Philippa Cunniff

About My Work

Philippa Cunniff is a Partner and Head of the Family Law Team. She has long been acknowledged as a leader in the field of family law, and has gained particular recognition for her expertise in dealing with high value financial disputes.

Philippa has over twenty years’ experience in the field of family law. She conducts cases dealing with all aspects of family law work including separation, divorce, child-related issues (including residence and contact disputes, as well as relocation applications), cohabitation claims and the plethora of financial issues arising from relationship breakdown, including maintenance disputes, pension sharing and division of assets on divorce. She has a wealth of experience in dealing with asset protection issues and regularly acts in the negotiation and preparation of Pre-Nuptial and Post-Nuptial Agreements. Philippa has particular expertise in dealing with complex jurisdictional issues, and regularly acts in cases with an international dimension.

Philippa is qualified to practice both in Scotland, and in the jurisdiction of England & Wales. She is one of only a handful of Scottish-based Fellows of the International Academy of Family Lawyers, She regularly presents seminars on issues relating to asset protection and financial provision on divorce and has written articles for various legal publications.

Philippa works closely with multi-disciplinary teams to ensure that clients' needs are met, including working alongside our litigation team on reputation management issues, our corporate team on the family law aspects of commercial deals, and our private client team on tax planning and wealth management aspects. She also and regularly works with lawyers in other jurisdictions, from other parts of the United Kingdom to Australia and beyond, on cross-border and international cases.

Philippa uses her extensive expertise to secure the most positive outcomes for her clients. Philippa is respected for her calm and pragmatic approach to family law cases, with clients welcoming her constructive approach to the resolution of disputes.

Recognition/Awards

  • Consistently ranked in the top tier of Chambers Guide to The Legal Profession for over a decade.

Specific Areas of Focus

  • Asset Distribution
  • Child Contact
  • Child Custody Disputes
  • Child Maintenance
  • Child Relocation
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