"Laura Bond has significant international experience, including financial settlements (e.g. under Part III of the MFPA and Schedule 1 of the Children Act), prenuptial agreements and children matters" 

Legal 500 2019

I am an Associate in Michelmores’ Family team. I advise clients in relation to all aspects of private family law.

I strongly believe in  supporting  my clients, and their families, to reach their goals as amicably and cost-effectively as possible via an out of court settlement or agreement. However, I acknowledge this is not always possible and, where Court proceedings are necessary, I represent my clients in a robust way.

I advise in relation to divorce and related financial claims, cohabitation disputes, applications under Schedule 1 of the Children Act and have considerable experience in drafting marital agreements. I have also built a strong private law children practice, both in international and domestic matters, and regularly represent applicants and respondents in injunction cases.

I trained at a top ranked firm in London and qualified into their family department in 2009, focusing predominantly on High Net Worth matters, often with an international element. I relocated to the South West (where I grew up) in 2013 after a career break in Switzerland and New Zealand during which I trained as a ski instructor. I joined a leading regional firm and continued to build my experience in matters involving complex and high value financial arrangements, farm businesses, family companies, trusts and occupational pensions amongst others. I joined Michelmores in September 2022.

I believe in building strong relationships with my clients and always aim to balance pragmatic  proactive advice with sensitivity at what is always a difficult time for people.

Expertise

Recent experience

Acting for a wife in divorce and financial remedy proceedings where the husband breached numerous Court Orders and failed to disclose assets. At the final hearing the Court ordered that the husband pay 80% of the wife’s legal costs due to his litigation conduct

Advising a husband in relation to a financial claim in England after a divorce in Russia

Assisting in the landmark case of AI v MT acting for the mother where the High Court agreed to refer the issues (both financial and those relating to the children) to religious arbitration

Acting for a high-profile unmarried mother in a claim for financial provision for her child where the father was an extremely wealthy businessman based predominantly in the US

Obtained location and tipstaff orders in a case of threatened abduction to the Philippines