12.4.2022
Mediation or Arbitration: What’s best for me?
Few divorcing couples want to end up in court, which is why mediation and arbitration are faster and more effective...
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“Jo Wescott is top notch and brings a winning combination of great judgement, an immense work ethic, and a relaxed and charming way with opponents and clients alike. Someone you want on your side.”
Joanne Wescott
Joanne is a Partner in the Family Department, specialising in divorce and financial matters.
She is recognised in the Legal 500 as a next generation lawyer, described as a rising star and is said to be “going places”. Peers say she is a “very approachable and sensible opponent”. She regularly provides commentary on family law issues and has been interviewed on Talk Radio and Sky News.
Joanne has extensive experience advising on all aspects of family law, in particular complex financial issues relating to divorce or separation, disputes relating to children, and pre and post nuptial agreements. She has advised in cases with in excess of £220 million in assets, spread over several jurisdictions including Russia, Europe and the Middle East.
Joanne is instructed by a wide range of clients however, is known for high net worth and high profile cases, including those in the public eye. She represented Mrs Mills in the Supreme Court in June 2018 regarding a life term spousal maintenance award.
In addition to divorce, Joanne also deals with both domestic and international children disputes such as Child Arrangements. She has a reputation for her success in relocation cases representing parents wishing to move abroad with their children and parents wanting to remain. She successfully represented clients in a case involving a change of residence and a move to France as well as defending a change of residence and move to Singapore.
Joanne is a strong advocate of alternative dispute resolution in the right circumstances and effectively pursues settlements through other avenues such as a mediation and round table meetings before commencing litigation.
If Court proceedings are necessary Joanne will fight your corner and support you throughout, she is skilled at matching her clients with specialist barristers ensuring they receive the best possible advice and making the court experience less daunting and more manageable.
Outside of work Joanne enjoys travelling and diving but closer to home she enjoys riding.
"A great team comfortably able to take on big-money, complex cases. Well led, enthusiastic, and with great judgement from top to bottom. Jo Wescott is top notch and widely recognised as a rising star throughout the profession. She brings a winning combination of great judgement, an immense work ethic, and a relaxed and charming way with opponents and clients alike. Someone you want on your side"
"It offers a good range of choices for finance work. Joanne Wescott will go far."
"Jo Wescott is top notch and widely recognised as a rising star throughout the profession. She brings a winning combination of great judgement, an immense work ethic, and a relaxed and charming way with opponents and clients alike. Someone you want on your side”
"Joanne Wescott is a very approachable and sensible opponent."
Joanne's Accreditation
Joanne's Legal 500 Testimonials
"A great team comfortably able to...
"A great team comfortably able to take on big-money, complex cases. Well led, enthusiastic, and with great judgement from top to bottom. Jo Wescott is top notch and widely recognised as a rising star throughout the profession. She brings a winning combination of great judgement, an immense work ethic, and a relaxed and charming way with opponents and clients alike. Someone you want on your side"
"It offers a good range of...
"It offers a good range of choices for finance work. Joanne Wescott will go far."
"Jo Wescott is top notch and...
"Jo Wescott is top notch and widely recognised as a rising star throughout the profession. She brings a winning combination of great judgement, an immense work ethic, and a relaxed and charming way with opponents and clients alike. Someone you want on your side”
"Joanne Wescott is a very approachable...
"Joanne Wescott is a very approachable and sensible opponent."
Joanne’s Notable Cases
- Acting for a husband in a divorce case with assets in excess of £2m but where he had earnings of £15,000 net per month and was ordered to pay a Legal Services Order and interim spousal maintenance in circumstances where the wife had lost capacity.
- Acting for a wife living in Malaysia in divorce and finance proceedings where the wife was a trailing spouse and had moved and lived in several countries to further her husband’s career, there was a property in England but pensions in several different jurisdictions.
- Acting for a mother in a leave to remove from the jurisdiction case, where the mother wanted the child who had been living with her father in England for the last 8 years to move with her to France.
- Acted for a husband in a highly contested divorce and finance case where the wife had relocated to Paris for employment. There was property in England, France and Germany and pensions worth in excess of £500,000.
Recent articles
Mills v Mills: The consequences of ill-advised financial decisions published by Family Law.
Owens v Owens: when unreasonable behaviour is not unreasonable behaviour published by Family Law.
