David Allison

David is a director at Family Law in Partnership. He acts for a wide range of individuals including business owners, entrepreneurs, bankers, other lawyers and their partners. The focus of his practice is financial claims on divorce, particularly those with an international element.  He has extensive experience in dealing with cases where jurisdiction is an issue and where often urgent steps need to be taken to secure the best jurisdiction for his clients.   He also has acted in cases where a claim is made for financial relief after an overseas divorce.  David is well known for his expertise in the legal issues affecting cohabitants, same sex couples and civil partners.

David settles his cases outside the Court process wherever that is possible, and the client’s objectives can be met without court intervention.  However, where cases have to go to court he is a determined and effective litigator. He has a strategic approach to litigation that achieves results.

The key legal directories Chambers UK, Chambers HNW and Legal 500 have all ranked David as a leading family lawyer for many years.

David is ranked in the Hall of Fame by The Legal 500 2024, having been ranked as a leading individual for both family law and family mediation in The Legal 500 UK for many years. Legal 500 UK 2022 comments that he is a is a “stellar individual” and “stands out as one of the best negotiators in the business. He is trusted by his peers and respected. David is the antidote to the toxic world of family breakdown. He is always completely on top of his brief, calm and collected; the most difficult cases appear simple and straightforward in his capable hands.

Ranking David as a leading family lawyer for HNW and UHNW individuals, Chambers HNW 2023 comments: “Allison is fair and honest, and understands that when you do difficult, complex work and clients; emotions are running high, it doesn’t help to try and pour oil on the fire.” Chambers HNW 2022 comments of David: “He’s a very smart lawyer, very solution-driven and totally dedicated to the best interests of the client.” …. “David Allison is head and shoulders above many lawyers in this market. He’s straightforward, knowledgeable and easy to deal with.”

David has also been ranked as a Top Recommended Family Lawyer by The Spear’s 500 Guide of leading family lawyers, 2023 and was named lawyer of the year (family law) at the Spears Awards 2023. David was also named Family Law Partner of the Year at the Family Law Awards 2019.

David is a trained mediator and has FMA senior mediator status. He trained as a collaborative lawyer in 2003 with the first group of lawyers to be trained in the UK and is a Resolution collaborative specialist.

David is a member of both the International Academy of Family Lawyers, where he is chair of the Gender Identity and Sexuality Committee, and the UK & Ireland LGBT Family Law Institute. He is a former chair of the International Family Law Committee of the American Bar Association, International Section and is a past chair of Resolution, the family lawyers association.

David’s recent cases have included:

• David acted for a client in a case where jurisdiction was in issue both in connection with the claims relating to the children and financial claims following on overseas divorce.  He secured recognition and enforcement in England of a foreign order concerning the children.  He also represented his client in long running proceedings for financial relief following an overseas divorce and successfully resisted a substantial claim by the client’s former husband in circumstances where she was the sole financial contributor and he had behaved reprehensively (as found by the judge) in the proceedings.
• David acted for the wife in court proceedings  to secure jurisdiction in England, where the assets were located in various European jurisdictions and exceeded £100m.  He successfully negotiated an equal share of the assets for his client with his client receiving the bulk of the liquid capital.
• David acted collaboratively for the wife of an entrepreneur who had established a household name company. The family wealth was structured through a Jersey trust, which held property in the UK and the USA. David successfully negotiated a deal which gave his client 50% of the assets.

David’s reported cases include:

• Xanthopoulos v Rakshina [2024] EWCA Civ 100 – This was the former husband’s appeal against the High Court decision in Xanthopoulos v Rakshina [2023] EWFC 50 in which FLiP represented the wife. Although the husband succeeded in part, he failed to secure the very substantial provision he sought.
• Xanthopoulos v Rakshina [2023] EWFC 158 – Represented the wife in the Court of Appeal on an application by her former husband for a Legal Services Payment Order in connection with ongoing proceedings.
• Tsvetkov v Khayrova [2023] EWFC 130 – Represented the wife in a long running case concerning financial provision following divorce. During the proceedings, the British/Russian couple found themselves the subject of significant press interest which required careful management. FLiP successfully defended against the Husband’s attempt  to argue for a departure from 50/50 in his favour.
• Xanthopoulos v Rakshina [2023] EWFC 50 –a case representing a Russian national in a long-running dispute concerning financial provision following a divorce in Russia (Part III MFPA 1984, the “Part III Application”).
• HA v WA v BV [2022] EWFC 110. This was a preliminary issue hearing to determine whether a flat in London was owned beneficially by David’s client. His client successfully argued that a Knightsbridge flat belonged to her brother despite being registered in her name thereby taking it out of the ‘pot’ for division.
• Re X (Children) [2022] EWCA Civ 1167. This was an appeal from the High Court to the Court of Appeal against a judge’s refusal to set aside an order that David had secured for his client in which a foreign order concerning children was recognised and enforced in England. David represented the mother on this appeal and was successful in getting the father’s appeal dismissed.
• Xanthopoulos v Rakshina [2022] EWFC 30. This is an important decision and a leading authority concerning privacy in family proceedings. The decision was made as part of a claim for financial relief after an overseas divorce. The decision was widely reported in the mainstream press.
• AA and BB [2021] EWFC 17. A case concerning competing children proceedings in England and in Russia. The High Court determined, as David’s client had argued that Article 13 Hague Convention 1996 applied in respect of first in time rules (as the UK and Russia are signatories). The father had argued that the European regulation (BIIa) applied as this was a mandatory provision during the UK transition period from the EU.
• Dobson v Griffey [2018] EWHC 1117 (Ch). David represented the defendant in his successful defence against a claim by his former partner for a share of the proceeds of sale of the property in which they had previously lived together.
• Divall v Divall [2014] EWHC 95 FAM. This was a jurisdiction dispute in which David’s client successfully argued that she was domiciled in England and the English court therefore had jurisdiction to deal with her divorce and financial claim.
• Golubovich v Golubovich [2010] 2 FLR 1614 CA. An important case regarding the recognition of foreign divorce decrees by the English Courts. David’s client successfully argued that his Russian divorce should be recognised in England thereby preventing his client’s former spouse from securing a divorce here.