News
John Cornwell chairs conference
7th July 2010
The inaugural Divorce Super Conference, organized by SGCL, was held on 7th and 8th July at King's College, London. John Cornwell, senior partner of Dawson Cornwell, opened and chaired Day One of the conference.
Dawson Cornwell sponsors Conference
July 2010
Anne-Marie Hutchinson and Russell Bywater addressed the inaugural conference “International Child Abduction, Relocation and Forced Marriage” on 30th June to 2nd July 2010. This highly successful and important conference was organized by the Centre for Family Law and Practice, London Metropolitan University.
Dawson Cornwell were proud to be one of the sponsors of the conference.
Anne-Marie Hutchinson chaired three sessions; Forced Marriage: British Initiatives and International Approaches; International Child Abduction and Forced Marriage. She also participated as a panel member on the Forced Marriage Break out session, chaired by Mr Justice Singer. Russell Bywater spoke on nullity in the context of forced marriage cases.
Conference in Malaga
13th May 2010
Carolina Marín Pedreño and Lucy Marks attended the first International Meeting of British and Spanish Lawyers which took place in Malaga on 13th to 15th May 2010. Organised by the Law Society and the Malaga Bar Association, together with the British Spanish Lawyers Association, the conference focused on private client issues in English and Spanish law and the principal differences in the practice of law in England and Spain.
Carolina Marín Pedreño presented a talk on child abduction and the issues relevant to both jurisdictions. Her presentation dealt with applicable law, definition of child abduction, the functions of the Central Authorities in England and Wales, and Spain, the defences available and Spanish cases of abduction determined by the English Courts.
Outstanding international woman lawyer award
15th April 2010
Anne-Marie Hutchinson OBE has received the International Bar Association’s Outstanding International Woman Lawyer Award 2010. The announcement of this prestigious award and its presentation was made at the IBA 4th World Women Lawyers Conference in London on 15th April 2010. It was awarded in recognition of a woman lawyer who has achieved professional excellence in her field and influenced other women to pursue legal careers or opened doors for women lawyers in a variety of job settings that historically were closed to them, or advanced opportunities for women within a practice, area or segment of the profession.
The award was sponsored by Lexis Nexis.
International Issues Committee
April 2010
Anne-Marie Hutchinson OBE has been appointed a member of the International Issues Committee of the Law Society of England and Wales, for a term of 3 years from 1st September 2010. This Committee promotes and raises awareness of International legal issues within the profession, both at home and abroad.
Article by Lucy Marks
March 2010
Read an article written by Lucy Marks and published on the First Wives World Website about the benefits for women of getting divorced in the UK.
Breaking up in Britain. Are the UK’s divorce laws better for women?
Article by Ischtar Khalaf-Newsome
November 2009
Read an article written by Ischtar Khalaf-Newsome with Dr. Kerstin Niethammer-Jurgens and published by Family Law Journal outlining the differences between family law in England and Germany.
Citywealth Leaders List 2009
June 2009
John Cornwell, Rhiannon Lewis and Anne-Marie Hutchinson OBE have all been named as leading family and matrimonial lawyers in the Citywealth Guide for the Superwealthy: the Leading Wealth Managers and Advisors 2009.
LAWASIA Conference in Singapore
23rd May 2009
Russell Bywater addressed the Children and the Law Conference in Singapore, organized jointly by LAWASIA and The Law Society of Singapore. Russell delivered a paper on The Voice of the Child in Hague Proceedings, co-authored by Anne-Marie Hutchinson of Dawson Cornwell and Edward Devereux of Counsel.
Video of press conference
28th April 2009
Watch Dr Abedin describe her experience of abduction and forced marriage and Anne-Marie Hutchinson explain about her ground breaking work in this field.
Dr. Abedin and Anne-Marie gave a press conference on 28th April 2009 at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe with Micarla Catalano, PACE Press Service and Antigone Papadapoulos, PACE rapporteur, prior to the Parliamentary Debate.
Norwegian Initiative
8th May 2009
On 8 May 2009 Anne-Marie Hutchinson travelled to Norway to give a presentation at a public meeting and to meet Ministers and NGOs to discuss an initiative for the introduction of forced marriage legislation in Norway.
Articles by partner Kate Allen
April 2009
Read a recent series of articles on cohabitation co-authored by Kate Allen, partner and published in the Family Law Journal.
