Laura Brown

Laura advises on child arrangements, relocation, and protective orders, including cases of coercive control, abuse, and parental alienation, with experience in international removal and urgent jurisdictional disputes.

• Assisted a father to achieve a shared care child arrangements order in circumstances where the mother was minimising contact and making allegations against the father.
• Assisted a client who had moved to New Zealand (while the children remained here with their father) to care for her brother after an accident to agree the relocation of the two children to live permanently with her.
• Advised a number of parents in complex and difficult children matters with police involvement, allegations of serious abuse, parental alienation and coercive and controlling behaviour.
• Acted for mother in children and financial matters following serious domestic abuse within the relationship. Urgent advice was required due to the mental health impact upon the children.
• Advising Father on children matters following domestic abuse by the mother, police involvement and threats by mother to unlawfully retain the child in Bulgaria where both parties originate from after a family holiday.
• Assisted with the arrangements for children following the breakdown of the relationship. Difficulties arose through repeated court delays and barriers put in place by the other party.

Laura advises on financial provision, trusts, and substantial asset cases, including divorce, cohabitation and Schedule 1 claims, securing tax-efficient settlements, clean breaks, and protective orders in abuse-related proceedings.

• Advised a wife and achieved a clean break financial settlement as she requested and in circumstances where it would not have been awarded by the court and a relocation for her and the child from London to Somerset.
• Advised an unmarried mother in a schedule 1 claim against the father of her child, a high-profile individual in the Middle East, to achieve a significant monthly maintenance payment and housing provision for her and the child despite his attempts to deny parentage.
• Advised a member of the English aristocracy in financial proceedings to ensure the protection of his trust and family inheritance.
• Advised a number of high-net-worth individuals in financial settlements to protect family trust assets and company structures and interests and to achieve tax-efficient settlements.
• Advised client on financial and children proceedings including advice on various beneficial trusts. This followed severe domestic abuse suffered by the client in front of the children.
• Advised client on her divorce and matters relating to her two children. This was a case that also involved beneficial interests in investment accounts and a family trust and inheritance. Case is very sensitive as it involves aspects of domestic abuse and child protection and police involvement.
• Advised on a Schedule 1 and TLATA property dispute between unmarried partners. Parties have been separated for a year and have also been in children proceedings with respect to their daughter.
• Instructed by a wife in divorce and finance proceedings against her husband in a case covering three jurisdictions. Interim financial disclosure from the husband and an agreement to meet the wife’s interim maintenance for her and the children and also to meet the wife’s legal costs was obtained.

Laura advises on international divorce, jurisdictional disputes, and cross-border pre- and post-nuptial agreements, representing high-profile clients and acting in reported cases involving substantial assets, offshore trusts, and foreign legal coordination.

• Advised the fiancé of a famous pop star in achieving generous and protective provisions in the pre-nuptial agreement for her and the children.
• Advised a high-profile client on her prenuptial agreement. She and her fiance lived in Dubai but had numerous international connections and following taking advice from lawyers in Dubai, England, Argentina and Finland both on family law and tax aspects it was determined that the best option was a pre-nuptial agreement drafted by Finnish lawyers that would be given weight on an English divorce.
• Whaley v Whaley [2011] EWCA Civ 617
• Thiry v Thiry [2014] EWHC 4046 (Fam)

Recognised by The Legal 500 for Family: Divorce & Financial Remedy 2026

Recognised by The Legal 500 for Family: Children 2026

Recognised by The Legal 500 for Family 2023-2025

Laura has authored articles published in New Law Journal, Private Client Business, Butterworths Law Leader, Trusts and Estates Law and Tax Journal.