Sarah is an experienced family solicitor who specialises in settling financial disputes between divorcing and unmarried couples.
Her client base includes mid to high-net-worth individuals, business personnel, government employees (those with a public sector pension), sportsmen and women, as well as those from the entertainment industry.
Expertise
- Divorce
- Separation
- Financial settlements on divorce
- Pre- and post-marital agreements
- Unmarried property disputes
- Schedule 1, Children Act Proceedings
- Collaborative law
Experience
Family
- Advised the CEO of a multinational airline company in relation to jurisdictional issues, child maintenance when CMS does not have jurisdiction and overall financial settlement.
- Advised a client on an application to set aside due to the ex-spouse’s non-disclosure and application to vary maintenance in a case where the asset base was in excess of £35m.
- Advised a client who has several foreign properties, a family business and complex pension issues.
- Advised a client in relation to unmarried property where the ex-partner was seeking to rely on purported variation of declaration of trust.
- Advised a client in relation to an inherited farm and the impact of divorce on the same.
- Advised a client in relation to a family company upon divorce, where assets also included foreign property and major non-disclosure by the ex-spouse.
- Advised a client with a substantial personal injury compensation award on a pre-marital agreement.
- Advised husband in financial remedy proceedings. This included multiple interim applications, including a worldwide injunction, interim spousal maintenance, third party disclosure orders and orders for specific disclosure made against the husband and his partner.
- Advised and represented multi-millionaire in relation to cohabitation agreement. Several cross jurisdictional issues to consider, as well as religious aspects.
- Represented wife in financial remedy proceedings following the husband leaving the former matrimonial home. Particular consideration was given to the wife’s mortgage borrowing capacity and the need to stay in the home. This resulted in wife receiving the lion’s share of the martial assets so that she and the children could remain in the family home
- Represented wife in respect of financial remedy proceedings. Case involved the sharing of the husband’s pension and financial provisions in relation to the children
- Represented husband in financial remedy proceedings. Significant issues centred around wife’s unrealistic spousal maintenance expectations despite earning twice as much as husband. Costs order made as a result of the wife pursuing a claim that had little chance of succeeding.
- Represented client in divorce and financial proceedings. This case involved balancing the need to provide the children with a property and the wife with the lion’s share of the capital against spousal maintenance.
- Advised on multi-million pound divorce involving share options and complex company structure.
- Advised wife suffering from physical, mental and financial abuse in financial remedy proceedings, where both her ex and his parents were involved.
Agricultural
- Advised and represented a client, with teenage children, whose former spouse owned a farm that had been in their family for three generations.
- Advised and represented a client who jointly owned a farm and related agricultural business.
- Advised and represented a farmer in respect of a pre-marital agreement, which set out how they and their future spouse wished to regulate their financial and business affairs, in the event that their upcoming marriage ended in divorce.
- Advised and represented the owner of an equestrian centre, who had the business prior to what was a medium-term, childless, same-sex civil partnership.
- Advised and represented an unmarried client, who had a livery yard and smallholding, in relation to the extent of their ex-partner’s beneficial interest in the same given their financial contribution and a declaration of trust that was in existence.
- Acted for the wife in divorce and financial remedy proceedings concerning a farming business. Assets consisted of 3 farms, machinery and livestock, held as a partnership between the husband, his brother and their father
- Advised a wife in divorce proceedings involving the sale of a family farm, storage business and land with a holiday let.
- Advised a wife in divorce and financial remedy proceedings concerning a farming business and inheritance. Claim covered non-marital assets and spousal maintenance
- : Advised and represented farmer in financial remedy proceedings over division of farming partnership and instructing SJE accountant and surveyor to value same.
Please note: The experience list above may include examples of work completed prior to joining Keystone Law.
Recognition
Recognised by Chambers UK (2024-2025) for Family
“Sarah is very patient and sets out all the issues that need to be determined, so that clients go through knowing she’s got everything completely under control.“-Chambers UK 2025
“Sarah was a great support and her knowledge was 10/10.“-Chambers UK 2025
Acknowledged by Chambers 2025 for having considerable experience in financial remedies. She often navigates complex circumstances such as shared business assets and inherited assets.
“Sarah is a fantastic matrimonial lawyer. She has vast experience, she is highly knowledgeable and she delivers.” Chambers UK 2024
“Sarah was supportive and demonstrated a wealth of experience and professionalism.” Chambers UK 2024
Recognised by The Legal 500 for Family (2022-2024)
“Sarah Thompson is a stand out practitioner. Her knowledge of financial remedy, in particular complex pension claims, is unrivalled. Sarah is a pleasure to work with. She has a superb ability to stay calm, even in the most stressful or pressured situations.” The Legal 500 2024
“Sarah Thompson is an excellent and respected individual.” The Legal 500 2024
“I would highly recommend Sarah Thompson as my solicitor. She was very good at her job, professional, caring, helpful and honest. Sarah always had my best interests at heart and helped me during a very difficult period. The outcome she got was better than I could have imagined.” The Legal 500 2024
Recognised by Chambers UK 2023 for Family/ Matrimonial
“Sarah has a lot of experience and is highly knowledgeable, very calm under pressure and always sees the wood for the trees.” Chambers UK 2023
“She is a technically brilliant lawyer.” Chambers UK 2023
“Sarah Thompson is a fantastic matrimonial finance solicitor. She is vastly experienced, knowledgeable and approachable. You could not ask for more from a solicitor. She delivers.” The Legal 500 2023
“The Keystone team is expanding in the North West and is very lucky to have acquired Sarah Thompson.” The Legal 500 2023
“Sarah Thompson is an exceptional lawyer. She has a brain the size of a planet and fearlessly fights her client’s corner. She is a pleasure to work with and works tirelessly. I was fortunate enough to work closely with Sarah over the last year on several complicated matters and she was so well prepared and calm, despite many curved balls being thrown at her by her opposite number!” The Legal 500 2023
“Sarah is very agile and client-focused.” The Legal 500 2023
“Sarah Thompson is a fantastic matrimonial finance solicitor. She is vastly experienced, knowledgeable and approachable. You could not ask for more from a solicitor. She delivers.” The Legal 500 2023
“My divorce was dealt with fairly and I was confident in Sarah’s judgement and expertise.” The Legal 500 2021
“I had a great experience working with Sarah, from start to finish she made me feel prioritised, like she knew what she was doing, and most importantly, she made me feel heard. When I spoke with her, she sounded firm and confident, and I knew I could trust her to fight for me.” The Legal 500 2021
“Sarah Thompson has an unrivalled knowledge of public sector pensions, specifically police pension schemes. She has a fantastic manner with clients; she is confident and reassuring with excellent communication skills.” The Legal 500 2021
Career
Sarah qualified as a solicitor in 1998. Prior to joining Keystone Law in 2021, she worked at the following firms:
- Slater & Gordon (previously known as RJW)
- Gorvins