International

We support clients with personal, business and investment interests across the UK, France and French-speaking jurisdictions.

Our French Desk brings together expertise from across the firm, with particular strengths in cross-border commercial litigation, arbitration, corporate transactions, financial services, private wealth and international business matters. Through our strong links with the Franco-British business and legal communities, we help clients navigate trade, investment and dispute resolution between the UK and France.  

Currently our French Desk is led by Bryan Bletso, our Head of International. Recognised by The Legal 500 for his international work, he also plays an active role in global legal and investment networks, including First Law International, Avrio Advocati and the Commonwealth Economic and Investment Council. 

Longstanding economic ties with the US and Canada and a familiar legal system continue to make the UK an attractive destination for investment and wealth preservation. We help clients turn these advantages into tangible opportunities for growth and long-term success.

With extensive experience supporting US businesses and investors, we combine cross-border expertise with a deep understanding of the American market to help clients navigate opportunities and challenges in the UK and beyond.

Georgie Collins, Head of our US Desk, has spent much of her career in the US and working for US-based businesses and individuals. She looks after our transatlantic relationships, providing legal and practical support to help UK businesses expand and succeed in the US, and to US companies to set up and invest in the UK.  She also sits on the Managing Partner Forum for the Bridge Group, one of our key global legal networks.

Georgie is a regular speaker and contributor to issues concerning brands and reputation management, transatlantic policy, trade and investment and the future of UK–US trade.  

As German organisations continue to invest and grow in the UK, we provide the legal expertise needed to support expansion, investment and long-term success. Combining decades of experience in the German market with German language capabilities, we help clients navigate every stage of their UK and international ambitions.

We support a range of international organisations, including the German Embassy, Austrian Embassy and the Delegation of the European Union to the UK

Head of Germany Desk Sybille Steiner is dually qualified as an English solicitor and German Rechtsanwälte, and advises on the full range of employment issues under English and German law. She assists UK-based and international businesses, including medium, large and listed companies.  

Our Isreal Desk focuses on supporting Israeli businesses, investors, entrepreneurs and family offices with UK market entry, cross-border M&A, joint ventures, equity fundraisings, shareholder arrangements and corporate restructurings. It has a particularly strong emphasis on technology, innovation and venture-backed companies, helping Israeli tech businesses raise capital, invest in the UK and execute growth transactions.  

Our specialist team also advises high-net-worth families and family offices on corporate structuring, wealth protection and Family Investment Companies, while fostering commercial and investment links between the UK and Israel.

Debbie Serota serves as Head of the firm's Israel Desk. She is known for project managing multi jurisdictional matters and has particular experience advising family offices, entrepreneurs and HNW/UHNW families on corporate structuring, wealth protection and transaction readiness. In 2025, she was named in Spear’s Index for Best Corporate Lawyers.  

Whether relocating to or from the UK, expanding internationally, planning succession, or protecting wealth across generations, specialist cross-border legal advice can help ensure business owners and family enterprises with connections across the Middle East manage risk and seize opportunity.  

Our legal experts have a practical understanding of the commercial, cultural and family considerations that shape international decisions, with expertise in helping clients structure business and personal assets in a way that aligns with Sharia principles.  

Yousafa Hazara, Head of the Middle East Desk, specialises in multi-jurisdictional wealth planning, international tax, trusts and succession. She regularly advises internationally mobile entrepreneurs, business owners and families on complex cross-border matters and is a member of STEP, holding the STEP Advanced Certificate in UK Tax for International Clients.  She is also a Sharia Law specialist. 

We have a long-standing connection with India and support clients whose personal, family or business interests span both the UK and India. We also work with a number of top and mid-tier Indian law firms (and counsel in relevant jurisdictions) to deliver effective legal advice and solutions.

We understand that matters involving India often require more than technical legal advice. Cultural, religious, financial and practical considerations can all play an important role, whether clients are managing family arrangements, protecting wealth, resolving disputes, investing in the UK or planning for the future.

Akhil Sharma leads our India Desk, with clients that include international branches of a number of Indian headquartered banks, the subsidiaries of large Indian corporates and Indian project companies. He was recognised for his work bridging UK India legal markets by the India Business Law Journal (IBLJ) A List. 

Established through our longstanding presence across the region and strong networks of trusted contacts including with government agencies and businesses, our experts provide valuable market insight and support that helps clients make informed decisions as they expand internationally.

Sarah Lau, our Head of Asia Pacific and Greater China Desk, was Manchester's first Chinese barrister-at-law, called to the Bar in 1998, and practised as a barrister for 11 years. She advises Chinese and East Asian businesses investing and operating in the UK, as well as UK organisations expanding into China. She also provides guidance on the cultural and commercial considerations of doing business across China and East Asia. 

Our Spain and Latin America Desk helps clients make the most of opportunities between the UK and Spanish-speaking markets. We support Spanish and Latin American businesses, investors and high-net-worth individuals entering or investing in the UK, as well as UK clients expanding overseas, with advice spanning foreign direct investment, cross-border M&A, corporate transactions and wider commercial matters.

The Desk is headed by Jess Fazzone, who is also a member of our French Desk. Fluent in Portuguese and proficient in Spanish and French, she brings strong international language capability to her work, alongside specialist expertise as a Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) member with a particular interest in digital assets.  

Our Central Eastern Europe (CEE) Desk supports clients from Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and surrounding regions as they invest in the UK and expand internationally.

