Family Law, and Private Client work in general, is a surprisingly large stream of work for us at LDC, especially when it comes to UK firms.

We have had some terrific success in this space, e.g. achieving a 60% practice promotion rate for Chambers HNW 2026, and are happy to share some pointers on the key ingredients to a successful Family submission:

• Balance of work. First, consider the balance of work: we generally recommend a 70/30 split between Matrimonial Finance and Children Law. Matters that intersect both are a plus. In some jurisdictions (including London) both Chambers and Legal 500 have separate submissions for Matrimonial Finance and Children Law, so this may be a non-issue.

• Matrimonial Finance – weighting. Generally, litigated matters carry more weight than pre- and post-nuptial agreements, though there should be room for three or four of your highest-value, most complex non-contentious mandates.

• Financial remedy write-ups. These can be very fact- and procedure-intensive, which often leads to long summaries. Keep write-ups concise or key facts will be lost. Focus on four or five high-level points of complexity rather than an exhaustive chronology.

• Financial scale and assets. Always include the net worth of the couple (even a rough estimate) and give a brief overview of major assets—this helps demonstrate complexity.

• Multi-jurisdictional elements. Detail any cross-border aspects, whether undisclosed international assets or an overseas marriage, and explain how they increase complexity.

• Children Law – what stands out. The gold standard is fertility, surrogacy and modern families work, though in all honesty few firms have this expertise. Otherwise, focus on matters of utmost severity (e.g., domestic abuse, alcoholism, sexual abuse, mental health issues) to evidence complexity.

• Children Law – cross-border work. In addition to the above, prioritise matters with international elements, such as abductions or relocations.

• Outcomes. For any settled or concluded dispute—whether financial remedy or children, focus on the outcome and why it was favourable to your client. Demonstrate that you deliver results.

• Selecting matters to exhibit. Family departments are often large, so deciding whose work to showcase can be tricky. Choose based on your goals: if you’re Tier 2 and aiming for Tier 1, showcase practice-wide standouts regardless of who led them. If you’re Band 1 and it’s fair, give more spotlight to currently unranked lawyers.

• Don't gloss over your big-name clients. It's normal to not disclose names in a Private Client submission though, should you be acting for individuals of particular prominence, be sure to emphasise this. Even a brief descriptor such as 'Mr X - a Premier League footballer' will score you some points.