Claire is a family solicitor with over 20 years’ experience resolving complex financial and children issues.
She works on many high-profile cases, often with an international element, ensuring that her clients are kept out of the media spotlight. Her practice spans all areas of family law and she has particular expertise in reaching favourable financial solutions for high-net-worth individuals. As well as her financial practice, Claire also acts for parents in disputes concerning their children, with high success in reaching solutions without making court applications. Claire is an expert in advising upon the effects and consequences of coercive and controlling behaviour within family relationships.
Above all, Claire is committed to helping couples part with dignity and to minimise the impact on the family. She is a trained collaborative lawyer and mediator as well as a regular contributor to family law journals, the national press and industry websites. Claire formed and chaired Young Resolution (Surrey) and has remained a committed member of Resolution – a community of family justice professionals who work with families and individuals to resolve issues.
Claire is recognised in The Legal 500 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 editions and is noted as being “hugely capable” and “brilliant”. She is also recommended as one of the country’s top family lawyers for high-net-worth divorces in the 2020, 2021 and 2022 editions of the Spear’s 500 directory.
Claire has the gift for getting to the heart of a dispute, no matter how complex, and finding the right solution. She is astute, determined and never intimidated by the opposition. Clients love her. Claire has the rare skill and experience to manage cases involving money and children with equal dexterity. She has compassion and empathy without losing her steely focus. Claire is calm in any storm and carries her clients through the tempestuous journey of relationship breakdown.
Leading Family KC
I want you to know that I feel so grateful I had you alongside this journey in my life. Your support has been invaluable, not only from a (very) professional point but from a human one as well. I felt you gave me the strength to be firm and strong when my husband was so psychologically aggressive and tried to be manipulative.
Mrs. S-D
You were not only very professional, I felt like I was being looked after by a team of friends who were concerned about how my case was going.
Mrs. D
Words that come to mind are patient, persistent and generous with her time.
Mrs. C
You have made a difficult process much more bearable and always provide insightful service.
Miss. D
Claire O’Flinn at Keystone Law was recommended to me as a solicitor who would be able to guide me through the minefield of unravelling my marriage. True to the recommendation, Claire guided me through the process seamlessly explaining how each step of divorce works and what would be sensible and fair for me to consider in my decision making regarding the division of marital finances and considerations for spousal and child maintenance. I would highly recommend Claire to anybody finding themselves going through a divorce. Rather than add to the trauma of separation and divorce, Claire has carefully and gently guided me through the process from petitioning for divorce to the receipt of a decree absolute after ensuring a fair settlement agreement between my ex wife and I. Thank you Claire.
Mr. W
No wonder Sophie recommended you, you're bloody brilliant.
Mrs. A
You do definitely do an amazing job of helping people out of awful situations!
Ms. F
Thanks to you and the team for all you have done. It is appreciated. I am not sure that comes across. It’s a foul weather job you do.
Mr. C
Thank you and your fabulous team for your professionalism, efficiency and kindness, over the last 12 months. I appreciate that you do this, day in, day out for your various clients, but entering into this unknown world with being 100% confident in your knowledge, skills, experience and understanding of my situation, has allowed me to manage better than I may have otherwise.
Ms. G
Expertise
- Financial consequences of relationship breakdown
- Divorce and related issues including jurisdiction
- Issues related to unmarried families
- Disputes regarding with whom children should live or spend time
- Removal of a child from the jurisdiction
- Variation of existing orders, both financial and children-related
- Cohabitation agreements
- Separation agreements
- Mediation and co-mediation with Charlotte Cuevas (also at Keystone Law)
Experience
Family
- Acted for members of the English, Spanish and Jordanian royal families.
- Advised and represented a leading female member of the Conservative Party, reaching a generous settlement in her favour the day before a Final Hearing and thus avoiding court.
- Acted for a highly successful banker wife in securing the transfer of the family home to her from her unmarried partner in the highly unusual order of preventing the father contact with their daughter following a domestic abuse relationship.
- Acted for a top London restaurateur husband in a highly acrimonious divorce, achieving a favourable settlement for him and protecting his business.
- Acted for a wife and mother following a marriage of extreme domestic abuse to include injunctive relief, divorce, financial settlement and protection of the children.
