Sarah Hutchinson
Partner
Sarah has extensive experience advising on all aspects of family law, in particular complex financial issues further to divorce or separation, disputes relating to children, surrogacy and fertility treatment arrangements, and pre and post nuptial agreements. She gives pragmatic advice, acting with sensitivity and discretion. She is recognised as much for her incisive strategic thinking as well as her empathetic approach.
Sarah acts for a wide range of clients including entrepreneurs, financiers, senior executives, private equity professionals, landed estate owners, homemakers, parents and grandparents. Her matters range from the purely domestic to international cases involving multiple jurisdictions.
Sarah’s clients value her sensible, pragmatic, calm approach and appreciate her high emotional intelligence as well as her technical legal expertise. She is particularly well known for her knowledge and skill in relation to children matters.
Sarah helps clients navigate arrangements for their children following relationship breakdown in a way that promotes early resolution and minimises collateral damage. She has extensive experience of acting in cases where one parent wishes to relocate the children to live abroad, or has taken or retained the children abroad without the other’s consent.
Sarah also helps intended parents to secure legal parentage under UK law following international or UK based surrogacy arrangements. She works closely with specialists from our immigration, succession planning, property and reputation management team to ensure her clients’ needs are met in the round.
Sarah is regularly instructed in high-value divorce cases involving significant businesses, deferred compensation packages, inherited wealth, trust structures, landed estates and international enforcement issues. She has particular experience of advising trustees where a beneficiary is divorcing and Family Offices in relation to wealth protection planning.
Sarah is a highly skilled and effective litigator but is also committed to achieving solutions outside of the court setting where appropriate and possible. She trained as family mediator in 2015. As well as acting for clients as their solicitor, Sarah is also instructed by separating/separated couples, including parents, to act as a mediator. She assists them together to find a resolution regarding any family issues.
Sarah has been recognised as a leading family lawyer in the directories for many years, including in Chambers HNW UK, Spear’s 500 and the Legal 500. Contributors to the directories have commented that Sarah has a “razor sharp intellect”, “great judgement and a human touch”, is “hugely respected for her work on both financial and children matters” and an “exceptional solicitor”.
