Top Recommended Family Lawyers

Jane McDonagh is Simons Muirhead & Burton’s ‘sensible, unflappable and approachable’ head of family, according to industry commentators, who praise her for ‘holding her own against the top firms’.

McDonagh’s practice covers complex finance and often involves an international angle; she also has niche expertise in Sharia law. Recent highlights include handling highly contested proceedings involving Ukraine, Egypt, Oman, Iran and Dubai. Her workload doubled in 2019, which required two partner hires.

‘There is no substitute for hard work,’ McDonagh tells Spear’s. ‘But it is incredibly rewarding too, to the right kind of person.’