Company
Position
Partner
Index
Family Lawyers
Location
London
Advice type
Abduction
Children
Cohabitation
Cross-border litigation
Divorces
Financial remedies
International child relocation
Prenuptial and postnuptial agreements
Client type
Billionaires
Royalty
UHNW
Sector Focus
Legal Advisory Services
Ben Parry-Smith
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.’
In 2025, Parry-Smith was shortlisted for the Family Lawyer of the Year award at the Spear’s Awards.
Read next: Spear’s Awards finalist Ben Parry-Smith of Payne Hicks Beach on what makes a good family lawyer tick
Notable cases
Network Connections
Top Flight
Kathryn Bradbury
Payne Hicks Beach
Immigration Lawyers
London
Top Flight 2026
Immigration Lawyers
Top Flight
Robert Brodrick
Payne Hicks Beach
Tax Lawyers
London
Top Flight 2025
Tax Lawyers
Top Flight
Dominic Crossley
Payne Hicks Beach
Reputation & Privacy Lawyers
London
Top Flight 2026
Reputation & Privacy Lawyers
Top Flight
Fiona Shackleton
Payne Hicks Beach
Family Lawyers
London
Top Flight 2026
Family Lawyers
Top Flight
Emma Copestake
Payne Hicks Beach
Property Lawyers
London
Top Flight 2026
Property Lawyers
Top Recommended
Nick Manners
Payne Hicks Beach
Family Lawyers
London
Top Recommended 2026
Family Lawyers
Top Recommended
Hanna Basha
Payne Hicks Beach
Reputation & Privacy Lawyers
London
Top Recommended 2026
Reputation & Privacy Lawyers
Top Recommended
Frederick Bjørn
Payne Hicks Beach
Tax Lawyers
London
Top Recommended 2025
Tax Lawyers
Top Recommended
Harriet Errington
Payne Hicks Beach
Family Lawyers
London
Top Recommended 2026
Family Lawyers
Top Recommended
Jessica Henson
Payne Hicks Beach
Contentious Trust Lawyers
London
Top Recommended 2025
Contentious Trust Lawyers
Top Recommended
Max Baird-Smith
Payne Hicks Beach
Corporate Lawyers
London
Top Recommended 2025
Corporate Lawyers
Top Recommended
Simon Beccle
Payne Hicks Beach
Family Lawyers
London
Top Recommended 2026
Family Lawyers
Top Recommended
Matthew Booth
Payne Hicks Beach
Family Lawyers
London
Top Recommended 2026
Family Lawyers
Top Recommended
Rupert Burchett
Payne Hicks Beach
Landed Estate Lawyers
London
Top Recommended 2025
Landed Estate Lawyers
Top Recommended
Sam Carver
Payne Hicks Beach
Tax Lawyers
London
Top Recommended 2025
Tax Lawyers
Top Recommended
Basil Dixon
Payne Hicks Beach
Tax Lawyers
London
Top Recommended 2025
Tax Lawyers
Top Recommended
Victoria Hingston
Payne Hicks Beach
Family Lawyers
London
Top Recommended 2026
Family Lawyers
Top Recommended
Matt Ingham
Payne Hicks Beach
Immigration Lawyers
London
Top Recommended 2026
Immigration Lawyers
Top Recommended
Mark Jones
Payne Hicks Beach
Criminal Lawyers
London
Top Recommended 2026
Criminal Lawyers
Top Recommended
Peter Lamb
Payne Hicks Beach
Hommes & Femmes d'Affaires
London
Top Recommended 2025
Hommes & Femmes d'Affaires
Top Recommended
Richard Manyon
Payne Hicks Beach
Contentious Trust Lawyers
London
Top Recommended 2025
Contentious Trust Lawyers
Top Recommended
Rosamond McDowell
Payne Hicks Beach
Tax Lawyers
London
Top Recommended 2025
Tax Lawyers
Top Recommended
Lucas Moore
Payne Hicks Beach
Litigation & Dispute Resolution
London
Top Recommended 2025
Litigation & Dispute Resolution
Recommended
James Bacon
Payne Hicks Beach
Tax Lawyers
London
Recommended 2025
Tax Lawyers
Recommended
Clementine Dowley
Payne Hicks Beach
Contentious Trust Lawyers
London
Recommended 2025
Contentious Trust Lawyers
Recommended
Phineas Hirsch
Payne Hicks Beach
Tax Lawyers
London
Recommended 2025
Tax Lawyers
Recommended
Benedict Jennings
Payne Hicks Beach
Accountants & Tax Advisers
London
Recommended 2025
Accountants & Tax Advisers
Recommended
Hannah Robinson
Payne Hicks Beach
Property Lawyers
London
Recommended 2026
Property Lawyers
Recommended
Luke Scarratt
Payne Hicks Beach
Family Lawyers
London
Recommended 2026
Family Lawyers
Recommended
Charlotte Skea-Strachan
Payne Hicks Beach
Family Lawyers
London
Recommended 2026
Family Lawyers
Recommended
Melissa Solly
Payne Hicks Beach
Accountants & Tax Advisers
London
Recommended 2025
Accountants & Tax Advisers
Recommended
Ane Vernon
Payne Hicks Beach
Litigation & Dispute Resolution
London
Recommended 2025
Litigation & Dispute Resolution
Recommended
Chris Weaver
Payne Hicks Beach
Employment Lawyers
London
Recommended 2025
Employment Lawyers
Recommended
Andrew Willan
Payne Hicks Beach
Reputation & Privacy Lawyers
London
Recommended 2026
Reputation & Privacy Lawyers
Rising Star
Camellia Buckmaster
Payne Hicks Beach
Family Lawyers
London
Rising Star 2026
Family Lawyers
Rising Star
Charlotte Henshall
Payne Hicks Beach
Contentious Trust Lawyers
London
Rising Star 2025
Contentious Trust Lawyers
Rising Star
Clare Hetherington
Payne Hicks Beach
Tax Lawyers
London
Rising Star 2025
Tax Lawyers
Rising Star
Alex O'Dwyer Curran
Payne Hicks Beach
Family Lawyers
London
Rising Star 2026
Family Lawyers
Rising Star
Katie Parkes
Payne Hicks Beach
Family Lawyers
London
Rising Star 2026
Family Lawyers
Rising Star
Dean Ryan
Payne Hicks Beach
Tax Lawyers
London
Rising Star 2025
Tax Lawyers
Rising Star
Isabella Savill
Payne Hicks Beach
Family Lawyers
London
Rising Star 2026
Family Lawyers