Grainne is a highly experienced divorce and family lawyer who represents married and unmarried medium-to-high-net-worth individuals going through separation or divorce. She also provides advice and assistance to those wishing to enter into nuptial agreements.
Many of Grainne’s cases involve an international element: overseas assets, pensions, property structures such as usufructs, employment, and parties who live abroad or wish to relocate to another jurisdiction.
Her clients include business professionals, those in the public eye, heads of international corporations, British nobility and ‘silver separators’.
Grainne also has an extensive network of financial advisors, wealth managers, pension experts, forensic accountants, tax experts, private investigators and lawyers in multiple jurisdictions who she frequently works alongside.
A very experienced family lawyer. There is simply no issue that is too difficult for her.
The Legal 500 2023 referee
Grainne is tough but empathetic and knows her stuff.
The Legal 500 2023 referee
Efficient communication, patience and professionalism have been hallmarks of their work from beginning to end.
Divorce and finance client February 2023
Grainne Fahy literally saved the life of this mother and her two children.
Children Act client 2022
Things were dragging on in my divorce until I instructed Grainne.
Divorce and Finance Client February 2021
Grainne’s handling of my recent case was exemplary.
Divorce and Finance client 2020
I found Grainne and Yasmin very professional but also extremely compassionate when dealing with my recent divorce. I would recommend Keystone Law and their team to anyone requiring the professional services they offer.
Roger Lavender
Expertise
- Divorce and dissolution of civil partnerships
- Division of finances on divorce
- Children disputes, including child arrangement orders, prohibited steps orders, specific issue orders, instruction of education and health experts, and return of passport orders
- Relocation abroad with children and appeals
- Property disputes between unmarried couples and related civil litigation under Trusts of Land and Appointment of Trustees Act 1996 (TLATA)
- Pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements
- Separation agreements
- Cohabitation agreements
- Non-molestation and occupation orders
- Interim financial remedy applications on divorce
- Appeals in financial remedy proceedings
- Section 37 proceedings and freezing injunctions
- Maintenance pending suit
- Enforcement of financial orders
- Loss of litigation capacity and litigation friends
- Acting for or against persons with a limited life expectancy
- Notice to show cause applications
- Private FDRs
- Arbitration
Experience
Division of finances on divorce
- Litigated and represented a wife and lawyer where assets exceeded £60 million.
- Litigated and represented a senior vice president of a multinational company where there was 19 years of significant post-separation accrual, complex bonus and share structure and assets exceeding £8 million.
- Litigated and represented a housewife where assets exceeded £32 million in three continents.
- Litigated and represented a housewife in section 37 MCA 1973 disposition of land proceedings in North Wales concerning plots of land with fracking potential. The client recovered 100% of her costs.
- Represented a ‘silver separator’ who had been married for over 15 years. She lost litigation capacity 5 days before the final hearing. Obtained a formal capacity assessment and appointed a litigation friend.
- Litigated and represented an expat wife living in Dubai in maintenance pending suit proceedings. The client recovered 100% of her costs.
- Litigated and represented a ‘silver separator’ who divorced 20 years ago. She believed that a financial consent order had been reached in 1994. Submitted a notice to show cause application. Assets comprised multiple plots of farmland with significant development potential and approved planning permission. Assets exceeded £8 million.
- Litigated and represented a husband in financial remedy consent order seeking to set it aside on the basis of undue influence or duress, including consideration of questionable judicial conduct.
- Litigated and represented a wife, ‘silver separator’ and carer whose husband was terminally ill with just months left to live. In-depth consideration was given to the wife’s potential claims under the Inheritance Act.
Children
- Litigated and represented applicant mothers in their applications to permanently relocate abroad with their children. Countries include New Zealand, Canada and Greece.
- Litigated and represented applicant fathers who have been refused contact, or meaningful contact, with their children following separation.
- Litigated and represented a mother in expedited court proceedings where the mother had a 6-month life expectancy and five daughters.
- Litigated and represented a paternal grandmother and paternal aunt who sought parental responsibility and a child arrangements order in respect of their niece / granddaughter. The Cafcass officer recommended no contact between the mother and child.
- Litigated and represented a father who successfully sought a child arrangement order that the child live with him and spend time with the mother at the father’s discretion. The mother was sectioned under the Mental Health Act on a number of occasions throughout the proceedings.
- Litigated and represented a mother who sought stringent safeguards before consenting to the children travelling to a country in the Middle East with their father.
