Nigel was raised in Kenya where he attended St Mary’s School, Nairobi, and then The Oratory School. He read Law and Politics at Durham University and was called to the Bar in 1982. Starting in a general common law chambers Nigel began specialising in family work in 1990 when he moved to 1, Mitre Court Buildings – which later became 1, Hare Court.
As junior counsel, Nigel’s practice covered a wide range of family work principally post divorce financial claims, and also international forum disputes, Inheritance Act claims, private law disputes in relation to children and negligence actions arising in the conduct of family law. He was instructed in a number of leading reported cases: Gojkovic (1991) the leading case on costs; Moynihan (1997) the former Lord Moynihan’s fraudulent divorce proceedings; Butler (1997) forum dispute between Florida and England; Lambert (2003) the first 50:50 award by the Court of Appeal post White; J v V (2004) financial resources in an offshore shipping corporation; Chorley (2005) the French divorce process under Brussels II. For many years he appeared regularly in Chambers Guide as a band 1 junior.
Since taking silk in 2006 Nigel has appeared in various reported cases, in particular: RP (2007) compensation in financial awards; L v L (2008) effect of pre-marital assets in financial awards; Cook v Plummer (2008) forum dispute between New Zealand and England; B v B (2010) significance of post separation income in the financial award; Grey (2010) relevance of cohabitation in the award of maintenance.
He receives instructions from associated jurisdictions (eg Hong Kong, the Cayman Islands and BVI) and appeared in 2010 in the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands in B v B concerning an application to remove children permanently from that jurisdiction. In 2011 he was called to the Bar of the British Virgin Islands in order to appear in an application for freezing and disclosure orders against nominee entities holding assets which were the subject of a matrimonial claim.
Nigel is considered to be one of the leading specialists in Part III claims which deal with financial provision after a foreign divorce. He successfully represented the wife in Agbaje (2010), the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in this area. His recent involvement in M v M - interim provision under Part III and barring a party in contempt from participating in the application – has consolidated his expertise.
In addition to M v M, Nigel’s 2011 reported cases to date have included: Richardson - order set aside by the Court of Appeal on the basis of a mistake and N v F - impact of pre-marriage assets in the financial award.
Appearing in the band 1 of leading silks, the 2011 Chambers Guide described Nigel as a practitioner who “could defuse a bomb with his negotiation skills”... and as a “gentlemanly and polished advocate who delivers his case in a measured fashion”. Nigel would like to be viewed as a barrister who settles cases when appropriate, but who has no hesitation in fighting.
Nigel regularly gives lectures on contemporary family law issues; in the last few years he has lectured to leading London solicitors’ firms, the Bar Conference 2010, STEP and London Resolution. For fifteen years he has been one of the editors of ‘Rayden and Jackson on Divorce and Family Matters’, the leading family law practitioners’ text book. He is also a Fellow of the International Academy of Matrimonial lawyers.
Nigel is married and has two children. Away from the Bar he spends his time in East Sussex, where he is a mad-keen gardener and enthusiastic (summer) tennis player, and in London, where he fulfils his passion for the theatre, music and opera.
