For more than 21 years, Tunbridge Wells law firm Thomas Mansfield Solicitors has built a reputation for specialist, bespoke legal services, with empathy and value at the heart of everything it does. Eileen Leahy meets co-founder Neill Thomas and family law specialists Kate Rayner, Stuart Clark and Nazia Rashid to discover how the firm is expanding its expertise while embracing the future
Thomas Mansfield was co-founded in 2004 by Tunbridge Wells resident and lawyer Neill Thomas and his colleague Jonathan Mansfield. The pair believed that by pooling their professional experience, they could offer clients a more personal and cost-effective service that would make a genuine difference to people’s lives.
That simple principle still drives the firm’s lawyers today, Neill tells me when I meet him and fellow partners Kate Rayner, Stuart Clark and Nazia Rashid at its Tunbridge Wells headquarters.
In addition to its Mount Ephraim Road HQ, the firm has a second Tunbridge Wells premises on the High Street, which opened at the end of 2023. Neill says this was a natural progression for a business that wants to remain approachable to existing and potential clients.
The High Street office provides somewhere people can drop in and enquire about the firm’s services, including private client work such as estate planning, wills and probate, as well as family law covering divorce, children, pre-nuptial agreements and mediation.
Its third office is on Fenchurch Street in London, is where the majority of its employment and dispute resolution work is carried out.
Thomas Mansfield is Lexcel accredited – the Law Society’s legal practice management quality mark – and is recognised by leading independent legal directories Chambers & Partners and The Legal 500.
The firm has also been at the heart of the Tunbridge Wells legal community for many years, with most clients coming through word of mouth, thanks to its reputation for providing exemplary legal advice and striving for the best possible outcome.
Nowhere has this been more evident than in its family law department, which has continued to expand and now boasts a successful international family law division.
The department was founded in 2017, with Kate promoted to Head of Family Law three and a half years ago.
“It has continued to thrive over the years, but recently we found we had an increasing amount of international work coming into the business,” explains Kate, who is also a director at Thomas Mansfield.
“So, to develop this area further, we really wanted somebody who was a specialist and fortunately Stuart came across our radar.”
A global perspective
International family law can encompass everything from finding the best divorce terms for an expatriate client to protection orders and child custody arrangements involving different countries. It can also involve complex cross-border financial matters, including jurisdiction disputes and international financial settlements.
Stuart joined Thomas Mansfield in April this year and has been fundamental to developing the international division. Nazia Rashid joined the firm in March, bringing extensive experience in international family law and mediation, as well as an excellent track record in Islamic divorce.
“Nazia’s expertise strengthens the firm’s ability to advise clients whose matters involve both civil and faith-based considerations, reflecting the evolving and diverse needs of our client base,” says Kate.
“Her knowledge of Sharia law, for instance, will ensure women are protected. Nazia is also involved in certain charitable organisations helping women who are trapped – or may feel trapped – in a marriage due to cultural traditions.”
Nazia also specialises in international children work, meaning that between her and Stuart the firm can cover a broad range of international family law matters.
“I don’t think there are many firms that can offer this kind of specialist advice – especially locally,” says Kate. “Since Stuart and Nazia have joined, it has certainly been a growth area for us.”
Nazia says she chose a career in law because, from a young age, she was passionate about supporting women in abusive relationships.
“I was working as a secretary at a women’s refuge and saw first-hand the difference that guidance, support and advocacy can make to someone facing a difficult and often frightening situation.”
Throughout her career, Nazia has gained significant experience advising both women and men in complex divorce and children proceedings.
“Much of my work involves supporting individuals at some of the most vulnerable and confusing periods of their lives, helping them to understand their options and make informed decisions about their future.
“I also frequently represent fathers where allegations of domestic abuse are having a direct impact on their relationship with their children. Whatever the circumstances, my role is to provide clear, practical advice and help clients navigate what can often be an overwhelming process.
“What I find most rewarding is helping people move forward with confidence, enabling them to make informed choices and rebuild their lives positively after separation.”
The family department has also recently been bolstered by Mandeep Benning, who brings more than 15 years’ experience advising on all aspects of relationship breakdown.
