Marcus Dearle

Partner

Miles Preston

Profile:

Marcus advises clients on all aspects of family law. He is Chair of the International Bar Association, Family Law Committee and a Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers. He uniquely advises on Hong Kong, as well as English law, from London. Marcus is recognised as a leading trusts and divorce litigation practitioner in Hong Kong and London, advising HNW and UHNW clients in Legal Week’s Private Client Global Elite directory: the directory is entirely reliant on peer nominations. Marcus continues to be heavily involved advising in Hong Kong UHNW family law cases, which includes advising UHNW families with a substantial connection to Hong Kong who are based in South East Asia and around the world. Marcus has acted in all the key leading family law cases in Hong Kong in the last 12 years, including acting for Florence Tsang in Hong Kong’s biggest ever divorce case, and for the trustee, HSBC International (Jersey) Limited, in the landmark Court of Final Appeal case of Otto Poon. He also acted for the successful American husband (JEK) residing in New Jersey USA in the Hong Kong High Court classic forum-shopping case of LCYP v JEK [2019] HKCFI 1588. This is the leading prenuptial agreement case in Hong Kong. In London he currently represents Sir Frederick Barclay: in a case involving highly complex offshore trust arrangements which has garnered considerable worldwide press attention including in the Financial Times, Sir Jonathan Cohen, in his judgment of 28 July 2022, dismissed the substantive Judgment Summons brought by Lady Hiroko Barclay against her former husband, Sir Frederick, for non-payment of £50m (the first instalment of a total award of £100m): Barclay v Barclay [2022] EWHC 2026 (Fam). Over the past 4 years he has advised the trustees in the largest divorce and trust case to go through the courts in Hong Kong in that period. The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2021 reported that Marcus’ “asset protection team has quickly become recognised in the market for its prowess at handling complex, high-profile matrimonial cases for high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients. Recognised as 'one of the pre-eminent practitioners of family law in Hong Kong', Marcus Dearle leads the team by example and has a 'unique expertise in the really big cases, which stems from his having worked in London for many years doing such cases’, including in relation to a recent precedent-setting pre-nuptial matter. ‘When it comes to international trusts and family law cases, Marcus Dearle is in a class of his own. He regularly represents not only spouses in divorce and trust cases, but also offshore trustees’.”

The latest articles from Marcus Dearle

Wealth Solutions & Wealth Planning

Leading Trusts & Divorce Lawyer Marcus Dearle on why the Cook Islands’ New International Relationship Property Trust is a Useful and Innovative New Product Hubbis, in association with sponsor Asiaciti Trust, a leading international trust and corporate services provider, held an educational webinar focused on the Cook Islands’ International Relationship Property Trust, a new solution to help bolster planning to avert the many potentially profound financ....

The latest events from Marcus Dearle