Press and Commentary
Petnups: Asking judges to settle who gets the dog after a divorce is absolutely barking published in The Times.
Bank of Mum and Dad published in The Telegraph.
Insights from Family LawVIEW ALL
8.3.2022Unmarried fathers and parental responsibilities
The 1st December 2021 marked the 18th anniversary of the amendment to the Adoption and Children Act 2002 which gave unmarried fathers...
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20.1.2022Family Mediation: a cost-effective alternative to court action
Mediation is increasingly important for our clients in their efforts to resolve children and financial issues divorce. This week (17 to 21...
Read more- 18.1.2022
6 cases that shape a private children dispute
Family disputes involving children can be particularly emotive, which is why our expert children lawyers work tirelessly to understand how...
Read more - 22.12.2021
Naomi Angell, founder, celebrates Coram Children’s Legal...
Naomi Angell, Head of Osbornes’ Adoption, Surrogacy and Fertility Law Unit spoke, at the 40th birthday of the Coram Children’...
Read more - 13.12.2021
Who Pays Child Maintenance?
Child maintenance is regular, reliable financial support that helps towards a child’s everyday living costs. The Child Maintenance Service (...
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8.12.2021Has my child been abducted?
My ex-partner has taken our child abroad without my consent – what should I do? In order for a parent to...
Read more- 25.11.2021
Child arrangements for going abroad when separated
I am separated from my spouse – can I take the children abroad on holiday? The answer to this question is...
Read more - 18.11.2021
Legal considerations in the surrogacy process
What Are My Surrogacy Options at Home and Abroad? When you’re considering surrogacy as an intended parent, you may...
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Birth parent fails to overturn adoption order
Most adoption applications go through smoothly and it is only in the minority of cases that birth parents seek to...
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Family Courts Backlogs Exacerbated by Pandemic
Court backlogs: Divorcing couples face ruinous costs as last-minute court hearing cancellations become commonplace Divorcing couples are facing ruinous costs...
Read more - 21.9.2021
Changes in Fertility Law Benefit Families
Following campaigning by those working in the fertility sector and public consultation in 2020, the Government announced on 6th September 2021 that...
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10.8.2021Beneficial Interest in Property
Andrew Watson, a London based divorce lawyer in our family department and Resolution accredited specialist in cohabitation, summarises the law...
Read more- 10.8.2021
Child Maintenance: When is capital, income?
Reading a recent case from the Child Maintenance Tribunal, I considered it worth flagging up that the Child Maintenance Rules...
Read more - 21.7.2021
Child arrangements affected by pandemic travel restrictions
International families experiencing long separation periods from children As pandemic restrictions continue to limit overseas travel, increasing numbers of separated...
Read more - 27.4.2021
Pre-nups becoming the new norm for soon to...
Lawyers are seeing record numbers of couples signing pre-nuptial agreements this year as the country moves closer to a society...
Read more - 4.4.2021
Pet-Nups: Who Keeps The Dog On Divorce Or...
‘Do you need a pet-nup’. We examine why many couples are including arrangements for their pets in a pre-nuptial agreement....
Read more - 5.3.2021
Contesting a prenuptial agreement
Kanye West and Kim Kardashian are getting a divorce after nearly seven years of marriage. According to reports, Kim filed...
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26.2.2021Unsafe cladding: Issues for separating couples
The government has recently announced it is providing additional financial support towards rectifying the cladding issues in countless buildings across...
Read more- 5.10.2020
Lockdown rush to cohabitation leaves couples lacking financial...
When the lockdown was announced many couples had to make a rushed decision to move in together or face months...
Read more - 3.8.2020
Family lawyer at Osbornes discusses how she juggles...
Sarah Scott, associate solicitor in the firm’s family department contributed to The Law Society Gazette’s piece on “Lawyers...
Read more - 1.7.2020
Mediation by Zoom
At Osbornes, our Family Law mediations are in the main, conducted by Zoom during lockdown as our main office in...
Read more - 12.6.2020
Naomi Angell, Adoption specialist comments on international surrogacy...
Writing for the Law Society Gazette, Naomi explores the current challenges and problems around international surrogacy and the differing current...
Read more - 29.5.2020
I’m living with an abusive partner during...
On 23 March 2020 the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, announced a national lockdown. The government implemented the most severe restrictions on public...
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