Member Profile
Mark Harper
Partner | Hughes Fowler Carruthers
Office Location: England and Wales
Jurisdiction
England and Wales
Top Specialisms
Family and Matrimonial
Trusts: Contentious
Connect
Professional Biography
Mark Harper is a divorce specialist at Hughes Fowler Carruthers in London, particularly international cases involving trusts and pre-nups. He was President of the European Chapter, International Academy of Family Lawyers 2014-2016. Co-author of International Trust and Divorce Litigation (Third Edition), and Same Sex Marriage and Civil Partnership; the New Law – LexisNexis. Mark has been ranked in the Top 10 divorce lawyers in Spear’s Family Law Index since 2013 and Chambers HNW Guide, describing him as having “the intellectual rigour to outwit every opponent in a jurisdiction case”, “he does not care whose toes he treads on in pursuing his clients' objectives” and “an extremely good lawyer who is a go-to on difficult financial cases and trusts”… with a source enthusing that he is “a very efficient lawyer, who has a full understanding of the different foreign laws systems, which is the key for international family cross-border cases”. Mark acted for John Charman in the 2007 test case which is still the leading case on the treatment of trusts on divorce. He has acted in 6 divorces with related trust litigation in Jersey, Guernsey, Cayman and Bermuda. He also drafted the prenup in the case of Crossley, in which the terms were upheld on divorce and pioneered procedure on divorce where a pre-nup shortens the court process. He acted in the test of K v K which changed the law on relocation recognising father’s rights who have shared care.
Question : What drew you to specialise in private client law/ wealth advisory?
Answer: Family law is about helping individuals navigate their way through pre-nups and the difficulties of divorce. That individual client contact is rewarding and always different and challenging.
Question : For lawyers entering private client law, what are key skills you think are essential?
Answer: Empathy and tenacity, and the ability to give a client advice they do not want to hear.
Question : With the evolving landscape of the private client world, what are recent trends or shifts you are excited to explore?
Answer: Globalisation and relocation given tax changes.
Question : Where is your favourite place to take a peer for a cocktail or coffee?
Answer: Le Bar next to Club Gascon, West Smithfield, London, EC1