Schillings Grows Family Department To Meet Increasing Client Demand
Released
on: November 24, 2009, 12:54 pm
Author: Schillings
Industry: Law
Schillings, the leading law firm protecting the rights and
reputations of corporate organisations, high-profile individuals and
those in the public eye, has increased its family department to meet
the growing demand from its clients, particularly those who want to
ensure their family and matrimonial matters are not publicised by the
media.
Schillings has recently recruited Davina Hay to join its family law department alongside
Keith Schilling, Rachel Atkins and David Greer. A litigator with expertise in family
law, Davina advises on separation, divorce and ancillary relief, jurisdictional
disputes, multi-jurisdictional divorce cases involving significant assets and
enforcement issues. Before she joined Schillings, Davina trained and qualified at a
City law firm where she spent six years acting for a number of well known actors,
successful entrepreneurs and international clients. She brings with her extensive
experience as a litigator and enhances the firm's provision of advice to high
net-worth and high profile individuals in all aspects of divorce, relationship
breakdown, ancillary relief, pre- and post-nuptial agreements and private children
matters.
Schillings' family department is led by Keith Schilling, the founder and senior
partner of the firm, who represented Shan Lambert in her successful appeal in 2002,
achieving the first 50/50 split of assets in a "big money" divorce.
Working alongside Mr Schilling is Partner Rachel Atkins who earlier this year,
together with Associate David Greer, acted for a celebrity father in a test case
following the introduction of new rules allowing media attendance in family
proceedings, and succeeded in application to exclude the media from attending court
hearings concerning his child.
When speaking about the growing family department Keith Schilling said, "In the
last few years we have seen a significant increase in the demand for advice from
high net worth and high profile individuals in connection with matters relating to
divorce, often involving multiple jurisdictions, children and most notably pre- and
post-nuptial agreements."
Mr Schilling went on to say, "High net worth individuals and those in the public
eye regularly discover their privacy has been invaded or their reputation defamed
when details of their personal lives or the breakdown of their relationship are
leaked to the press and publicised. It is logical, therefore, to respond to the
demand from our clients by strengthening our team and combining our family and
matrimonial advice with the firm's pre-eminent experience in the area of reputation
protection, so that we can
ensure that press interest is managed to our client's advantage."
Speaking about the press interest surrounding high net worth individuals and those
in the public eye Davina Hay said, "Clients, even those without a high public
profile, are increasingly finding themselves the subject of intrusive press interest
following relationship breakdown or in the event of disputes involving children.
Aside from the unwanted emotional strain at an already stressful time, the financial
consequences of the resulting reputational damage can be devastating. However, it is
possible to manage such threats and give clients the space to resolve family issues
free from unwanted media scrutiny."
- END -
About Schillings:
Schillings is one of Britain's top law firms dedicated to safeguarding the rights
and reputations of international corporations and brands, high-profile business
people and those in the public eye. The firm's 25 year track-record in defamation, privacy
law and copyright cases together with family and matrimonial and commercial dispute
resolution is second to none.
Defamation, privacy law and copyright
are at the heart of the firm's work, prompting The Independent newspaper to call
Schillings a "spectacularly efficient media law firm".
Schillings clients include entertainer Madonna, supermodel Naomi Campbell, actress
Kate Winslet, seven times Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, international
footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, Harry Potter author JK Rowling, pharmaceuticals maker
GlaxoSmithKline, steel maker Arcelor Mittal, the Harrods Group and the London Stock
Exchange.
Schillings PR contact:
Christopher Mills
Commercial Director
Schillings
41 Bedford Square
London
WC1B 3HX
020 7034 9000
www.schillings.co.uk
2012
