Gemma Garrett
Partner
Family
Gemma is a specialist advising on all areas of Family Law. This includes divorce and separation (often involving jurisdiction issues), complex financial matters involving business and trust assets, drafting pre and post nuptial agreements, and children matters including internal and external relocation, wardship and child abduction.
Gemma has developed a reputation in international work. She is often instructed to advise clients who are ‘forum shopping’, selecting the most appropriate jurisdiction to start divorce and financial remedy proceedings. She is used to consulting and working alongside family practitioners abroad.
She has had articles published in the LexisNexis International Family Law Journal and The Law Gazette on a range of international topics.
Gemma is committed to alternative dispute resolution and in March 2020 completed her training as a Collaborative Lawyer.
Being client and solution focused, she is known for having a clear strategy and a sensible and effective approach to enable her to achieve the best possible outcome for her clients. Her client’s have described her as “warm”, “empathetic” and “versatile” in her practice.
Work highlights
PRENUPTIAL AGREEMENT
Whilst working in London, Gemma assisted the lead partner in the case of DB v PB [2016] EWHC 3431, concerning the validity of a prorogation clause in a prenuptial agreement and its effect on the court’s ability to make maintenance/needs based awards in the wife’s favour.
ULTRA HIGH NET WORTH DIVORCE
GA v EL [2023] EWFC 187 and GA v EL (No. 2) [2023] EWFC 206. The case concerned a single issue; how to divide the proceeds of sale of a business that was started during the marriage but sold after separation. The case considered the importance/relevance of historic business valuations and the courts approach to post separation endeavour.
INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION
Acting for a father in an international wardship/recognition of foreign adoption case concerning an Indonesian child.
CROSS-BORDER DIVORCE
Advising a husband who was forum shopping for divorce (competing jurisdictions being England and China) and advising on the draft terms of a Chinese Divorce Agreement.
CHILD ABDUCTION
Acting for a father as part of child abduction proceedings after his child was abducted from England to Japan.
Recent articles
Insights
Family law expert Gemma Garrett explains what spousal maintenance is, its purpose and how it's calculated
08/08/2022
Insights
A divorce carried out in one country may not always be recognised in another. Gemma Garrett discusses the often complex issue of foreign divorce recognition
24/01/2022