“She comes with a very strong reputation and does a lot of the divorce, finances and children dispute work in our London office,” says Kate. “She is known for her pragmatic, client-focused approach in resolving often sensitive and high-conflict matters.”
“All three have been a great fit for the firm and bring with them extensive and exceptional experience and incredible contacts, which has meant that in a very short space of time they have all been fantastically busy,” adds Neill.
International expertise
Stuart qualified as a barrister and has worked in both domestic and international family law for the past two decades.
His first job was with a child protection team in central London, where he dealt with fast-paced international parental child abduction cases.
“Although I was very young, it was a great experience and I learned so much. I was regularly being sent up to the High Court and found it all very exciting.”
He later moved into the finance and divorce side of family law, continuing to work on complex cross-border cases.
He explains that international family law often requires lawyers to respond quickly and tactically to ensure everything is in place to achieve the best possible result.
“No two cases are ever the same, which is why we encourage such a bespoke approach, tailoring our work to suit each client,” he says.
His international portfolio ranges from complex divorce cases to overseeing the transfer of expatriate properties and resolving cross-border financial disputes. Domestically, he advises on divorce, financial settlements and pre- and post-nuptial agreements.
“I try to aim for about 50-50 international and domestic,” he says.
Whatever the case, Stuart’s focus is on providing early, clear advice.
“Some people view family law as a sort of soft subject. But actually it’s quite technical and can be very contentious. You’re dealing with real people’s lives a lot more closely than in any other area of the law, and that’s what appeals to me.
“As family lawyers, we have real impact. You can see how you can directly help someone.”
The Legal 500 describes Stuart as ‘a standout partner’, but his approach to sensitive cases is not to go in all guns blazing. In fact, it is quite the opposite.
“A client will often say in an initial meeting, ‘Will you fight for me?’ And I always reply, ‘Well, yes, if we need to, but my first job is to try and actually avoid court and hundreds of thousands of pounds in fees – not to mention two years of your life being swallowed up by litigation.’
“I’d rather have five happy clients who I manage to sort things out for in three or four months through nuanced negotiations than one client who I go to court for. The latter scenario can be totally unpredictable and extremely costly.”
That is not to say Stuart never finds himself in court, but he estimates it happens only two or three times a year.
“You have to be tactical. If things do get tough, you need to be planning for that. Being astute from the start means that if you do go down the litigation route, you’re ready.”
His work is varied, whether on the international or national stage.
“Just this week I had a client needing advice on what the English outcome would be on her divorce because it’ll inform the Spanish one. Then my team and I needed to enforce a South African maintenance order in England, so no two days are ever the same.”
Countries Stuart regularly works with include the Gulf states, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, the United States, Spain, France, Malta and Italy.
Would he say Thomas Mansfield is unique in offering international family law?
“Certainly locally, yes, but it’s a bit of a different ball game in London. There’s a broader range of international specialists now because the world has become smaller and people do migrate economically, with lots more expats living overseas.
“This area was very niche when I first started and it’s certainly grown over the last 20 years I’ve been in practice.”
Stuart has also built an extensive international network of financial advisers, mediators and lawyers.
“You always have to stay three or four steps ahead as anything could happen. Over the past 20 years I have amassed a wealth of professional contacts and so have a very strong network in different countries.
“My team and I work hard to ensure advice is always aligned.”
Nazia adds that the supportive team culture at Thomas Mansfield was one of the key reasons she was attracted to the role.
“The Family team is led by the highly regarded Kate Rayner, whose expertise, approachability and commitment to clients are genuinely inspiring. It has been a fantastic experience working alongside such talented colleagues while continuing to support clients through some of the most important transitions in their lives.”
Nazia’s specialist work also reflects the increasingly international and diverse nature of family life.
“Modern family life takes many different forms, especially in international families where people often move between jurisdictions and bring with them cultural, religious and personal values that are important to them.
“My role is to ensure that clients feel understood and that the realities of their family life are properly recognised. When a relationship breaks down, it is important for clients to know that I appreciate not only the legal issues involved but also the cultural and religious factors that may have shaped their family arrangements.
