Top Flight Family LAwyer

‘Sometimes in order to get the best deal for a client, you have to make it clear that the client is willing to go all the way,’ says Mark Harper, who cites a recent case representing a ‘downtrodden wife’ as a case in point for his bullish strategy.

‘It’s very important that he and his lawyers understand that with my help, my client will fight all the way to trial.’ Harper, a specialist in international cases – especially those involving offshore trusts – has enjoyed another ‘great year’ at boutique firm Hughes Fowler Carruthers, with several reported cases. One highlight was a case involving a trust with assets of over £100 million, where he was instructed just weeks before the five-day trial. ‘It was an enormous amount of work,’ he recalls. ‘That was testing, but also interesting and exciting.’ In between all this, Harper also published the third edition of his book, International Trust and Divorce Litigation. ‘Of course, I would say it’s the leading textbook on the subject, partly because there isn’t really any other one,’ he quips. He’s keen to distinguish his practice from the firm’s competitors. ‘It’s very important that the client understands the process and agrees with the suggested strategy and approach,’ he says. ‘There are some of our rivals who say, “Trust us, we will get you the best result,” and then there’s terrible litigation – I don’t think that’s the right approach.’