Paul Read

Paul is highly experienced and specialises in divorce, the dissolution of civil partnerships and the financial consequences which flow from separation. Paul is also very experienced in cases involving the arrangements for children.

Paul brings 13 years’ experience of supporting clients through relationship breakdowns, an extraordinary amount of commercial awareness and a deeply personal approach to family law. The Legal 500 have described Paul as “Excellent.” A former client and multinational CEO said, “Paul grasped the real issues in my case phenomenally quickly. Absolutely fantastic.”

Paul strongly supports a conciliatory approach, wherever possible. However, where necessary, Paul is a fierce and strategic litigator with a strong network of Kings’ Counsel, barristers and experts.

Paul has appeared many times on national television and radio as an expert commentator in family law.

Areas of Specialisation

Paul is highly experienced in the following areas:

• Divorce and the dissolution of civil partnerships.
• The financial implications of divorce and dissolution.
• The financial implications of separation where the parties are co-habitants but not married.
• Pre and post nuptial agreements.
• Disputes concerning children following the breakdown of a relationship.
• Applications for a child to live in another country (jurisdiction) following the breakdown of a relationship – “Leave to remove applications.”

Notable cases

Examples of Paul’s recent cases include:

• Obtaining a judgment in which “adverse findings” were made about undisclosed assets leading to a significantly increased financial award.
• Securing an excellent financial award at trial in a case involving assets (and the valuation of assets) in four jurisdictions.
• Leading negotiations for a private settlement in a case involving a family trust of very significant value.
• Securing the permission of the court for a child/children to permanently relocate to Australia/France/Scotland.

Recommendations

“Paul Read is a solicitor who shows a great dedication to his clients and client care. He is passionate about ensuring that the right advice is given to clients and the right path is taken to achieve the very best outcome for them. Paul approaches his cases in a holistic way, and this ensures that he not only knows his cases extremely well, but is also very adept at providing the right advice to suit the needs of each particular client. Paul does not shy away from giving difficult advice or challenging clients on aspects of their case where necessary, he does however have a great knack of ensuring that his clients understand exactly what will be required from them during the often-difficult litigation process. Paul is realistic about what can be achieved for a client and the likely outcome of a case, but he will always ensure that his clients’ cases are put robustly; he is not afraid to mount a fierce challenge when required to do so. Paul is empathetic to and supportive of his clients but has the ability to deliver clear and robust advice at the same time – a good ability to have as a solicitor!“

– London counsel

“Paul was straight to the point and knew exactly what the judge would be interested in. I think we put our best case forward because of this and got a really good result.”

– Client