“Whilst Islamic legal principles, and other non-English legal or religious frameworks, do not determine how the English courts will resolve financial or children matters, they often provide important context.
“Ultimately, English law remains the governing legal framework in this jurisdiction. However, understanding the wider cultural and religious context enables me to provide advice that is both legally robust and sensitive to what matters most to my clients.”
Putting clients first
Stuart says he too is completely in step with Thomas Mansfield’s ethos of putting empathy and understanding at the forefront of its personalised service.
“I get to solve problems and have the ability to help people through an emotionally led problem and to give them a solution that suits them and means they can get on with their life.”
Kate agrees that empathy is fundamental.
“One of the things I often say to people when I’m speaking to them initially is that they should always instruct the solicitor they feel the most comfortable with because it is a long journey they’re on and you have to feel you are in safe hands with that person.
“It has to be someone who empathises with you because family matters are an enormously emotive part of the law.”
Kate says the team will always ensure clients have someone to talk to, so they never feel cast adrift. The firm can also recommend trusted professionals in related fields, including therapists, divorce coaches and mediators.
“If we feel a client will benefit from talking to someone else, then we can pass on the details of valued contacts who will be able to help,” she explains.
The firm is currently looking to recruit an in-house mediation expert, reflecting the growing demand for alternatives to court.
“The courts are full to the brim, so mediation is becoming more popular as it is often cheaper and less acrimonious,” says Kate.
Arbitration – a private hearing where couples appoint an independent expert to make a final, binding decision on their financial or child-related disputes outside court – is another option.
Kate also believes people should be prepared to compromise.
“That is key to getting a settlement.”
And, she stresses, children should never be forgotten.
“Always put them first. They should be protected and not privy to whatever is going on.”
Kate, who has been a lawyer for more than 25 years, says she particularly values the culture at Thomas Mansfield.
“Everybody is approachable and there are no egos. It’s about being able to connect with your colleagues but also the clients you’re representing.”
She describes the firm as ‘genuinely the nicest work environment’.
“And that all stems from Neill. I have never once heard him get cross – and this is a highly pressurised environment to work in! But it’s also about achieving the best outcomes for our clients. That is what we are all about.”
The AI revolution
Before I leave, Neill tells me the firm is also investing heavily in AI to cut costs and make life easier when it comes to time-consuming administrative tasks.
The journey began almost by accident.
“We had a new case management system installed last November, which came with a client onboarding system called Clio.
“Whilst the case management system was absolutely fine, we were struggling with the client onboarding side because it didn’t meet all of our requirements.”
During a recent trip to Malta to visit his eldest son, a tech entrepreneur and former Financial Times Entrepreneur of the Year, Neill discussed the problem with him.
His son asked Claude to conduct a deep dive into the firm’s various systems, including its telephone system, websites, Google and SEO, and Clio.A
The results uncovered an issue the firm had not identified: it was missing around 25 per cent of incoming telephone calls, including a technical problem affecting calls to the London family department by around 50 per cent.
“We had noticed a decrease in the number of new enquiries in the London office since the beginning of the year, but we had assumed that was due to the wider economic downturn,” explains Neill.
The AI analysis revealed the technical problem, allowing it to be fixed.
More importantly, the exercise demonstrated how AI could bring together information from the firm’s websites, telephone system, Google, financial systems and client onboarding processes.
Neill’s son subsequently developed a bespoke platform called Ezra, which automates many of the firm’s back-office processes.
Lawyers now have a dashboard where they can view their financials, clients and activity. Client onboarding, previously involving multiple emails, compliance checks, document requests, appointments and client-care letters, can now be completed largely with a single click, including making appointments in lawyers’ calendars.
Ezra also includes an AI note-taker that attends client meetings, records the discussion and automatically produces the case plan, identifies key dates and financial requirements, and drafts the necessary follow-up correspondence.
For Neill, the technology is ultimately another way of putting clients first.
“All of these time and cost savings ultimately mean that clients will have even more value for money and a more streamlined service.”
It sounds like a win-win for everyone.
Find Thomas Mansield in Tunbridge Wells
2 Mount Ephraim Road
65 High Street
Tel: 01892 337540
Visit: www.tmfamilylaw.co.uk
