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Anne-Marie Hutchinson OBE

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"The queen of cross-border children law", she is "incredibly committed and conscientious with a deep knowledge of the law and an amazingly hard-working approach"
Chambers, 2013

Anne-Marie was admitted in 1985 and joined Dawson Cornwell in January 1998 as head of the Children Department. She now heads up an expert and recognised team.

Anne-Marie specialises in all aspects of domestic and international family law and the international movement of children. In particular she has expertise in international divorce forum and jurisdictional disputes on divorce, with particular expertise in international custody disputes, child abduction; the EU Regulation on jurisdiction in family matters. She acts for the victims of forced marriages, abandoned spouses and Honour Based Violence.

Anne-Marie is also a specialist in surrogacy and surrogacy with an international element. Anne-Marie advises in respect of complex domestic and international adoption applications and legal issues arising from the creation and implementation of surrogacy arrangements and The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008.

Anne-Marie is accredited by Resolution as a specialist family lawyer with particular specialisms in forced marriage and honour based violence, child abduction and children law. She was awarded the inaugural UNICEF Child Rights Lawyer award in 1999. She received an OBE for her services to international child abduction and adoption in the 2002 Queen’s New Year’s Honours List - photo. In 2004 she was selected as Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year for her work with the victims of forced marriage - photo. In 2010, she received the International Bar Assocation's Outstanding International Woman Lawyer Award - photo. In 2011 she received a True Honour Award from IKWRO. In 2012 she was named International Family Lawyer of the Year in the Jordans Family Law Awards - photo.

Anne-Marie is Chair of the Women Lawyers' Interest Group of the International Bar Association and Chair of the Board of Trustees of Reunite: International Child Abduction Centre. She is a member of the International Issues Committee of The Law Society of England and Wales and Governor at Large of the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. She is a Founding Fellow of the International Surrogacy Forum. She is also a member of numerous associations and committees including the International Society of Family Law, the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies Working Group on the Cross Border Movement for Children, the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, the Home Office Working Group on Forced Marriages and the Commonwealth Working Group on AIDS.

She is a regular speaker and lecturer both within the United Kingdom and abroad and has made numerous television appearances. She is the UK correspondent for “International Family Law” published by Jordans and the consultant editor of International Child Law also published by Jordans. She is joint author of the text book “International Parental Child Abduction”. She sits on the Editorial Board of the Child and Family Law Quarterly, published by Jordans, and is a contributor to Child Case Management Practice 2nd Edition (Family Law).

Not only is Anne-Marie consistently named as one of the leading family lawyers in London in both Chambers and The Legal 500, but she is singled out by Chambers as the sole "star individual" for cross-border disputes. Anne-Marie is listed in Debrett's.

She speaks basic Spanish.

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