Member Profiles

Having specialised exclusively in family law since qualifying as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales in 1991 and trained as a mediator in 1997, Jackie is ranked as one of the UK’s leading individuals in divorce and family law by the legal directories. Recognised as “ranking with the best London solicitors” in the Legal 500 (2015), Jackie’s expertise lies in cases of substantial value and financial complexity. She enjoys the diversity of her client base which includes professional clients based both in the UK and internationally., owner-managers, technology entrepreneurs, celebrities, landed estate owners, ex-pats or their spouses. Jackie believes that investing time in understanding what matters most to each individual client is key to her team’s success and its reputation for “outstanding client care and first rate service.” A robust litigator when that’s what is called for, Jackie also gets great job satisfaction out of her mediation practice. Whether acting as a lawyer or as a mediator, clients appreciate the breadth of Jackie’s expertise and her common sense approach. Accredited by Resolution as a specialist in cases involving substantial assets and pensions, Jackie is also a trained mediator and collaborative family lawyer. She is a fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL) and is in the Citywealth Leaders’ List.

Lloyd is an experienced employment lawyer, advising clients across numerous sectors on a wide range of contentious and non-contentious employment law issues. Lloyd became a partner in 2015, having joined Stevens & Bolton in 2013 from an international law firm. He advises on tricky employee relations matters, strategic HR projects, senior executive disputes, restructurings and reorganisations, employee/worker/contractor status, sensitive discrimination matters, TUPE and outsourcing, restrictive covenants and protecting business interests, defending employment tribunal claims and employee data privacy/GDPR issues. He has a focus on the technology, media and retail sectors. Lloyd has strong links with international law firms around the world as a result of his role on the firm’s International Practice Group (responsible for international business development and strategy). He is also part of the firm’s inward investment team, which assists overseas businesses with setting up and growing their operations in the UK. Recent highlights include: Advising a public-listed international gaming business on the departure of its CEO and negotiating favourable exit terms Advising a food preparation business on an executive restructuring programme Advising a senior partner in a professional services firm on claims of race and age discrimination and securing favourable settlement terms Supporting numerous US-based legal and HR teams with their UK employment law issues, from first hires and effective performance management to separations Defending a financial services company from high-value and potentially high-profile allegations of whistleblowing and discrimination against its CEO Advising a global IT outsourcing and consultancy business on its UK employment law issues, including TUPE and Agency Worker Regulations advice on transactions, IR35, modern slavery obligations and employee relations issues Advising a London media agency on IP ownership, GDPR compliance, freelancer and worker status issues Advising a banking solutions and retail technology business in relation to GDPR compliance and TUPE contract negotiations in the context of outsourcing Lloyd is a member of the Employment Lawyers Association, the European Employment Lawyers Association and the International Bar Association.

Penelope Warne is The Senior Partner and Chairman of the UK Board. She is also Head of Energy. Penelope, an oil and gas specialist, joined the firm in 1993 to set up the Aberdeen office and has a strong growth track record. In 25 years, she has transformed CMS’ practice in Scotland from one person in Aberdeen to the market leading practice in Scotland due to the combination with Dundas & Wilson in 2014. As the Energy practice group leader, she opened offices in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Brazil, Mexico and Dubai. Her practice spans the globe advising clients in the oil and gas industry in the North Sea, the US, Norway, Brazil, EMEA and Russia. Penelope is at the cutting edge of oil industry issues, she is active in thought leadership and trains oil industry lawyers in her role as an Honorary Fellow and Trustee of the Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy at Dundee University. She is also a member of the Foundation Board at IMD, the highly acclaimed international business school based in Lausanne, Switzerland. CMS runs its Partner Induction Programme in conjunction with IMD and also runs a scholarship programme for associates to secure places on IMD’s Building on Talent programme. Penelope is ranked as a Leading Energy Expert in both Chambers and Legal 500. She was also ranked in “The Sunday Times Britain’s 500 Most Influential” in 2015 and also in 2016 as one of only 20 in the law category, and was recognised as a leading innovative individual by the Financial Times in 2015. She was awarded 'Best in Energy, Natural Resources and Mining' at Euromoney's Europe Women in Business Law Awards in 2012 and 2013, and has been recognised in The Lawyer's Hot 100. Penelope works globally with governments, energy industry specialists and academics and is a member of the Oxford University Vice Chancellor's Circle. Penelope is a great supporter of Diversity & Inclusion and is proud to lead the fundraising in her firm for War Child, who provide safe havens and education for children in war zones.

Edite Ligere’s practice focuses on the regulation of artificial intelligence, global financial regulation, banking, insurance, human rights, consumer protection, charity law, data protection, machine learning and cyber security.

John was previously managing partner at Pinsent Masons and Legal Advisor to the British Franchise Association for six years. He is the author of the leading textbook, "Franchising: Law & Practice", a contributor to the franchising chapter of ‘’Practical Commercial Precedents’‘ and a contributor to American Bar Association’s publication – A Practical Guide for International Franchising – Competition Laws and Data Privacy. Acknowledged by Legal Who‘s Who as an expert in international franchising, a past president of the Union Internationale des Avocats franchise committee, past Chair of the International Bar Association’s international franchise committee and Director of the American Bar Association’s International Franchise Division and a frequent lecturer on franchise issues both in the UK and elsewhere. John was previously Honorary French Consul, President of Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and a member of the board of the British Chambers of Commerce. He is currently a director of a number of companies including The Bardon Group, a multi-brand company incorporating well known franchise brands such as Recognition Express and Kall-Kwik. John has expertise in the following areas: Preparing franchise agreements and related agreements such as confidentiality agreements and deposit agreements; Advising on competition law issues (both EU and UK); Advising on international franchising matters including the preparation of master franchise agreements and reviewing foreign franchise agreements to ensure compliance with UK mandatory legal requirements and custom and practice; Advising on franchise disputes; and Preparing reviews of franchise agreements for prospective franchisees. Interests: supporting Gloucester Rugby (and hoping that it returns to its glory days!) and collecting British Portraits (much to the annoyance of his wife!). Additional languages: French (fluent).