Spear’s Review

Melissa Lesson, who joined Mills & Reeve as a partner in 2024, specialises in separation, divorce, trusts and jurisdictional disputes, including children matters. 

Lesson tells Spear’s she is pleased to be part of ‘such an established and collaborative team, where there are great opportunities to grow the existing capabilities while enhancing our client offering by providing a wider, international platform’.

Before Mills & Reeve, the trilingual Lesson was head of the Anglo-French family law team and the French group at private client specialists Mishcon de Reya. Her client base remains very international, and she frequently collaborates with legal professionals in France and Italy to resolve cases involving client assets in multiple jurisdictions. 

Adviser Profile

Melissa Lesson, a barrister and partner in Mills & Reeve’s family department in London, is a dual French and English national and is a multilingual speaker, speaking French and Italian. 

Melissa specialises in separation, divorce, trusts and jurisdictional disputes, including complex, multi-jurisdictional cases involving significant assets. These often also include private children matters such as residence and contact, prohibited steps and specific issues. Many of Melissa’s clients have been high-profile figures, and her client base is very international. She regularly works on cases with lawyers in France and Italy and on international prenuptial agreements. 

Melissa speaks at international conferences and is a member of the International Academy of Family Lawyers.