Adam Kaucher leads the Desk, bringing a broad base of cross border and domestic transactional experience. He is a lead member of Irwin Mitchell's private equity and venture capital group, with particular strength in cross-border M&A, private equity, venture capital and complex investment transactions. Our experts help clients navigate the legal, commercial and cultural considerations that come with doing business across jurisdictions. 

Protecting what matters most, wherever you are in the world. Our cross-border specialists deliver clear and practical advice on a range of issues, coordinating complex multi-jurisdictional matters. While each client’s lead adviser will be their central point of contact, we will bring together the right specialists across family, wealth, tax planning, business interests, immigration, property and legacy to ensure clients benefit from cohesive advice.  

Through our international networks, we connect clients with true specialists with a deep understanding of the local legal, tax and regulatory landscape, and who match each client’s own culture and ways of working.

Claire Marie-Cornford leads our High Net Worth and International Private Client team, advising on complex and high value disputes both in the UK and internationally. She is recommended as one of the top contentious trust lawyers in the latest Spears 500 guide and ranked in both The Legal 500 and Chambers UK.  

Family law is complex and can vary greatly from country to country. Our legal experts provide strategic and sensitive advice on international family law matters, including divorce, financial arrangements, children and relocation. Our specialists bring together the right expertise from across our teams to help internationally connected families protect what matters most.

Our team also advises on Islamic marriages, Sharia divorces, and Sharia-compliant Islamic Wills, helping clients navigate both the legal and cultural aspects of these arrangements.   A number of our team are also members of the International Academy of Family Lawyers, a worldwide association of practising lawyers who are recognised by their peers as the most experienced and skilled family law specialists.

Our International Family Law team is headed up by Carmel Brown. Her expertise spans a wide range of cross-border family matters, where the legal and personal issues can feel particularly complex.  
 

Whether an accident happened while on holiday or overseas for work, we help families navigate life after a serious injury with expert legal support across borders. Our specialists will work to secure rehabilitation, care, financial security and practical support wherever clients are in the world.

Our International Serious Injury team is one of the largest in the UK, market leading and handle high-profile cases worldwide, with interpreters and team members fluent in a number of languages to support our clients when they need it most.  Our team are also longstanding members of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers and the Pan European Organisation of Personal Injury Lawyers.

Demetrius Danas, National Head of International Serious Injury, has a wealth of experience in catastrophic injury and fatal cases resulting from accidents abroad and for foreign nationals who are injured in England. He has particular expertise in dealing with complex jurisdictional and foreign law issues and, in partnership with foreign lawyers, has pursued cases on behalf of clients in over 40 jurisdictions worldwide. 

Our network, thoughtfully built over several decades, is what makes our international services what they are.

When you work with us, you get access to that whole network too:

• First Law International - An elite global network of independent law firms across over 100 countries, specialising in providing clients with standardised solutions for cross-border legal support. The network won the prestigious Global Network of the Year at The Lawyer European Awards 2020. We’re the exclusive UK member and hold a position on the Advisory Board.
• Commonwealth Enterprise & Investment Council - A network of around 100 business and government members from around the Commonwealth. It has an official mandate from the Commonwealth Heads of Government to facilitate trade and investment throughout the 54 Commonwealth member nations. We’re a Strategic Partner and hold a position on the Global Advisory Council.
• Avrio Advocati - A network of 30+ law firms with a strong base in Europe as well as members in America, Canada, Israel, Hong Kong, and Australia. We’re a founding member and hold a position on the Advisory Board.
• Pan European Organisation of Personal Injury Lawyers (PEOPIL) - A not-for-profit organisation of 455 legal professionals from over 35 jurisdictions. Its objectives are to improve and promote judicial cooperation and mutual knowledge of the legal and judicial systems of European jurisdictions in the field of personal injury law. We hold a Board Position and are co-chair of the Young Lawyers’ Group for PEOPIL.
• American Association of Justice (AAJ) - A network of over 20,000 practising lawyers from across the globe promoting justice and fairness for injured persons and safeguarding victims' rights. We were the first UK firm to join the Leaders Forum, have been on the Board of Governors, and have acted as Chair of the AAJ's International Practice Section.
• The Bridge Group - A non-exclusive network of law firms spanning the United States and Europe. This network of firms enables us to offer clients an expanded geographic reach and breadth of experience.  Essentially, the member firms form a "bridge" to strengthen and support the legal services offered to clients. 

We’re members and partners of several international organisations, including:

• Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC)
• BritishAmericanBusiness
• British Chamber of Commerce in Germany
• British Chamber of Commerce in Spain
• British German Jurists Association
• British Swiss Chamber of Commerce
• Confederation of British Industry (CBI)
• Cross Border Business Lawyers
• Department for International (DiT)
• Franco-British Lawyers Society
• French Chamber of Great Britain
• German Chamber of Industry & Commerce
• Global Justice Network
• International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL)
• International Association of Young Lawyers
• International Bar Association
• International Trademark Association
• The Law Society - International Division. 

We’re members of, and partners with, a wide range of organisations that allow you to access trusted professionals in any jurisdiction, including:

• Law firms
• Accountants
• Corporate financiers
• Banks
• Insurers
• Wealth managers
• Fiduciaries
• Trust corporations
• Chambers of commerce
• Governing bodies
• Embassies
• Trade ministers
• Expert counsel.