About Rachel
My aim is for all my clients to feel heard and receive honest and clear advice in a sensitive, constructive way, so they can clearly understand their options and the costs involved. I will always explore out of court resolutions as my aim is to help secure a fair outcome without sacrificing the quality of a future, ongoing relationship. Where this is not possible, I can offer robust and experienced representation during court litigation. I am passionate about raising awareness of prenuptial and postnuptial agreements so couples remain in control of their finances and minimise conflict if their relationship breaks down in the future.
Rachel is a collaborative lawyer, advising national and international clients on all aspects of family law including divorce and separation, the resolution of complex financial matters after separation for married and un-married couples, resolving arrangements for children (including applications to remove children from the jurisdiction) and disputes concerning child maintenance.
She has a particular specialism in assisting clients with the preparation of prenuptial and postnuptial agreements as part of their wealth preservation planning. Her cases regularly involve substantial financial assets held in the UK and worldwide. She regularly represents entrepreneurs, executives, business owners, legal, finance and health professionals, and their spouses. She is experienced in assisting international clients and has a wide network to assist clients who need representation in the UK where there are jurisdictions disputes and international prenuptial agreements.
Rachel has particular expertise in representing clients where there are allegations of domestic abuse, including physical, emotional and psychological abuse including controlling and coercive behaviour. She is also experienced in representing parents in complex disputes to resolve arrangements for children, for example, where a parent wishes to relocate to another area or county with a child, or where there are allegations that a child is being marginalised from a parent and other forms of emotional and physical abuse. She is also experienced where there are disputes about where a child is to be educated, particular where the child is neurodiverse.
Widely regarded as an expert in prenuptial, postnuptial and cohabitation agreements, Rachel offers a collaborative approach with the firm’s private client team to help clients and their families protect inheritance and business shareholdings from the impact of a divorce.
Rachel qualified in 2008 and joined Russell-Cooke in 2024.
She is a real problem solver and wonderful at getting solutions for her clients.
Experience
- Successfully represented a client in the High Court to freeze matrimonial assets to prevent them being transferred to a foreign jurisdiction
- Negotiated a prenuptial agreement for an international client with substantial assets held in multiple jurisdictions
- Succeeded in representing a client with substantial assets to obtain protective injunctions and child arrangement order where there were serious allegations of domestic abase, child abuse and substance abuse
- Successfully represented a client to retain jurisdiction for divorce and financial claims to be dealt with in England as opposed to being dealt with by a foreign
- Prevented a child being relocated to another part of the county by securing an interim transfer of residence and an order to prevent the relocating parent from removing the child from their current school
She has notable strengths in matters that have cross-border aspects.
Education
- LLB Honours at Newcastle University
- LPC College of Law, York
She is incredibly technically astute and constructive in the way she handles matters.
Memberships
- An active member of Resolution
- A member of the Surrey Collaborative Law Pod
- Established the Surrey, Hampshire and South West London Prenuptial Agreements Pod in 2022 (a network of family lawyers committed to making nuptial agreements more accessible and available to couples)
Rachel's highlights
17.09.2024
Concerned about increasing school fees?—A guide for separating parents and what to do if you can’t agree
13.05.2024
Russell-Cooke welcomes second family law partner this year