Spear’s Review

Harbottle & Lewis partner Alex Ward works with a wide variety of high-value clients, including those working in fintech and budding entrepreneurs with start-ups. His clients have a range of needs, from complex children cases to prenups and postnups, which are often useful for wealth creators who ‘might not have money now but have a good prospect of it coming in the future’, he says.

Harbottle’s legal department has bloomed over the past half-decade, Ward says, and he relishes the expertise in property, taxation and more that his firm can offer. ‘It’s been really helpful in terms of speeding up our development, because we’ve got all these things at our fingertips.’

Ward also reflects on how the industry has changed since he became a family lawyer more than 15 years ago. ‘A lot of the families I was dealing with, it was quite an old-fashioned dynamic … it was one person earning, as opposed to two.’ Now, both parents are often working late hours – and, commensurately, in the world of 24-hour communication, many HNWs now need round-the-clock legal advice. 

Adviser Profile

Alex found his professional home with Catherine Bedford in 2015. Drawn to the psychological facets of family law, he credits Catherine with showing him the extent to which clients benefit from bespoke approaches to their cases.

Adaptable and agile, Alex’s settlement rate is high. He really gets to know his clients, ever-mindful of the long-term effects his work can have on them and their loved ones. At the same time, Alex has a well-established reputation for being a tenacious advocate. He knows when it’s right to fight, and how. Barristers particularly appreciate his diligence, empathy and forensic eye for detail.

Seeing the bigger nuanced picture, Alex works assiduously to serve his clients’ best interests.