Top family lawyer Siddique Patel has joined leading challenger law firm gunnercooke as Partner. Moving to the firm from Shoosmiths LLP, he will bring a wealth of experience in family law, specialising in all areas of matrimonial work, including complex private law children, matrimonial finance and Islamic divorce.
Siddique advises a diverse range of clients from the UK and overseas. Specifically, Siddique advises on issues including domestic violence, forced marriage, international child relocation, pre-nuptial agreements, Islamic divorce, child abduction and validity of marriages and divorces conducted overseas.
As Deputy Director of the Register Our Marriage campaign, he is regularly consulted by Government and non-Government departments, including the Law Commission in respect of issues relating to unregistered faith marriages (also known as non-qualifying ceremonies).
Siddique, who is based in Leeds, bolsters gunnercooke’s family team, which now stands at three partners and legal professionals. His extensive legal experience includes two years at Shoosmiths LLP and two years at Kamrans Solicitors, where he was head of the Family Law team.
As a result, Siddique is now one of the few qualified solicitors in the country to be able to provide solutions to clients ranging from matrimonial finance and complex private law children cases to specialist Islamic divorce, return of dowry (Mehr) and Shariah Council applications for dissolution of Islamic marriage.
gunnercooke launched its Leeds office in 2016, and it now has 47 lawyers working across the Yorkshire region.
Siddique Patel commented: “I am delighted to join the gunnercooke family of forward-thinking and progressive lawyers. The gunnercooke business-model enables me to provide holistic and bespoke solutions to my clients, often within a niche area of family law. Combined with the flexibility which is not normally found in a traditional law firm model, I hope to provide a superior client experience.”
gunnercooke Co-founder, Sarah Goulbourne, added: “We’re pleased to announce the recruitment of Siddique to our firm. His extensive experience in a niche area of family law brings something new to our portfolio, which covers a range of practice areas and specialisms.”
Since gunnercooke’s launch, its numbers have grown to over 270 senior lawyers with a wide range of specialities in corporate and commercial law, with the firm on track to welcome 50 new Partners this year alone.