Spear’s Review

A long-standing member of Stewarts’ family team and named Family Lawyer of the Year at the 2025 Spear’s Awards, partner Sam Longworth knows the importance of moving quickly on complex divorce cases.

‘My goal is to put clients in a position to make fully informed decisions as to their next steps – and do so from the very first meeting,’ he tells Spear’s. Longworth has been involved in a number of high-profile cases; he is best known for his involvement in Standish v Standish, acting for the husband in the landmark case, which narrows the scope of what counts as matrimonial property and signals a shift in how pre-marital wealth and intra-spousal transfers are treated in divorce. 

New cases always begin with a realistic assessment of the factors driving the dispute – whether they are emotional, financial or something else entirely. ‘We need to work out whether these issues will act as a potential barrier to a negotiated settlement,’ he explains. ‘If a settlement is unlikely to be reached without going to court or launching arbitration, then those processes should begin as soon as possible.’

Adviser Profile

A leading lawyer in complex, high-value international divorce and family cases, Sam is regarded a top practitioner of his generation. His clients span finance, sport and entertainment, and are based across Monaco, Switzerland, the US, LatAm, Asia and the Middle East.

A formidable strategist, he is known for his discretion and sharp commercial judgement, and for delivering swift, best-outcome results in the most challenging circumstances. In Standish v Standish, he led the team that secured a £20 million reduction in the Court of Appeal and defeated a further appeal in the Supreme Court, shaping the law on asset sharing.

He has extensive experience in arbitration, acting in some of the largest and most complex family disputes.