Mark Harper

Spear’s Review

‘Sometimes, in order to get the best deal for a client, you have to make it clear that the client is willing to go all the way,’ Mark Harper, a family law partner at Hughes Fowler Carruthers, tells Spear’s. ‘Often, if a case goes to trial, only the lawyers truly win. But in some cases one spouse is so unrealistic or unreasonable there is no choice but to go to trial to get a fair result.’

Harper, a specialist in international cases and those involving trusts, emphasises that he is not deterred by complex, difficult situations or complex legal structures. He’s also keen to distinguish his practice from the firm’s competitors.

‘It’s very important that the client agrees with the suggested strategy and approach. Some of our rivals will say, “Trust us, we will get you the best result,” and then there’s terrible litigation.’

Notable Cases

K v K [2022] EWCA Civ 468

S v S (Relocation) [2017] EWHC 2345 (Fam)

Adviser Profile

Described as ‘without a doubt the best technician in London’ and ‘one of the top lawyers for high-net-worth divorces’, ‘family law superstar’ Mark Harper is one of the leading practitioners specialising in complex financial matters, and is particularly known for handling complex international cases and those involving trusts and other structures. He also deals with and negotiates pre-nuptial and pre-civil partnership agreements. 

Harper also acts in international children matters, with some of his reported cases having helped shape the law on relocation and change of primary carer for the children.

Harper is consistently top ranked in the leading legal and High Net Worth directories. He is regarded as ‘highly professional and pre-eminent in trust issues’, and ‘an extremely good lawyer who is a go-to on difficult financial cases’. He is further commended for ‘delivering results without fail’, and for being ‘very, very astute, very incisive and conscientious’. 

Harper is the co-author of International Trust and Divorce Litigation, a book that was described by the former president of the family division as ‘a book which needs to be in the bookcase and briefcase of everyone involved on a divorce case with a trust element’. He also recently co-wrote a chapter on family law in Global Mobility of Ultra High Net Worth Individuals, described as an invaluable tool for all professionals who assist UHNWIs. 

In addition to this, Harper is a regular commentator on family law issues in the press and on TV, discussing the key issues at the heart of legal discourse. 

Outside of work, Mark has a keen interest in architecture, foreign travel and classic cars.