Katherine Res Pritchard
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Katherine is a partner in the Family Law team at Howard Kennedy in London. She practices Children Law exclusively, with a particular focus on cross-border cases.
Katherine’s practice spans all aspects of Children Law, including Child Abduction, both Hague and non-Hague, international relocation, and international adoption and surrogacy.
Relevant experiences and positions
Katherine is recognised as a recommended lawyer in the Spears 500, and is regularly features in the Legal 500.
She is renowned for achieving excellent outcomes for her clients, often in the most difficult of circumstances.
The Legal 500 describes Katherine as a ‘first-rate children lawyer,’ and, ‘the doyenne of the future.’
Some personal questions
What is your advice to parents who are thinking about relocating with a child?
It is critical that parents thinking about relocating with a child seek specialist legal advice as early as possible.
What should parents know before starting a court procedure about child relocation?
Parents should know that this is not an easy process, and that it can be stressful, and that it can take a long time, which emphasises the importance of early specialist advice.
When did you first handle a child abduction case?
I first handled a child abduction case as a trainee solicitor back in 2012. It was such an interesting case, both from the point of view of the legal framework, but also from the point of view that achieving a successful outcome in such a case is incredibly rewarding.
Why is it interesting for you as a lawyer to work on these cases?
What makes a child abduction case different from other cases? Child abduction is a highly specialized field. The cases can be incredibly complex and they require a great deal of technical skill and knowledge as they are almost always incredibly urgent.
How do you ensure good cooperation with the parent in a child abduction case?
It is so important to support the parents in these cases as they can naturally feel stressed and anxious. The stakes for both parents are high, and supporting them through it, whilst ensuring that their expectations are managed is vital in my view.
