Hughes Fowler Carruthers has again retained its Band 1 ranking for Family/Matrimonial: Ultra High Net Worth in the Chambers and Partners High Net Worth 2023 Guide.

Frances Hughes remains ranked as a Star Individual, with Pauline Fowler, Alex Carruthers and Mark Harper maintaining their Band 1 rankings. Renato Labi and Caroline Park also maintain their Band 2 rankings, and Bryan Jones continues to be ranked as a leading solicitor.

One source praises the firm for “the calmness in which the work is done,” continuing that “there is never any hysteria or panic, it’s all done in a very calm way, which makes working with them much easier.” Another source enthuses that “knowledge of the law is one thing, but an ability to understand a complex fact matrix and financial positions and respond with commercially sensible and practical advice sets Hughes Fowler Carruthers apart.”

Frances Hughes is described by one commentator as “the best solicitor doing this area of law” and “a complete star.” Another describes her as “a master tactician,” further commenting “what is consistent about her is that she can win a case that no one else can, because from the get-go she has a strategic vision of where the case will go.”

The Guide describes Pauline Fowler as “an extremely capable, careful and precise lawyer,” stating that she “runs her cases in a very careful and measured way, which means she gets really good results for her clients.” Pauline is further praised for being “calm in the most stressful situations.”

Noted as “someone you go to with a really knotty problem,” Alex Carruthers is described as “an outstanding strategist: empathetic, practical and a pleasure to deal with.”

“A very efficient lawyer,” Mark Harper “has a full understanding of the different foreign law systems, which is the key for international family cross-border cases” enthuses one source, with another commending him as “highly professional and pre-eminent in trust issues.”

A source comments Renato Labi is “very bright on technical legal points and spots them before other people do.” The source continues “he takes a strong view of how the case will go early on, and can spot a case that will go all the way to court.” Another enthuses that “he has the client down to a tee, and he’s quick, efficient, and has a good instinct for what the outcome will be.”

Caroline Park is described as “a class act,” with a commentator noting that “she is the perfect combination of being exceptionally bright and technically able, but at the same time pragmatic and conscious of getting the right outcome for the client.” She is further described by a source as “one of the most numerate solicitors I’ve come across, and she brings a commercial element to it too. She has a human side to her that clients love.”

The Guide describes Bryan Jones as “extremely bright,” and comments that he “brings a worldliness to his intelligence.” A source enthuses that he is “very clever and thinks outside the box.”

Hughes Fowler Carruthers’ full profile can be found in Chambers HNW, here.