Biography
I am a Partner in our London and Manchester offices and the National Head of Irwin Mitchell's Divorce & Family Law team. I am also Regional Managing Partner for the Manchester office and I sit on the firm's Private Wealth Executive Board.
I offer help and advice to people when their relationship comes to an end, or help them plan for the possibility of that happening. This may relate to the process of separation itself, the related consequences for their finances, or care arrangements for their children. I have experience advising both heterosexual and same sex couples, whether married or in a civil partnership; couples who live together, or have lived together; and those who have children together but have never married or lived together.
I have extensive experience in high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth cases, which often involve complex international issues, high value trust structures, and pension arrangements. I do not exclusively act for high-net-worth individuals, however, and I'm passionate about fighting for a fair outcome for all of my clients.
In every case, I will always work hard to achieve the result which is right for each client, whilst also making sure they have a clear understanding of the possible outcomes from the start.
Awards & the Team
I am a Resolution accredited specialist and in 2016 I was the only divorce lawyer outside London to make The Lawyer’s Hot 100 list. I was also featured on Citiwealth's Top 50 Powerwomen list for 2017-18. My team has won many national awards in the past two years, including being named Family Team of the Year by both the Manchester Law Society and the Magic Circle Awards in 2017.
The benefits of working as part of a large multi-disciplinary team are tremendous. The Irwin Mitchell Divorce & Family team is the largest specialist family team in the UK, with the broadest geographical reach. This facilitates knowledge sharing on a level which cannot be rivalled by our competitors.
Previous Cases
In recent years I've been involved in a number of high profile cases. I represented Alison Sharland and Varsha Gohil in their successful landmark appeals to the Supreme Court, where the seven Supreme Court judges unanimously determined that the orders which had been made in their cases should be set aside. Both women successfully secured costs orders against their opponents.
I also represented Helen Roocroft in her successful appeal to the Court of Appeal last year, which was said to be another “landmark ruling”.
- Sharland v Sharland: [2015] UKSC 60
- Gohil v Gohil: [2015] UKSC 61
- Roocroft v Ball: [2016] EWCA Civ 1009
- M v F [2016] EWHC B12 (Fam) (25 July 2016)
- DB v PB [2016] EWHC 3431 (Fam) (22 December 2016)
What Inspired You To Get Into Law?
In 1993 I met two incredible women. They were family lawyers. They supported me in changing career paths and qualifying as a solicitor.
I love and thrive on challenge. I enjoy working out solutions, and the law – especially family law – is the perfect environment for that. You need to identify objectives with an end goal in sight, whilst also addressing challenges on the way and being ready to change your approach. I believe we have a fair system in this country and can influence decisions and change things for the better.
What Is The Most Rewarding Aspect Of Your Role?
Every aspect of the role is rewarding - from winning a case and feeling that justice has been done, to having the intellectual stimulation of case analysis, which means I am always growing professionally. I find it especially rewarding when clients stay in touch after a case has concluded. As one of my former clients told me - "There are no winners but you made it feel like I won."
What Do You Do Away From The Office?
I absolutely love the Archers. I’m also a Kindle convert and make time to read every night. While I’d love to say I have many energetic pursuits, unfortunately it’s not true! I enjoy baking and periodically do go on a baking spree. I have three sons, so life outside work is a bit hectic as they take up most of my time when I’m not working.
Testimonials
'My feedback wouldn’t be complete without due recognition of Ros Bever – the team continue to thrive under her natural and effective leadership. Ros leads from the heart – super passionate about family law but a big believer in people and her team. She is a natural role model and you see the values and cultures cascade down to the team as a result of her behaviours. I have really enjoyed the ‘team’ working culture – not many firms encourage this but the client truly benefits from this approach.’ - Legal 500, 2024 (Hall of Fame)
"Ros Bever is the stand-out managing partner of the Manchester office and head of the family team. Exceptional." - Legal 500, 2023
"Ros Bever is very tenacious. Ready to fight, but equally able to set out all options for a client." - Legal 500, 2023
"Irwin Mitchell's Manchester family law team were excellent throughout my case and worked tirelessly to get me a fair and reasonable outcome. Ros Bever and Hannah Saxe were both really honest and realistic about my case and made sure that I was fully informed and able to make choices supported by their advice and guidance. I would highly recommend them with no reservations." - 5* Trustpilot review
"Big thanks to Irwin Mitchell’s Family Law Team, Ros Bever, Katie McCann, Emma Bates and Emily Hugo for their help in getting me to the FDR and securing a positive outcome yesterday. Professional and compassionate throughout. So very much appreciated." - 5* Trustpilot review
"The Family team at Irwin Mitchell have been absolutely brilliant with my Divorce/Post Divorce issues. They have been totally professional throughout and their expertise in their field has got me the result I wanted. They have been excellent in guiding me through the process from start to finish, helping me through what has been a stressful time. I would without doubt recommend this Law firm. Extra special thanks to Ros, Lara & Rebecca. Thank You!!" - 5* Trustpilot review
"Special thanks to Ros Bever she saved me from missing the date to apply for divorce you well deserve to be in the top powerful women" - 5* Trustpilot review
"Thank you Ros Bever for advising me. In life, you meet very few people who are a cut above, a diamond, a memorable person who has impact. Ros is one of those people." - 5* Trustpilot review
"Ros Bever is an exceptional leader [and is] hugely experienced... [she] heads up the team with a tenacious approach to justice for her clients and, whilst she delegates within the team she is always accessible to them and the client and has an unrivalled hand on the tiller." - Legal 500 2022 (Leading Individual)
"Ros Bever is a powerhouse when it comes to divorce cases" - Chambers & Partners High Net Worth 2022 (Leading Individual - band 5)
"The points she makes are intelligent and well advanced. She is very pragmatic... She is the go-to person, certainly, in Manchester for HNW family work." - Chambers & Partners High Net Worth 2022 (Leading Individual - band 5)
"She is very experienced, super bright and brilliant with people. Her clients are fiercely loyal to her and she is always looking for a viewpoint or an angle to win the case. She is held in high regard for her adept handling of financial and children proceedings for high net worth individuals, including international cases." – Chambers & Partners, 2021 (Leading Individual - band 1)
Ros Bever is "a force of nature. Those attracted by her reputation for dealing with high profile cases will not be disappointed." – Legal 500, 2021 (Leading Individual)
"Ros Bever is very dynamic and incredibly hard-working. She is an excellent rainmaker, supplying her first-rate team with high-quality work." – Legal 500, 2020
"Ros Bever is an excellent lawyer who is passionate about getting things right." – Chambers & Partners, 2020
"Excellent lawyer who is very committed to achieving a good result for her clients." – Chambers & Partners, 2019
"Remarkably down to earth, with a superior aptitude for family work" – Legal 500, 2018/19
