Connie Atkinson, Kingsley Napley

Connie is a partner in our Family & Divorce team, having joined the firm as a trainee in 2008. She has a wide range of experience dealing with all aspects of private family work relating to both finances and children, and regularly advises on cases involving complex financial arrangements, especially divorces involving business assets and assisting clients in the public eye. She is also a highly respected mediator.

 

Connie has an excellent reputation as a mediator and regularly assists separating couples with the practical arrangements arising out of their separation. Connie’s calm and flexible approach to mediation provides clients with an excellent service. She regularly includes third parties in mediation, such as IFAs, lawyers, counsel and family members, to give clients the best possible chance of reaching a desired outcome in a private and confidential forum.

 

Connie leads the team’s Modern Families group, having developed a strong reputation for her expertise in cases concerning modern family structures and surrogacy.

 

Connie's client base is high-net-worth individuals including sports personalities, celebrities, and international clients with complex asset structures. Her approach combines technical legal expertise with remarkable emotional intelligence, allowing her to navigate the most challenging family law cases with grace and precision.

 

As a result of her expertise and shining reputation, Connie was ranked in Chambers UK and HNW Directories as Up and Coming, having been called ‘one of the best lawyers of her generation’ and ‘second to none’. She is also recognised as a Rising Star in Legal 500 and Spears 500 calls her ‘an authority on international surrogacy cases.’ Most recently, Connie has won Private Client Family Lawyer of the year and National Lawyer of the year at the Private Client Modern Lawyer awards.

 

In addition to the complex children work referred to above, Connie regularly advises on cases involving:

Complex financial arrangements with particular expertise in divorces involving business and trust assets;

International elements including cross border matrimonial disputes, jurisdiction disputes and pre and post nuptial agreements.

 

Notable cases:

R v T [2022] EWHC 3362 (Fam); A series of cases in which the court dealt with parentage and jurisdiction and subsequently welfare proceedings.

SW v IB [2022] EWFC 151 – challenge to a decision made in arbitration. Arbitration decision upheld by the court

Y v Y (Financial Remedy: Marriage Contract) [2014] EWHC 2920 (Fam) - financial remedy proceedings in the High Court concerning the weight to be given to a foreign marriage contract

 

Connie has recently acted for:

a husband in respect of his children and financial proceedings in which the assets included properties and businesses abroad in excess of GPB30m;

a wife in her financial remedy claim dealing with issues of disclosure. The assets a group of companies with a value in excess of £100m;

a fiancé in preparing a prenuptial agreement involving assets over £160m;

a wife in a forum conveniens dispute involving Ukraine.

 

She speaks regularly at industry events such as AIJA and MBL and recently worked with colleagues to create a highly successful ‘Routes to Parenthood’ conference, where she spoke on surrogacy and IVF issues faced by LGBTQ+ and modern families. Connie is also one of the firm’s Fertility Officers who helps support colleagues who have experienced fertility issues and is a member of the firm’s LGBTQ+ & Allies Network.

 

Connie was also the legal advisor of the BBC series The Split which aired in 2018 - 2022 and has been asked to advise on family law storylines for other TV productions.

 

Speaking appointments:

 

• Speaker at the Illinois State Bar Association two day conference on surrogacy

• Speaker at the Illinois State Bar Association two day conference on relocation

• TL4 on A Year in Review, December 2024

• Speaker at MBL Seminar – Alternatives ways of becoming a parent, November 2024