STEP Chapters in London, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Silicon Valley, a presentation at the STEP International Tax and Estate Planning Forum and a lecture to the California Bar Association.
Caroline writes regularly on family law matters for a range of publications. Recent publications include Family Law Journal, STEP Journal, IAFL Fall Journal, Law Society Gazette and Wealth & Finance.
Caroline is also frequently quoted in legal and national media, including The Times, the Financial Times, the Daily Mail, The National, and eprivateclient.