Carolyn Bottomley

Partner

England & Wales

020 3319 3700

carolyn.bottomley@keystonelaw.co.uk

“Thank you very much for taking the time to speak with me and offering your perspective on my situation. I truly appreciate your candour and professional insight regarding the limitations of pursuing this matter under family law. It meant a great deal to have your professional view on this.”

- Ms C, client

“I can’t thank you Carolyn and Louisa enough for your work in getting us to this result today! I appreciate it more than I can convey through words. You’ve given me back the chance to build a life with my daughter that was heading towards a distant and difficult relationship to maintain. I am so truly grateful!”

- Mr B, client

“Thank you very much Carolyn and Louisa for your efforts in putting together the (pre-nuptial) agreements. It was very lovely working with you.”

- Ms G, client

“Thank you so much for all your help on this case. You have both been crystal clear and extremely thorough at every step of the way and it has taken such a significant psychological burden off my shoulders to know that I had experts like yourselves supporting me throughout it all.”

- Ms T, client

“Carolyn Bottomley and Louisa Guest operated as a seamless team to guide and support me through a long and challenging divorce process, including the Court process for financial settlement. What was specifically helpful was their willingness to explain legalities and their creativity to help achieve my outcomes when road blocks appeared. They recommended an excellent barrister and as a combined team in Court I felt supported and calm. I would recommend both to anyone facing a divorce with a complex financial situation. Thank you both for your support.”

- Mrs S, client

Home /
Lawyers /
Carolyn Bottomley

Carolyn deals with all aspects of family law with a particular emphasis on the resolution of high-value, complex financial disputes arising from divorce and relationship breakdown as well as arrangements for children. She has a wealth of expertise in dealing with clients from the entertainment industry who have a public profile to protect. An accomplished negotiator, Carolyn fights her client’s corner and achieves results with and without the court’s intervention. Carolyn is also experienced in drafting pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements and resolving issues between unmarried couples with the utmost of discretion.

Carolyn is dual-qualified with experience practising in England and Wales as well as Australia and as a member of Resolution she is committed to dealing with family matters in a non-confrontational manner where possible.

Expertise

Family and matrimonial

Carolyn advises on pre- and post-nuptial agreements, divorce (including international), financial settlements, child arrangements, protective orders, asset preservation, and family arbitration, providing support through complex relationship breakdowns.

Experience

Drafted a pre-nuptial agreement for a high-profile English rock star and resolving his subsequent divorce and financial settlement in accordance with the terms of the agreement without the court’s intervention, thereby maintaining his privacy throughout.
Issued an urgent court application to successfully reinstate a father’s contact with his three children that had been unilaterally stopped by the mother without justification.
Obtained a significant financial settlement for a wife whose husband alleged that the marriage was short and was never consummated.
Issued enforcement proceedings in the High Court when the wife failed to comply with the order made on divorce and successfully obtained an order for her to pay the husband’s legal costs.
Successfully negotiated, through solicitors, a financial settlement for a celebrity TV couple, thereby keeping the details of their divorce out of the press.
Acted for a mother in child abduction proceedings under The Hague Convention and secured the return of the child to the jurisdiction of South Africa.
Successfully obtained an occupation order over a property on behalf of a wife and child together with a non-molestation order to protect them from the husband’s harassment.

Please note: The experience list above may include examples of work completed prior to joining Keystone Law.

Recognition

External endorsements

Recognised by The Legal 500: Children & Family 2026

Recognised by The Legal 500: Divorce & Financial remedy 2026

Recognised by The Legal 500 for Family Law 2021–2025

Top Recommended Lawyer in The Spear’s 500 Family Law Index 2020–2022, 2024–2025

Memberships

Member of Resolution

Member of the Anglo-Australian Family Lawyers Association

Volunteered as an honorary legal advisor at the Royal Courts of Justice advice bureau 2007–2008

“Carolyn Bottomley is an exceptional children’s lawyer who truly goes above and beyond for her clients. Not only did she achieve tremendous results for me, but she did so with care and empathy that made navigating such a difficult situation much easier. Carolyn took the time to truly understand my unique situation and my needs. Her dedication to her clients is truly remarkable, and it is clear that she is passionate about helping families through challenging legal matters. I am so grateful for Carolyn Bottomley’s hard work and dedication, and I cannot thank her enough for the positive outcome she was able to achieve for my family”

Legal 500 2026

“Carolyn Bottomley has such a depth and breadth of knowledge on the family law areas of my case and has navigated the whole process to achieve the best outcome for me.”

The Legal 500 2025

Career

Carolyn qualified as a solicitor in 2007. Prior to joining Keystone Law in 2017, she worked at the following firms:

Lee & Thompson
Manches