AFP Bloom is an Anglo-French practice. Cross border separations involve two legal systems that approach divorce, finances, and children in fundamentally different ways. And the decisions made at the start of a case can shape the outcome long before it reaches a courtroom.
The most important of those decisions is often jurisdiction. France operates a system of matrimonial regimes that pre-determines how assets are divided on divorce. England takes a discretionary approach, and typically offers greater financial provision. Getting that choice right (and understanding what changes post-Brexit for enforcement and procedure) requires genuine fluency in both systems, not just a working knowledge of one.
Our team, founded and led by French-UK dual citizen William Healing, and including French/ English dual qualified lawyer Océane Hamayon Lesné, has worked in this field for nearly two decades across hundreds of these cases. They have covered all major French speaking nations, across Europe, and Canada, and Africa.
We advise on the full range: jurisdiction disputes; high value financial cases involving foreign assets, marital regimes, and cross-border tax; children matters including relocation and international parental responsibility; prenuptial agreements designed to hold weight in both countries; and the enforcement of orders between England and French speaking countries.
We advise daily in both languages. For clients whose lives span two countries, that cultural ease and understanding makes a real difference.
