Leading law firm Blake Morgan has strengthened its Private Law offering in the London market with two high profile partner hires to head up its Family Law team.

Flora Grossman and Farhana Shahzady both join the firm from Bindmans LLP where they stood as joint heads of a leading family team. They together bring with them over 35 years’ worth of experience advising on a wide range of family issues.

Flora, a divorce and matrimonial finance expert and qualified mediator, has been a Resolution accredited specialist in high net worth financial matters for over 13 years and has vast experience advising on a wide range of financial issues including cohabitation disputes, maintenance disputes and proceedings under schedule 1 of the Children Act. Flora also advises on complex trust and company issues for a range of high net worth clients.

Flora also regularly advises on pre-nuptial, cohabitation and separation agreements. She is a member of the Law Society Children’s Panel and has been involved in assisting and advising parents and guardians in children disputes both in the private and public law space, along with more complex children matters.

Farhana’s expertise is in contested financial disputes at court, and she regularly deals with a wide range of court applications in relation to matrimonial finance, including freezing injunctions, setting aside and variation applications along with maintenance pending suit and applications for legal costs funding. 

Farhana also has considerable expertise in children disputes, and has represented both mothers and fathers involved in tricky child arrangement disputes. She has been a Resolution accredited specialist for over 8 years, and is a member of the Law Society’s Family Law Panel. She is also a recognised Resolution Collaborative Lawyer and seeks wherever possible to engage in dispute resolution.

Both partners are ranked in the Legal directories; Legal 500 UK (2016) describes Flora as ’knowledgeable and experienced’ and Farhana as ’very bright and able’. Farhana is also recommended by Chambers and Partners UK (2017).

Helen Bunker, divisional director for Private Law said: ’Flora and Farhana’s vast experience in Family Law is a real gain to Blake Morgan’s London offering. The Firm’s well established Family practice will benefit from Flora and Farhana’s combined expertise advising on issues to a wealth of clients. I very much look forward to welcoming them to the firm.’

Christine Plews, partner and head of Family Law for Blake Morgan said: ‘Flora and Farhana are two very well regarded specialists in Family Law and their combined expertise covers the full spectrum of Family Law services that we are proud to offer our clients. I wish them the very best in their new roles, and look forward to working with them.’

Flora and Farhana will be joined by Amy Fullerton, a newly qualified solicitor who will be working with the two new partners at the firm’s offices in New Street Square. Amy has been with the firm since 2012 where she began her career in the Professional Regulatory Team.

Blake Morgan’s Private Law division act for a wide range of clients including high net-worth individuals, entrepreneurs and business owners, farms and estates, and families requiring advice on succession and tax, residential property or sensitive family issues spanning, divorce, mediation and mental capacity.

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