Philip Morton

Philip is a Partner and Group Head of the Dispute Resolution London Family team.  Philip acts in all areas of family law and advises clients on the most efficient and effective way of settling financial and children disputes following the breakdown of a relationship.  Philip’s particular focus is on high value domestic and international financial proceedings where there are complex corporate or trust assets.  His practice includes advising on protecting family wealth through pre- and post-nuptial agreements.   

In addition to his family practice, Philip continues to advise Private Clients in disputes including: professional claims against solicitors for negligence in family proceedings; domestic and international fraud litigation; harassment claims and injunctions; and defamation.

Philip has lectured to the Institute of Directors and various business leaders on the protection of commercial and private assets in the event of divorce.

Work highlights

• P v P: successful claim brought in the High Court against a son for misappropriating and/or stealing from his mother whilst having control of her accounts under a Lasting Power of Attorney; successfully obtained an order for £1m+ against the Defendant for the return of his mother’s funds.  

• Solicitors Negligence: claim brought against a well-known law firm in negligence for advice given to the wife in matrimonial proceedings; dispute settled for six figure sum.  
• Choy v Tan: leading jurisdiction family case in the Court of Appeal where we were successful in arguing that the case should be heard in London and not the Far East.
• JKL v MNO and UVW v XYZ: acting for high-profile media personalities being harassed by an unstable individual in several jurisdictions; an order under the Protection from Harassment Act was obtained, served under the terms of the Hague Convention.
• Leave to Remove Children: acted for various parents seeking either to move abroad with their children or seeking to prevent the other parent moving abroad with their children. For example: successfully acted for mother to move to Germany with her two young children, and for a father seeking to prevent mother moving to the US with her baby. 
• Trusts and non-disclosure: representing a wife in financial proceedings against her husband, the beneficiary of a £multi-million Jersey Trust, the details of which he refused to disclose.  Matter settled upon husband providing disclosure of the Trust under threat of imprisonment and wife seeking an order for transfer of properties out of the Trust.
• Sir Geoff Hurst & Others v Hone & Others: successful claim against a UK based salesman who made fraudulent misrepresentations to a group of investors about Spanish property.  Recovered monies lost in the fraudulent investment having considered: how to ensure the case was heard in London; obtaining freezing orders against the Defendant’s properties; and ensuring there were assets available against which to enforce any order. 

Memberships

• Philip is a member of Resolution, the national organisation of family lawyers committed to non-confrontational divorce, separation and other family problems.