Joanna joined Orwins in April 2024 as Head of the Family Law team. She has specialised in family law for over thirty years, spending her career in leading firms in Essex and London, most recently as a partner at a Top 100 firm in the City.

Joanna excels at bringing clarity to complex situations. She works through problems with clients in a structured way, helping them gain the confidence to move forward. Her aim is to take the fear out of relationship breakdown and help clients navigate the process calmly.

Joanna handles all issues arising from relationship breakdown: divorce and dissolution, arrangements for children, property and financial matters, and domestic abuse. Her children work covers all arrangements for children including which parent the children will live with and when and how they will see the other parent. In addition, Joanna represents clients in connection with matters concerning children's names, education, religious upbringing and domestic and international relocation. Joanna’s financial cases often involve complex trust arrangements, business assets, property portfolios and pensions, many with an international element.

Joanna is a keen proponent of Non-Court Dispute Resolution and will assist her clients to settle their cases in a fair way, outside the court process, wherever possible, using methods such as family mediation, private FDRs and arbitration.

As an accredited family mediator and member of the Family Mediation Council, Joanna works with both parties impartially to help them reach an agreement and avoid court proceedings. Most of her mediation cases are referred by other family law professionals.

A member of Resolution and the Law Society's Family Law Panel, Joanna's approach is constructive and non-confrontational, though firm when her client's interests demand it. Legal 500 referees describe her as someone who "impresses with her client service, technical knowledge and commercial acumen".

Experience

Represented the wife in financial remedy proceedings involving the husband's personal injury trust, which was transferred to the High Court's Complex Cases list.

Represented the father in Children Act proceedings relating to his three young children, one of whom was a stepchild. She successfully obtained an order that the children should live with him. The mother abducted the children, and the High Court Tipstaff had to be instructed to seek and return the children.

Represented the husband in financial remedy proceedings involving several interrelated limited companies and LLPs and several residential and commercial properties.

Mediated for a couple with assets worth circa £10 million. The couple reached a joint settlement proposal after only three mediation sessions.

Joanna acted for the husband in a cross-border divorce where proceedings had been issued in both England and Austria.