David is a Client Services Director based in Yorkshire and is responsible for supporting and growing our Leeds office. He is also a specialist matrimonial finance partner and was the first solicitor in our jurisdiction to represent both parties in a divorce. His innovative approach transformed how relationship breakdown and financial settlements are dealt with by family lawyers today.
Prior to joining Knights, David held a national leadership role and was responsible for restructuring and scaling profitable teams, at a private equity backed business. He has also held roles in traditional partnerships.
David was named Partner of the Year across all disciplines at the Yorkshire Legal Awards, and Family Lawyer of the Year at the National Family Law Awards.
Alongside life in the law, David has spent over two decades in the retail and hospitality sector, latterly as a business owner, which means he understands the importance of delivering a premium service. Additionally, he sits as a Board Member for a number of organisations including public and third sector.
Examples of how David has helped clients include:
- Securing the transfer of a majority shareholding in a multi-million-pound business to a housewife, after her spouse joined a cult, to preserve the income generating asset.
- Obtaining a High Court freezing injunction against a client’s spouse where there was imminent risk of a £2M pension being transferred beyond the reach of the English Court.
- Supporting the mother of a disabled child to secure a lifetime fund from a father with assets in excess of £50M who refused to pay child support.
- Preparing a post-nuptial agreement to protect a 3rd generation family farm where the land value exceeded £30M.
- Representing a father accused of child abuse and coercive control, proving the allegations were false, resulting in a transfer of primary care to the client.
- Drafting pre-marital agreements on behalf of sports personalities, including a premiership footballer and an Olympic gold medallist.
- Preventing a parent from relocating with two children to Columbia after an initial attempt to remove them from the UK resulted in an all-port warning, with the children’s passports being seized at a London airport.