Spear’s Review

Once described as the ‘protégé’ of Fiona Shackleton, Ben Parry-Smith joined Payne Hicks Beach on qualification and made partner in 2018.

The Oxford graduate specialises in a range of matters relating to family law. This includes cohabitation disputes, pre- and postnuptial agreements, divorce/civil partnership, relocation of children, complex financial disputes and jurisdictional issues. Most notably, Parry-Smith was part of the team representing Princess Haya in her high-profile divorce from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.  

Having worked on a number of cases where assets have exceeded a billion pounds, he is acutely aware of the weight that comes with such high-profile work. ‘We have the privilege of being able to help,’ he says. ‘We’ve got the power and the knowledge – and we have to remember what a responsibility that is.’