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WE’RE DIFFERENT

OUR SERVICE

The Divorce Surgery is unique. We created a brand new model, founded on the principle that with equal access to top quality, impartial legal advice couples will be empowered to resolve their differences quickly, fairly and with the least conflict.

OUR STORY

Samantha Woodham and Harry Gates are both family law barristers at leading set of chambers, 4PB. Between them they have over 30 years experience dealing with countless couples in dispute over their finances and children. This gives Samantha and Harry a clear perspective on the drawbacks of adversarial litigation for families.

A BETTER WAY

Whilst for some couples court intervention is the only solution, Samantha and Harry were determined to find a better way to help couples divorce. A way which encourages couples to resolve their disputes, with legal advice, together, at the earliest stage in a non-adversarial, confidential and dignified way.

How Are We Different?

There’s a lot of divorce jargon out there: no-fault divorce, uncontested divorce, amicable divorce, conscious uncoupling, good divorce. Cutting through it, we provide:

  • Advice that’s joint
  • Advice that’s regulated
  • Advice that’s expert
  • Advice that’s fixed fee
  • Advice that’s fair

Let us show you why clients call us a force for good.

OUR TEAM

Samantha Woodham and Harry Gates are the founders of The Divorce Surgery.

The Divorce Surgery’s team of barristers includes some of the leading family law specialists from across the profession. We will ensure that the correct level of expertise and experience is offered to you, depending on your individual circumstances, up to and including King’s Counsel.

FOUNDERS

Founder

Harry Gates

Harry Gates has been a practising family law barrister for over two decades focusing on the financial consequences of relationship breakdown. He has significant experience dealing with complex corporate, tax and offshore structures. He is recognised in the Legal 500, Chambers and Partners, Spears and the Tatler HNW Guide. Along with fellow barrister Samantha Woodham, he co-founded The Divorce Surgery, the first service in the UK to provide  joint  family law advice to couples  together.

Harry writes regularly about why divorcing couples should be empowered to work together, rather than against each other, and has contributed to numerous Government and Judicial consultations on the future of Family Justice.

Founder

Samantha Woodham

Samantha Woodham has practised family law as a barrister for over 18 years, advising couples as to the finances and arrangements for their children on family breakdown. She has represented high profile and high net worth clients. She is recognised in the Legal 500, Chambers and Partners, Spears and the Tatler HNW Guide. Along with fellow barrister Harry Gates, she co-founded The Divorce Surgery, the first service in the UK to provide joint family law advice to couples together.

She is a contributor to BBC news on family law, regularly writes about de-stigmatising divorce, was shortlisted for Entrepreneur of the Year at the Women in Law Awards 2020, won Champion of the Year in the Citywealth Powerwomen of the Year Awards 2021, and was one of 40 women awarded the Government’s Innovate UK Women in Innovation Award in April 2021. She was shortlisted for Barrister of the Year in Citywealth’s Magic Circle Awards.

Samantha believes that we all need to change the way we view divorce, so that it becomes the norm for couples to divorce fairly, with dignity and without blame.

TEAM

Senior Solicitor

Daisy Minns Shearer

Daisy is a solicitor who has over a decade of experience in family law. She has spent her career to date working in some of London’s most highly regarded family law departments on complex and contentious, often high-profile, children and financial cases.

Daisy supports and advises couples through all legal aspects of our process, whether to do with children or finances. 

Daisy brings a wealth of legal knowledge and experience to her cases. She is committed to her clients who find her empathetic and approachable, as well as insightful and diligent.  

Client Relationship Assistant

Natalie Carey

Natalie is one of our Client Relationship Assistants, a friendly voice at the end of the phone if you would like to explore what our service entails and whether it is right for you. Natalie brings a huge amount of non-legal experience to the role and our couples often comment on her calm, approachable style.

If you would like to find out more about the service, and what it feels like to be a Divorce Surgery couple, booking a guidance call with Natalie is an excellent place to start.

Client Relationship Manager

Claire Wheatley

Claire is our friendly Client Relationship Manager, a key point of contact for our couples throughout our process. Claire is a non-lawyer and brings a wealth of non-legal experience to the role.

If you would like to find out more about the service, and what it feels like to be a Divorce Surgery couple, booking a guidance call with Claire is an excellent place to start.

Senior Solicitor

Rachel Peirse

Rachel is a solicitor with over 15 years’ experience in Family Law, both practising at a leading London firm and in academic teaching. Her role at The Divorce Surgery is supporting couples through the legal aspects of the process, for instance, financial disclosure, and briefing the couple’s chosen barrister when they come on board to advise.

Rachel brings a huge amount of legal experience, which she combines with a warm and positive approach.

ADVISORY BOARD

Bill Hewlett

Bill Hewlett is a post-separation family repair specialist, mediator and child consultant who helps separating couples to come to cooperative and collaborative agreements.

His primary focus is to shield children from excessive distress during this time of disruption by assisting the parents to foster an amicable alliance with each other. This is important, because the children need to live in an atmosphere of calm and congruence if they are to reach their developmental potential.

Barbara Mills KC

Barbara Mills KC is a specialist barrister with over 30 years of experience in the law relating to children. Barbara is also a family mediator, an arbitrator (children only) and a Recorder which makes her uniquely placed to advise and assist parties to explore the options open to them when they are thinking about, and settling the arrangements for, their children post separation.

Barbara is passionate about achieving peaceful and respectful co-parenting arrangements which help children have a sense of family life remaining intact albeit with parents living separately.

Michael Reeves

Michael Reeves is the Senior Clerk of 4PB, with a long career focused on client service, management of clerks and ultimately for a smooth client journey.

Charles Hale KC

Charles Hale KC was appointed as King’s Counsel in 2014 and is a leading family barrister. He is highly regarded by all the legal directories, including The Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners.

Charles was called to the Bar in 1994. He was an elected member of the Bar Council of England and Wales 2002-2012 and he is also a qualified Arbitrator.

Alex Verdan KC

Alex Verdan KC is one of the leading family law barristers of his generation. He is ranked in tier 1 by all the legal directories. He was appointed a Deputy High Court Judge in 2009.

He has previously served as a member of the Bar Standards Board Conduct Committee, the Centre for Child and Family Law Reform and the Family Law Bar Association Committee.

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