The people behind
One Couple One Lawyer

Founders

• 

  Founder

  Samantha Woodham

  Samantha Woodham has practised family law as a barrister for over two decades, advising couples as to the division of their finances and arrangements for their children on family breakdown. She has represented high profile and high net worth clients. She is recognised in the Legal 500, Chambers and Partners, Spears and the Tatler HNW Guide. Along with fellow barrister Harry Gates, she co-founded The Divorce Surgery, the first service in the UK to provide joint family law advice to couples together.

  She is a contributor to BBC news on family law, regularly writes about de-stigmatising divorce, was shortlisted for Entrepreneur of the Year at the Women in Law Awards 2020, won Champion of the Year in the Citywealth Powerwomen of the Year Awards 2021, and was one of 40 women awarded the Government’s Innovate UK Women in Innovation Award in April 2021. She was shortlisted for Barrister of the Year in Citywealth’s Magic Circle Awards.

  Samantha believes that we all need to change the way we view divorce, so that it becomes the norm for couples to divorce fairly, with dignity and without blame.

  
• 

  Founder

  Harry Gates

  Harry Gates has been a practising family law barrister for over two decades focusing on the financial consequences of relationship breakdown. He has significant experience dealing with complex corporate, tax and offshore structures. He is recognised in the Legal 500, Chambers and Partners, Spears and the Tatler HNW Guide. Along with fellow barrister Samantha Woodham, he co-founded The Divorce Surgery, the first service in the UK to provide joint family law advice to couples together.

  Harry writes regularly about why divorcing couples should be empowered to work together, rather than against each other, and has contributed to numerous Government and Judicial consultations on the future of Family Justice.

  

Team

• 

  Senior Solicitor

  Rachel Peirse

  Rachel is a solicitor with over 20 years’ experience in Family Law, both practising at a leading London firm and in academic teaching. Her role at The Divorce Surgery is supporting couples through the legal aspects of the process, for instance, financial disclosure, and briefing the couple’s chosen barrister when they come on board to advise.

  Rachel brings a huge amount of legal experience, which she combines with a warm and positive approach.

• 

  Senior Solicitor

  Daisy Minns Shearer

  Daisy is a solicitor who has over 15 years’ experience in family law. She has spent her career to date working in some of London’s most highly regarded family law departments on complex and contentious, often high-profile, children and financial cases.

  Daisy supports and advises couples through all legal aspects of our process, whether to do with children or finances.

  Daisy brings a wealth of legal knowledge and experience to her cases. She is committed to her clients who find her empathetic and approachable, as well as insightful and diligent.

• 

  Client Relationship Manager

  Claire Wheatley

  Claire is our friendly Client Relationship Manager, a key point of contact for our couples throughout our process. Claire is a non-lawyer and brings a wealth of non-legal experience to the role.

  If you would like to find out more about the service, and what it feels like to be a Divorce Surgery couple, booking a guidance call with Claire is an excellent place to start.

• 

  Client Relationship Assistant

  Natalie Carey

  Natalie is one of our Client Relationship Assistants, a friendly voice at the end of the phone if you would like to explore what our service entails and whether it is right for you. Natalie brings a huge amount of non-legal experience to the role and our couples often comment on her calm, approachable style.

  If you would like to find out more about the service, and what it feels like to be a Divorce Surgery couple, booking a guidance call with Natalie is an excellent place to start.