About
Michael advises on cross-border private client and international family and child law matters. Able to approach both common law and civil law issues from a practical perspective, Michael advises on international succession planning and mental capacity matters, with a particular focus on advising on asset protection aspects and resolving cross-border inheritance disputes.
Michael deals with a wide range of cross-border family work including nuptial agreements, financial claims, and cohabitation issues. He advises trustees and beneficiaries caught up in divorce proceedings. He has considerable experience in disputes relating to children (custody, child abduction (Hague and non–Hague)), both within and outside of the Court forum. Michael is highly sought after to advise on international surrogacy arrangements, co-parenting agreements and adoption matters. His work usually has an international perspective, often involving inherited wealth, tax and trust implications, substantial assets or income.
Michael works between Geneva and London and has particular expertise in Anglo-Swiss and in Italy interested matters. Michael is an Assistant Professor researching and teaching private international law and international family law subject matters at Royal Holloway, University of London and is a consultant lawyer to the Permanent Bureau of the Hague Conference on Private International Law. Michael is an active member of Resolution’s International Committee.
Michael is ranked in the Chambers HNW and Legal 500 directories. He is a Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers. In 2018 he was shortlisted for the award of International Family Lawyer of the Year (Jordans).
Michael is admitted to practise in England and Wales, the British Virgin Islands and is admitted to the EU list of the supervisory commission of lawyers for the canton of Geneva.
Contact:
+41 (0)22 591 1880 (CH)
+44 (0)20 7427 6763 (UK)
Experience
- Advising on cross-border nuptial and separation agreements requiring specific expertise in complex financial cases
- Acting in Anglo-Swiss maintenance enforcement proceedings
- Acting in stay proceedings for a high-net-worth individual whose spouse had issued divorce proceedings in England; a non-EU jurisdiction was more appropriate in the circumstances of the case
- Providing wealth planning advice with a commercial edge for entrepreneurs with assets in multiple jurisdictions
- Advised an international family on succession and governance issues, creating a PTC structure to implement the family’s long term succession plans for their personal assets and business interests
