'Magic' family lawyers arrive to boost Withers divorce work

CITY firm Withers has increased its share of "Magic Circle" divorce lawyers with the arrival of Gill Doran and James Harcus from Gordon Dadds.

Withers now boasts five Fellows of the Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, which it believes is the highest of any law firm in the world, and five members of the elite "Magic Circle" group for practitioners working at the top end of matrimonial work.

Head of the team Diana Parker said that although Withers would now expect to be taking on many of the high profile cases there was no danger of them "scooping the pool".

"In divorce there always has to be another firm representing the other side, so the balance of work across the firms should remain equitable."

Philip Hall, Withers' business development director, said the expansion of the family law practice, which consisted of six partners, was part of the firm's five-year plan conceived in 1992.

Gill Doran defined her approach in divorce cases as combining negotiation and litigation for the benefit of the children.

James Harcus has acted in high-profile divorce cases Robinson v Robinson (1982) and Cornick v Cornick (1994). He moved to Gordon Dadds in 1980 from Collyer-Bristow.