- Advised and represented a highly acclaimed music DJ husband in his divorce and financial settlement, leaving his business untouched.
- Secured a settlement for a husband from a Premier League football club regarding asset protection, divorce and financial settlement.
- Acted for a wife following a long marriage to a former MI5 employee, allowing her to buy a mortgage-free home.
- Advised and represented clients from the media, banking, medical, legal and sporting professions, all with the utmost of confidentiality to ensure that information does not leak to the press.
Agriculture
- Advised on an agricultural land sale in relation to land attached to the family home.
- Advised on the divorce of a vineyard owner.
- Longstanding relationship with a leading UK tractor dealership, advising on the financial settlement of the divorce and removing the spouse from the company.
- Advised on the divorce and financial settlement of the owner of a fishing farm.
Middle East
- Worked closely with leading Jordanian and UK accountants to protect UHNW clients’ assets through pre- and post-nuptial agreements with particular attention to the protection of car, jewellery and art collections.
- Advised on the UK position in tandem with Sharia Law and thereafter prepared a pre-nuptial agreement for a UHNW client with assets of over £500 million. Expert advice was required upon the specifics of jurisdiction and the advantages and detriment to the client of undertaking marriage ceremonies in respective countries.
- Ongoing counsel, advice and representation of a high-profile UHNW Middle Eastern family across three generations concerning all aspects of family law.
- Successfully negotiated an advantageous pre-nuptial agreement for a member of a Middle Eastern royal family to protect assets when there was a considerable imbalance of wealth between the marrying parties.
- Provided reputation management advice to a high-profile Middle Eastern national within the structure of divorce to include confidentiality in the media and NDA provisions.
- Advised and prepared a post-nuptial agreement for a leading Middle Eastern financier with substantial international assets.
Please note: The experience list above may include examples of work completed prior to joining Keystone Law.
Recognition
Ranked in Spear’s Family Law Index 2024
Acknowledged by Chambers 2025 for many years of experience as a family lawyer and is also a qualified mediator. She represents clients in highly complex Children Act proceedings, including cases that involve criminal allegations and coercive control.
Recognised by Chambers UK 2024 for Family: Childrens Law
“Claire is a super person to deal with – she is always on the ball and is absolutely excellent with clients, in whom she instils the greatest confidence. She is prepared to come out fighting where this is in the client’s interests.” Chambers UK 2024
“She is an extremely able and experienced solicitor whose judgement is extremely good and who always puts her clients at ease.” Chambers UK 2024
Recognised by The Legal 500 for Family (2021-2025)
“Claire O’Flinn brings a personal empathetic touch, with a steely edge, ensuring the best outcomes for her clients. She is very approachable, thorough and provides accurate and timely instructions. She is very able.” The Legal 500 2024
“Claire O’Flinn is a standout individual. She has a wealth of experience having originated from a magic circle firm in London and continues to present in that sort of polished and meticulous manner. Claire is fabulous with clients from all sorts of backgrounds and she will not take any nonsense from her opponents.” The Legal 500 2024
“Claire O’Flinn remains one of the top family law solicitors out there. Her experience, wisdom and knowledge mean clients know from the outset that they are in the very best of the best’s capable hands.” The Legal 500 2024
Winner: Worldwide Financial Advisor Awards Magazine – Leading Professionals Worldwide 2023 (Divorce – UK)
“Claire O’Flinn is amazing. She led the group like Steven Gerard led Liverpool. Sharp as a razor and on top of everything as well as being extremely approachable and understanding.” The Legal 500 2023
“Claire O’Flinn is brilliant.” The Legal 500 2023
“Claire O’Flinn really adds value to her cases and is hugely capable.” The Legal 500 2021
“Claire O’Flinn is very organised and concise.” The Legal 500 2021
Recognised in Spear’s 500 2020, 2021 and 2022 as a Recommended Family Lawyer
Winner of Corporate LiveWire Global Awards 2019 (Divorce – UK)
Featured in Surrey Life as a “leading lady of business” for 2018
Winner of Lawyer Monthly’s Women in Law Awards 2018 for Family Law in the UK
Member of Resolution
Co-founder of Surrey Young Resolution
Career
Claire qualified as a solicitor in 2004. Prior to joining Keystone Law in 2013, she worked at the following firms:
- Manches
- Mundays