Emma is a senior associate in the Family Team, advising clients on all aspects of private family law including divorce and civil partnership dissolution, financial claims on relationship breakdown, nuptial agreements, jurisdiction disputes, financial claims in relation to children, as well as domestic and international private law children matters and surrogacy arrangements.
Emma is committed to exploring all options for her clients to ensure that they received a highly tailored approach that works for them and their family. This includes dealing with financial claims on divorce not only within court proceedings, but often outside of the court process entirely. This provides clients with greater privacy and control over the process, which is important to many, particularly individuals in the public eye. Emma has achieved excellent results for clients this way, either through solicitor negotiations, early neutral evaluation, mediation or arbitration.
Emma has a particular interest in and experience of complex high net worth financial claims, often with cross-boarder elements. This has involved cases with complex international and domestic trust and corporate structures in the context of divorce. Such cases regularly include issues relating to the value of a party’s interest in a trust and/or company, the liquidity of such assets and how these assets should be treated on divorce.
Many of Emma’s cases involve the need for business valuations to be undertaken within the financial disclosure process, both voluntarily and within court proceedings. These can be particularly complex and involve working with experts in the relevant field(s). Emma has a broad range of experience across various sectors including hotel and leisure, music, entertainment and talent, hedge fund, private equity, the list goes on.
Emma recently acted for the beneficiary of multiple offshore trusts and business owner in the reported cases of HO v TL [2023] EWFC 215 and HO v TL (Costs) [2023] EWFC 216. She obtained an excellent result for her client, which was far closer to her client’s position than the other side’s. This was reflected in the costs judgment made in her client’s favour following the final hearing, successfully persuading the judge that a costs order of £100,000 should be made due to the other side’s unreasonable negotiating position and repeated (irrelevant) references to her client’s conduct.
In 2022, Emma acted for the respondent in set-aside proceedings, successfully persuading the judge to strike out the applicant’s second set-aside application which had been made more than ten years after the parties’ divorce. The case was reported: AB v CD [2022] EWFC 116.
Emma has been described by Counsel as wise beyond her years and a lawyer to watch. She is earning an admirable reputation – demonstrated by becoming a finalist for Rising Star at the inaugural Women & Diversity in Law Awards 2023.
Emma trained at Vardags before qualifying into their Family team in April 2019. She joined the Family team at Harbottle & Lewis in January 2022. Emma completed her law degree at Oriel College, University of Oxford.
Emma is a member of Resolution: Emma Williams | Resolution. Resolution’s members follow a Code of Practice that promotes a constructive approach to family issues and considers the needs of the whole family.
- Emma co-authored an article for EPrivateClient looking at the impact of no-fault divorce two years on with Polly Broad published in January 2024: EPrivateClient – No-Fault Divorce: Where are we two years on? (paminsight.com).
- Emma co-authored an article for the Family Law Journal reflecting on the lack of progress for unmarried cohabitees in England & Wales. Reference: Daisy Minns Shearer and Emma Williams, ‘Cohabitation: No further forward’, (February 2023 #220) Family Law Journal.
- Part of the team who guest edited the Summer 2021 issue of the International Family Law, Policy and Practice Journal and co-authored an article within the issue.
- Co-authored an article within the September 2019 issue of the International Family Law Journal.
