Latest
Our lawyers are experts in their fields. Through commentary and analysis, we give you insights into the pressures impacting business today.
VIEW ALLLEGAL 500 2025Katherine Res Pritchard is absolutely outstanding, an established name with true pedigree in children cases, particularly those with an international element. Katherine's ability to offer an empathetic yet robust approach is second to none - she is a total star and a leading figure in the field.
About
Recent work
Reported cases
Accolades
Did you know
Katherine Res Pritchard is a Partner in Howard Kennedy’s Family team, who practices children law exclusively, and has a wealth of experience in matters concerning children, both domestic and international.
Katherine has specialised exclusively in children matters since qualifying as a solicitor in 2013. She advises on all aspects of children law, both international and domestic, with a particular emphasis on international relocation. Katherine’s international children practice spans all aspects of cross-border disputes as well as international relocation, such as child abduction, both applications under the Hague Conventions 1980 and 1996, and non-Hague applications, inherent jurisdiction, enforcing foreign orders, international contact and international adoption.
Katherine has a great deal of specialist experience in all domestic children matters, such as child arrangements, applications for specific issue and prohibited steps orders, and cases involving domestic abuse allegations, often with concurrent criminal proceedings. She also advises on issues relating to fertility and surrogacy.
Katherine has recently qualified as a mediator with the Family Mediators Association, and also offers Early Neutral Evaluation in relation to children matters within the mediation process.
Katherine works closely with both industry experts, foreign lawyers and the wider Howard Kennedy network of lawyers to achieve the best possible outcomes for her clients and their children. She has established a reputation for achieving the best outcome for her clients in the most difficult circumstances. She regularly represents international clients involved in complex High Court proceedings and regularly works with clients based across the globe in jurisdictions such as Switzerland, Spain, Greece, the US, the UAE, India and Australia to name a few. Katherine has acted in over 25 reported children cases since qualification.
Katherine is a regular contributor to legal journals and has co-authored several articles on a variety of Children law topics, including guest editing the ICFLPP journal in 2022. She regularly hosts events and seminars on children law topics, both domestic and international, and is currently involved in a pilot scheme aimed at hearing the voice of the child prior to the commencement of proceedings, and alongside the instruction of solicitors by parents. Katherine is also an active member of the Voice of the Child Conference team. She is named as a Next Generation Partner in the Legal 500 2024, is a Recommended Lawyer in the Spears index, and has this year been ranked as a Leading Children Lawyer in the Doyles Guide 2024.
She is a Resolution member, and a native Greek speaker. Katherine regularly attends and speaks at international conferences.
- Successfully represented the Respondent in a Hague 1980 case, on the basis that the children’s habitual residence had not changed despite a lengthy stay outside of this jurisdiction.
- Successfully defended a Father in an international contact case against all of the allegations made against him in the fact-finding hearing.
- Recently obtained urgent non-molestation and final lives with orders on behalf of a client who made allegations of serious violence against the other parent.
- Successfully and quickly resolved a long-running child arrangements dispute through arbitration.
- Father v Mother [2020] EWHC 1929 (Fam) - the case concerned an application for summary return to Dubai, and later for international contact in Dubai, and upholds the principles to be considered when considering removals to non-Hague countries.
- Father v Mother [2020] EWHC 1930 (Fam) - The Mother applied for costs given that the Father had conceded the summary return of the children on the first day of the hearing. The judge declined to award costs, firstly upholding the general principle that costs are not routinely awarded in children proceedings, and secondly because the focus of the hearing became international contact, which the Mother vehemently opposed, and a full hearing therefore took place.
- AB v CD & C [2019] EWHC 1695 (Fam) - this case concerned when and how the child should be informed that his father was not his genetic father, and whether the identity of the biological father should be disclosed.
- L v M [2019] EWHC 219 (Fam) - This case concerned removal to a non-Hague country, repudiatory retention, and on what date the children's habitual residence changed. The judge held, in favour of the Mother, that the children's habitual residence had quickly changed from England to China, and that even if it had not, it was in their best interests to remain there.
- Y v A Healthcare NHS Trust & The HFEA & Z (by his litigation friend, The Official Solicitor) [2018 EWCOP 18] - The Applicant in this case sought a declaration, which was granted, that notwithstanding her husband's incapacity, that she could extract and store his sperm for future use.
- FK v ML (Child's Objections) [2016] EWHC 517 (Fam) A child abduction case under the 1980 Hague Convention, concerning an application for the summary return of a separately represented older child to Ireland.
- JB v D [2016] EWHC 1607 (Fam) A case concerning whether the High Court had jurisdiction, whether under the Inherent Jurisdiction or Parens Patriae for the return of a child from Algeria to Poland.
- A (A Child: permission to permanently relocate) [2016] EWHC 2691 (Fam) An international case concerning a mother's application to relocate permanently to the US, following her previous wrongful removal to the US under the 1980 Hague Convention.
- QS V RS & Anor [2016] EWHC 2470 (Fam) A case where the High Court, under Parens Patriae, exercised jurisdiction to recognise a foreign adoption under common law, and then to make orders in relation to that child despite the child living in Dubai and there being ongoing proceedings in the UAE court.
- Listed as Next Generation Partner, Family: Tier 3, Legal 500 2025
- Listed as Next Generation Partner, Family, Legal 500 UK 2024
- "A wonderful, high-end law firm that has expanded its family law expertise in recent years and now sits with the very best in this area. The firm has shown leadership in the field with a new annual lecture series led by Katherine Res Pritchard." Legal 500 UK 2024
- “The ‘first-rate children lawyer, Katherine Res Pritchard, has been described as ‘the doyenne of the future.” Legal 500 2023
- “Katherine Res Pritchard is a very impressive family lawyer who handles the complex children cases the firm holds…” Legal 500 2022
- “Katherine Res Pritchard is destined, in time, to be the best private law children solicitor in London.” Legal 500 2020
- Katherine was shortlisted as Family Law Associate of the Year at the 2018 Family Law Awards
- Katherine frequently contributes to legal publications, including guest editing the ICFLPP Journal. Her written works include the article "Private Children: Same Difference?" published in the Family Law Journal, "The Rights of Grandparents and Other Family Members in Relation to Children—A Domestic and International Perspective" (IFLJ, Issue 4), and the "Cross-Examination of Vulnerable Persons in Family Court Proceedings".
Katherine enjoys running, cooking, and spending time with her family in Greece. She has recently taken up paddle boarding, and dreams of one day paddle boarding around the Greek islands.