Life Beyond the Family Proceedings Rules
English-Spanish Bar Leaders and Lawyers' Conference
3rd April 2009
Over 100 Spanish lawyers convened at The Law Society on 2nd and 3rd April 2009 for the inaugural English-Spanish Bar Leaders and Lawyers’ Conference. Carolina Marín Pedreño, our dual qualified Anglo-Spanish lawyer, gave a paper on the topic of Practical Aspects of Anglo-Spanish Divorce Law, jurisdiction, applicable law and enforcement.
Forced marriages seminar
2nd April 2009
Anne-Marie Hutchinson, partner at Dawson Cornwell, spoke at a seminar on Forced Marriages alongside Sir Mark Potter (President of the Family Division) and Mr Justice Munby.
Text of speeches given by Sir Mark Potter and Mr Justice Munby.
Dawson Cornwell in forced marriage victory
16th December 2008
In December 2008, Anne-Marie Hutchinson acted for Dr Humayra Abedin in one of the first cases under the new Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act 2007. Dr Abedin had been held captive, drugged by her family in Bangladesh and forced to marry against her will. Following orders obtained in the English courts, Dr Abedin was recovered and safely returned to England. This important case attracted extensive media reports worldwide, including:
| Television | Newspapers |
| BBC Breakfast - 15th December 2008 | The Independent - 7th December 2008 |
| Channel 4 News - 19th December 2008 | Daily Express - 14th December 2008 |
| BBC News - 19th December 2008 | The Telegraph - 14th December 2008 |
| Sky - 19th December 2008 | Daily Mail - 16th December 2008 |
Chambers & Partners 2009 Edition
18th November 2008
Dawson Cornwell receives its best ever ranking in Chambers & Partners with the launch of the 2009 edition. The firm is given the top ranking for its international work with children and is noted for its ability to “handle anything”. 5 partners are given particular credit and Anne-Marie Hutchinson is named as a “star individual”.
Dawson Cornwell victory in the House of Lords
22nd October 2008
Dawson Cornwell successfully prevent the return of a child to Lebanon in a decision of the House of Lords, reversing rulings by the Court of Appeal, the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal and the Home Secretary on the ground of a human rights breach.
IBA conference in Buenos Aires
14th October 2008
Four members of Dawson Cornwell attend the IBA conference in Buenos Aires.
Launch of Argentine Republic Network of Expert Judges
14th October 2008
The official launch of the Argentine Republic Network of Expert Judges on International Restitution of Children took place on 14th October 2008 in Buenos Aires.
Anne-Marie Hutchinson OBE and Carolina Marín Pedreño attended the official launch at the invitation of Graciela Tagle, Liaison Judge.
Also present were Professor William Duncan, Deputy Secretary-General of the Hague Conference on Private International Law, Ignatio Goicoechea, Liaison Officer for Latin America of the Hague Conference on Private International Law, Victor Velez, President of the Magistrates Association of the city of Cordoba, Santiago Otamendi, Secretary of the Argentine Federation of Magistrates and Officials and the Expert Judges.
The Legal 500
15th September 2008
Dawson Cornwell praised for its partner-led approach and "very experienced, tight-knit team" in the 2008 edition of the Legal 500.
Dawson Cornwell victory in the House of Lords
13th August 2008
Dawson Cornwell recently acted successfully in a case at the House of Lords which held that the statutory scheme requiring the permission of the Secretary of State for the Home Department for marriage by people who were subject to immigration control or were illegal entrants was disproportionate and infringed the right to marry protected by article 12 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Dawson Cornwell case reported in Pakistan
13th August 2008
Dawson Cornwell recently acted for a mother in successfully obtaining a court order for the return of her four children from Pakistan after they were abducted there by their father. The case was reported in various newspapers in Pakistan.
New marriage contract introduced for British Muslims
8th August 2008
On 8 August 2008, the Muslim Institute launched a new standard marriage contract for British Muslims wishing to marry under Muslim law. Anne-Marie Hutchinson of Dawson Cornwell was an advisor on this document.
In particular, the contract will give greater clarity and protection to the parties in the event of the breakdown of their marriage. Dawson Cornwell welcomes the document.
Call for Non-dom delay
13th March 2008
The Law Society is calling for the implementation of the non domiciled resident tax proposals to be deferred so that effective consultation can take place and allow the full scope of the legislation to become clear.
