Pamela Collis

Pamela’s primary focus is international and domestic family law matters particularly the financial aspects of relationship breakdown, private law children matters (including surrogacy and international relocation) and pre and post nuptial agreements. Pamela regularly deals with jurisdiction issues, cross border tax issues and cases involving complex business valuations.

Pamela’s clients include senior lawyers and financial advisers, private equity and hedge fund professionals, business owners and their spouses and partners. Many of Pamela’s clients are international, including foreign trustees and trust companies. 

Pamela has a litigation background and experience of a broad range of areas of the law including trusts, corporate and employment law. She is known for her financial numeracy and is regularly referred work by senior judges and members of the family law bar because of her depth and breadth of experience and her innovative and insightful approach to finding solutions to complex and challenging issues. 

Pamela has been ranked by the legal directories, Chambers UK, Chambers HNW and The Legal 500 UK, as a leading individual in family law for over 30 years. During this time she has been described as having: “the rare combination of being fiercely intelligent and having amazing client skills”; being “very kind, able and experienced”; “a wise and hugely experienced family law practitioner who strikes the right balance of firmness and common sense”; and “there is no one who knows more about big money financial claims”. The 2024 edition of The Legal 500 UK comments: “Pamela Collis is a great leader and a very accommodating person who balances her professional service with a unique personal touch.”

Chambers HNW notes: “A source who dealt with Collis in a recent matter describes her as “a breath of fresh air” and commends her ability to “defuse what could have been highly contentious proceedings.”; Pamela is “technically very brilliant, she is very personable”; and “I think she is quite brilliant…she’s very experienced and knowledgeable, anything to do with finances she’s very well informed, and also she’s incredibly kind“.

Legal Business called Pamela “tough as old boots, but only rarely, mainly she is charming”. Best Lawyers continues to name Pamela as one of the leading family lawyers in London. Meanwhile Pamela has been ranked as a Top Recommended Family Lawyer by The Spear’s 500 Guide for numerous years. Pamela has also featured in the Citywealth Family & Matrimonial Honours Lists and the Powerwomen List. 

A trained collaborative lawyer, Pamela is also a member of Resolution. She has been a fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers for over 20 years and she is a trustee, and sits on the Advisory Board, of the Marriage Foundation

Pamela’s recent work has included:

• Acting for the husband, a successful businessman, on his divorce. The arrangements were complicated by significant tax and other issues arising from both his and his wife’s foreign origins and domicile.
• Acting for the husband, a Russian national, on his divorce. The financial settlement was dominated by complications arising from the husband’s investments in various film partnerships.
• Acting for the wife on her divorce at a time when her husband’s substantial business interests were being sold.
• Acting for the husband, a high profile individual, on his divorce which was complicated by issues of alleged money laundering, allegations of bribery and corruption and their impact on the parties’ respective corporate vehicles.