‘I’ve had clients sobbing hysterically when I said, “You have to file for divorce right now,”’ says family law heavyweight Mark Harper. He is speaking in the context of a post-Brexit Great Repeal Bill, which he hopes may end the so-called race to court which can arise between EU jurisdictions over divorce.

Praise abounds for Julian Ribet. ‘A boy wonder grown into Superman!’ one contemporary tells us. A QC dubs him ‘an extremely able, top-rank practitioner’, while another refers to the LMP partner as ‘impressive, diligent and practical’.

Fiona Shackleton is regarded as one of the best family lawyers of her generation, but one peer is prepared to go further, calling her ‘one of the leading family lawyers of all time’. About anyone else this might sound like hyperbole, but not Shackleton. She alone among those in this list is not only known for representing celebrities but is a celebrity in her own right. But for all the glitz that accompanies the ‘Steel Magnolia’, as she has become known, her reputation hinges on technical skill and imagination. She ‘has outstanding judgement and flair and cuts to the chase’, says another observer.

When Debbie Chism last spoke to Spear’s she told us that she had a client who resembled James Bond. ‘I’m now working for people who would hire James Bond,’ she says, laughing.

Charlotte Bradley’s emphasis is on the humanity essential to the family lawyer, and she aims to stay pragmatic, especially when emotions are running high.