Dawson Cornwell addresses Anglo-Spanish conference
7-8th March 2008
Carolina Marín Pedreño, Dawson Cornwell’s dual qualified Anglo-Spanish lawyer addressed the English v Spanish Comparative law conference in Granada. She spoke on the two countries’ differing family law regimes.
Legal profession Hall of Fame
10th December 2007
Senior partner John Cornwell is given a place in the Lawyer magazine's Hall of Fame for having changed the course of family law by founding the Solicitors Family Law Association (now called Resolution).
Dawson Cornwell wins House of Lords case
5th December 2007
Dawson Cornwell wins the ground-breaking House of Lords case of Re M, affecting Hague Convention child abducion cases where children have been in the UK for over a year and object to a return.
Chambers & Partners 2007-2008
9th November 2007
Dawson Cornwell is described as a "fantastic outfit" and achieves high rankings across the board in Chambers & Partners 2007-2008 Edition - no. 1 for cross-jurisdictional children work and no. 3 for matrimonial finance and private children cases.
International Bar Association Conference
14th to 19th October 2007
Anne-Marie Hutchinson and Rhiannon Lewis recently attended the International Bar Association Conference in Singapore which was attended by over 3,500 international lawyers. They were chosen to attend as delegates for the Law Society and the UK Trade and Investment mission. Anne-Marie chaired the main family law session, participating alongside other high profile international family lawyers.
Anne-Marie Hutchinson to speak at American Bar Association Fall conference re. International Family Law
2nd October 2007
Dawson Cornwell welcomes the American Bar Association to London for its Fall Conference (3rd to 6th October) at which Anne-Marie Hutchinson is speaking on International Family Law in Children
New Law Developments as of 1st October 2007
1st October 2007
As from 1st October 2007, the USA is now a reciprocating country for the enforcement of maintenance orders.
Also as of 1st October, the Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) will replace the Enduring Power of Attorney as the power that can operate after a person ceases to have mental capacity. The LPA increases the range of different decisions that people can authorise others to make on their behalf. In addition to property and financial matters, a person can delegate decisions affecting their personal welfare, including healthcare and medical treatment to their attorney. Consult Martin Beard or John Cornwell for further details.
All Dawson Cornwell partners recommended in 2007 edition of Legal 500
1st October 2007
Dawson Cornwell is delighted to announce that every single one of their family law partners is recommended in the 2007 edition of the Legal 500. The firm is recommended for its “strength and depth of expertise in both money and children work.”
Dawson Cornwell makes ground-breaking law
31st July 2007
Dawson Cornwell make ground-breaking law winning leave for a child to intervene in a mother’s petition to the House of Lords. (EM (Lebanon) and the Secretary of State for the Home Department.)
Dawson Cornwell private client partner wins award for pro bono contributions
14 June 2007
Martin Beard has been awarded the 2007 Solicitors Pro Bono Group LawWorks Award for Best Contribution by an Individual. The judges, who included Cherie Booth QC, made the award in recognition of his 30 years service at Centre 70.
Launch of Spanish website
24 May 2007
Dawson Cornwell reception on 24th May 2007 at The Law Society to launch its Spanish website. Over £400 was raised for Asociación para la Recuperación de Niños Sacados de su País, marking International Missing Children’s Day on 25th May 2007.
Asociación para la Recuperación de Niños Sacados de su País
Dawson Cornwell wins children Court of Appeal case
1 May 2007
Dawson Cornwell represented the successful appellant in Re: M (a child), a Court of Appeal case in which the Article 13b defence and the welfare considerations in a child’s objections defence were considered (Re M (a child) [2007] EWCA Civ 260).
Anne-Marie Hutchinson at the European Parliament
17 April 2007
Anne-Marie Hutchinson OBE will be speaking at the European Parliament Joint Hearing on the Rights of the Child.
Child Concern Day Seminar
19 March 2007
On Friday 27 April 2007, Anne-Marie Hutchinson OBE will be speaking at the Child Concern Day Seminar.
Forced marriages
9 February 2007
On Sunday 18th March 2007, Anne-Marie Hutchinson OBE will be speaking on the topic of forced marriages at the United Kingdom Association of Women Judges’ annual conference in Birmingham.
Latest edition of Stephen Harker’s family law conveyancing bible
19 January 2007
New edition of Family Lawyers “bible”, Matrimonial Conveyancing by Stephen Harker, now out.
