Harriet Burge

Harriet is a divorce and family law specialist with over 20 years’ experience. Known for her sensible, straightforward approach, Harriet’s aim is to help guide clients through the maze of decisions and consequences which flow from divorce or relationship breakdown at a pace and in a style which suits each client. Harriet’s focus is on the financial consequences of divorce and separation and the resulting arrangements for any children.

Harriet’s clients represent the full range of professionals; investment professionals particularly those in the hedge fund & private equity spheres, accountants, lawyers & bankers, airline pilots & company executives, management consultants, surgeons & doctors, footballers, sports personalities & entertainers, entrepreneurs, designers & business owners. There is a pretty equal balance between acting for men and women, the professionals themselves or their spouses/partners. Harriet’s experience of remuneration packages, pensions, royalties and stock options benefits both the professional or the partner seeking support. Harriet’s work frequently has an international dimension and many of her clients have significant assets based both on- and off-shore.

Harriet adopts a strategic approach. She likes to agree with the client what they want to achieve and then devise a strategy to get there by the most expedient route. She is a skilled negotiator with a wealth of traditional Court-based expertise should formal action be necessary. As a trained mediator and collaborative lawyer, she also offers a full range of alternative dispute resolution experience to help clients find the right process, avoiding Court if desired. Clients find Harriet easy to deal with; straight-talking and likeable, non-judgmental, fair on costs with a much-needed clarity of thought.

Harriet is a contributor to various legal journals and has featured on the BBC Radio 4, Law Today programme. She is recommended for her expertise in family law by both Chambers UK and The Legal 500 UK 2020 & 2021 which notes that she is a “meticulous lawyer with fantastic judgment” and that she is “incredibly kind and understanding but also very professional and efficient“. According to Chambers she is “a key figure in the market, with sources particularly highlighting her experience in handling complex high net worth financial disputes“: she “has the benefit of a professional City firm style of manner and insight” combined with a “calm, reassuring and reasonable approach”: “Known for her expertise in cases involving asset tracing.” Legal Business Magazine: The New Divorce Elite noted of Harriet: “A very level-headed, sensible person…. A very good lawyer…conscientious, a great negotiator, someone who will look for and achieve imaginative and fair solutions….” 

Harriet is a member of Resolution, the International Academy of Collaborative Practitioners, the Family Mediation Association, the multidisciplinary alternative dispute resolution groups, Pathway and Collaborate, and the collaborative law group Collaborative Partners. She spent over 10 years working at Withers LLP and then co-founded Harcus Sinclair, a boutique family law firm. Harriet established her own practice, Harriet Burge Solicitors in 2005 before joining Family Law in Partnership in 2012.