Citywealth Leaders List interview: 60 seconds with Edward Cooke, Edward Cooke Family Law

Date: 26 Feb 2025

Karen Jones

This week’s 60-second piece is dedicated to Edward Cooke, Managing Director, Family Solicitor, Mediator and Collaborative Lawyer of Edward Cooke Family Law.

Tell Citywealth readers a bit about your role.

I am the founder and Managing Director of Edward Cooke Family Law, a niche family law and mediation practice. We have a growing team of fifteen, across three offices, in Chichester, Brighton and Farnham.

As a family solicitor and mediator, I help clients reach constructive solutions upon divorce and separation, through non-court dispute resolution whenever possible, but also robustly representing clients in family court proceedings when needed.  

I am a member of the Family Solutions Group, a multi-disciplinary group of professionals set up in 2020 to consider what can be done to improve the experience of children and families in the family justice arena. I am a former chair of the Training and Learning Committee of Resolution, the nationwide organisation of over 6,500 family law professionals.  

What does a typical day look like for you?

After a busy start at home, I check in with the team on priorities for the day before starting case work. On any given day I may be speaking to new clients, working on prenuptial agreements, conducting mediation with clients and their lawyers or meeting with clients either one on one or with other professionals. I am fortunate to work with some of the best specialist family law practitioners, not only within the firm, but also including barristers, financial specialists and family counsellors, so I am often attending meetings with a range of other professionals as we move things forward for our clients.

Client work is balanced with my role of running the firm and developing and supporting my team. I meet regularly with all my members of the team including the core management team, not only to discuss day-to-day issues that arise in our practice but to plan projects. A big focus currently is our second Family Law Conference, which we will be hosting in Guildford in June. We ran our first conference in Brighton last year, which was attended by a wide range of family law practitioners from across the South including many from London.

Aside from client and firm projects, I embrace writing and speaking opportunities where possible, and there is usually something going on with our very active charitable and community work programme.

Tell us about some recent, interesting client instructions/requests you have received.

I am often referred cases with an international element as well as highly intricate financial situations. It is always satisfying working with clients with complex scenarios and enabling them to find practical and fair solutions.

In the past, where there was domestic abuse, mediation was often ruled as an option. However, through the use of online mediation (with parties attending via separate online spaces, often with their lawyers attending too), I am instructed in increasing numbers of high conflict situations even where domestic abuse is sadly a factor. Hybrid and shuttle mediation enables us as mediators to work with parties individually, avoiding the need for parties to meet with each other in the process, and providing a safe and accessible way of agreeing matters without the need for separating couples to face each other in court.

What challenges do your clients face and how are you helping your clients to overcome them?

Divorce can be one of the most challenging experiences in a person’s life and as a firm we guide our clients through this time with care and expertise. We are proactive and solution-focussed, listening attentively and applying our skills and experience to help shape the right solution for our clients, working with other professionals where appropriate.

Children are of course profoundly affected by divorce, and we believe that it is essential that their voices are heard. Part of my role as a mediator is as a child-inclusive mediator. In this role, I provide children with a safe space to share their perspectives and, subject to the child’s agreement, I feed back their views to the parents to help shape future decisions.  

In high-net-worth cases with complex pension and investment portfolios, financial transparency can be particularly challenging. By leveraging our experience and collaborating with the best barristers and financial experts, we ensure that no stone is left unturned and that our client’s financial settlements are fair and equitable.

What is your proudest professional achievement?

I am grateful to have enjoyed some great moments through my career, but my proudest achievement has to be the growth and success of the firm I founded in 2018. Seeing it expand in both size and reputation has been incredibly rewarding. I am fortunate to lead a fantastic team who have helped bring my vision of a niche, client-focused family law firm to life.

Since 2018, as a firm and individually we have been delighted to win several prestigious awards. I was named Child-Inclusive Mediator of the Year at the 2024 National Mediation Awards and Family Law Partner of the Year at the 2023 Family Law Awards, and the firm won Boutique Family Law Firm of the Year at the 2024 British Family Law Awards.

What do you consider to be the most important attributes for a leader?

Integrity, empathy, good communication skills and resilience.

I believe in leading by example, and that it is vital that integrity and strong communication is reflected not only in my work with clients but also in the core values of our firm. Whilst therefore we do represent clients where necessary in court, I believe strongly that it ought to be possible to resolve matters out of court in most cases, and this is something that has underpinned our success as a firm.

Empathy is an essential attribute as a family lawyer — not just in supporting clients through challenging times but also in fostering a positive workplace. Life is complex, and dealing with divorce can be stressful – it is vital we are equipped to be in the best shape to support our clients. All lawyers in our team therefore have regular sessions with a psychotherapist, who is there to support us whenever we need it.

Resilience is equally important – each day brings new challenges, and prioritising mental and physical well-being is essential to maintaining the strength and clarity needed to navigate the ever-changing demands of both a busy family law and mediation practice, as well as business ownership.