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About Louise
I am a dual qualified (South Africa and England/Wales) specialist family solicitor with over 30 years’ experience in divorce and related family matters.
I act for clients from many different backgrounds, including those in the public eye and who often have complex asset and income structures.
Many of my clients are South African expats.
Having an economics background assists me in dealing with financial disputes where business interests are key.
Children disputes, which require a constructive and sensitive approach also form part of the work that I undertake.
As a trained mediator and collaborative lawyer my aim is to quickly ascertain my client’s priorities and move swiftly and constructively to a solution. Sometimes this involves litigation at some point which I believe requires a firm approach.
Some cases are not likely to settle in a non-court dispute resolution (NCDR) environment and litigation is required to achieve a final outcome. This may be where, for example, one party is not co-operating either in terms of complying with timeframes or providing full financial information. With litigation matters, I work with an experienced team and only instruct barristers (to do advocacy at Court hearings) that I know will provide excellent representation for my client. I take great care in choosing the most suitable person for each one of my clients.
NCDR is actively encouraged by our Family Courts more so now than ever before. Examples of NCDR are where the parties to a financial dispute agree to jointly instruct an experienced family lawyer (this could be a barrister or a retired Judge) to hear both parties’ arguments and give a non-binding evaluation on what would constitute a fair outcome. This usually encourages productive negotiations between the parties and a settlement without the need for a final hearing at Court. Even if a matter has started off with a Court application for financial remedies, many people are choosing to conduct a private financial dispute resolution process. When clients choose a private FDR instead of a Court based FDR, I have found them to have a higher success rate.
I live in Surrey and spend my free time playing tennis with my two adult sons, watching rugby (especially if the Springboks are playing) and travelling with friends.
I write a blog on relevant family issues, which can be viewed at https://www.louisebarretto.com/.
Specialisms
- Divorce/separation and financial matters
- Divorce/separation and child arrangements
- Nuptial agreements
- Fianancial support for children of unmarried parents
Membership
- Resolution member
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