Marilyn Stowe our Principal and head of the Stowe Family Law, is a Fellow of the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and has experience of international cases including divorce and international child abduction. Frank Arndt, is jointly qualified in England and Germany, a member of the Society of International Law and the IBA, and heads our International Department. He has a number of international contacts. Nick White, a chartered forensic accountant heads our Forensic Accountancy Department and frequently deals with off shore assets many owned by complex series of trusts.
Our expertise has increasingly become more sophisticated, with the growth of cross boarder divorce and higher levels of taxation in the UK. We have given advice on relevant English law in conjunction with immediate co- reference to lawyers and other experienced professionals abroad. Our expertise has been sought in relation to the best forum (court) for an overall financial settlement, also in relation to asset protection, and advice in relation to the likely orders of an English court in cases where assets are situate world wide and often in complex offshore trusts and companies.
Early advice is essential to ensure jurisdiction of the appropriate court is obtained, especially in European cases, where in a jurisdiction ‘race’ by both parties, assuming grounds to proceed exist in both countries, the first court where proceedings are issued, will hear the case. This could have a very serious impact on the outcome of a financial settlement. In England for example, the court can make substantial orders for both income and capital whereas in other European countries maintenance is not so readily available. We will be pleased to advise further on request.
We have prepared an overview of a number of cases at speed via our forensic accountancy department who also maintain wide contacts overseas. We have also made swift applications to the court for world wide asset protection in relevant cases.
Similarly we have prepared overall asset valuations without the delay and additional expense of instructing other firms of chartered accountants- this could be vital in cross boarder jurisdiction races.
We also are used to making applications for interim maintenance for clients’ resident abroad if bank funding for legal fees is not possible.
In cases of international child abduction, we have assisted parents to obtain a return of their children from other jurisdictions and have represented parents who have wrongly brought their children to this country.