Wealth protection agreements
- Drafted a pre-nuptial agreement for the director of a well-known club in Chelsea to protect wealth exceeding £16 million.
- Drafted a post-nuptial agreement for a Spanish national to protect wealth exceeding £11 million where the wife was a Brazilian national.
- Drafted a cohabitation agreement for an elderly widower looking to live with his new partner to protect assets exceeding £4 million.
- Drafted a pre-nuptial agreement for a 75-year-old male. He was engaged to a much younger woman who was a Thai national and lived in Southeast Asia. He wished to protect his modest assets to pass them down to his son from a previous marriage upon his death.
Cohabitation disputes
- Acted for a claimant and ultimately settled a complex trust of land matter involving 27 properties with a value of £12 million.
- Litigated and represented a claimant in enforcing a Trusts of Land and Appointment of Trustees Act 1996 court order made in 2016, concerning orders made in 1994. The client recovered 80% of his costs.
- Acted for a claimant who owned several properties with her partner, including properties held in her partner’s sole name and in the name of companies. Sought a sale of the joint properties, a beneficial interest on the basis of a constructive trust in the properties held in the partner’s sole name and a share of the companies.
- Litigated and represented a claimant in a same-sex trust of land dispute, with 100% costs awarded.
- Drafted a number of cohabitation agreements to protect property held in joint and sole names.
High-net-worth individuals
- Represented a number of high-net-worth and high-profile individuals, including heads of international cooperations, MBE British rappers, supermodels, lawyers and investment managers. Specialist expertise in advising on divorce and separation in the USA, Greece, Iran, Lebanon and the UAE.
Reported & notable cases
- Acting for an intervenor in the reported Court of Appeal case of Attorney General & Akhter, Khan and others [2020] EWCA Civ 122 concerning the validity of Islamic marriages.
- Acting for the wife in the reported Court of Appeal case of Abbassi v Abbassi [2006] regarding the validity of Islamic divorce.
- Litigated and represented a wife and lawyer in financial remedy proceedings where assets exceeded £60 million.
- Represented a ‘silver separator’ in financial remedy proceedings who divorced 20 years ago. Assets exceeded £8 million and comprised multiple plots of farmland with significant development potential.
- Litigated and represented a husband and senior VP of a multinational company in divorce and financial remedy proceedings with significant post-separation accrual, complex bonus and share structures and assets exceeding £8 million.
- Litigated and represented applicant mothers in their applications to permanently relocate abroad with their children. Countries include New Zealand, Canada and Greece. In one such case, the mother was unsuccessful in her first application and appeal but was successful in her second application.
- Represented a ‘silver separator’ who had been married for over 15 years and who lost litigation capacity at a crucial stage in the proceedings.
- Litigated and represented a housewife in financial remedy proceedings where assets exceeded £32 million in three continents.
- Represented a ‘silver separator’ and carer whose husband was terminally ill with just months left to live. In-depth consideration was given to the wife’s potential claims under the Inheritance Act.
- Litigated under civil proceedings and ultimately settled, with costs paid as part of the settlement, a complex trust of land matter involving 27 properties with a value of £12 million.
- Litigated and represented a claimant in a same-sex trust of land dispute, with 100% costs awarded.
- Litigated and represented an applicant in an interim account application, with 100% costs awarded.
- Litigated and represented a wife in section 37 Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 disposition of land case in North Wales concerning plots of land with fracking potential, with 100% of costs awarded
Recognition
Recognised in The Legal 500 for Family (2020-2024)
“A superb family lawyer.”
The Legal 500 2024
“A very experienced family lawyer. There is simply no issue that is too difficult for her.”
The Legal 500 2023
“Grainne is an outstanding lawyer … tough but empathetic and knows her stuff.”
The Legal 500 2023
“Experienced and well-regarded.”
The Legal 500 2022
“Experienced, considerate and empathetic.”
The Legal 500 2021
“Quickly grasps the issues, thoroughly analyses the information and looks for practical and cost-effective solutions for her clients.”
The Legal 500 2020
Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL)
Accredited by Resolution as a specialist family lawyer with particular specialisms in Private Law Children and Advanced Financial Provision 1
Resolution qualified mediator
Shortlisted for Partner of the Year at the LexisNexis Family Law Awards 2021
Member of the Cooperation Ireland Committee (CIC) and Vice Chair of the Legal Dinner
Member of the London Irish Lawyers Association (LILA)
Career
Grainne qualified as a solicitor in 2005. Prior to joining Keystone Law in 2023, she worked at the following firms:
- Clyde and Co
- Hanne & Co