Growing Forsters’ Family team: Sarah Williams appointed as Head of Children
Leading London law firm Forsters today announces the appointment of Sarah Williams as a partner and Head of Children in its Family department. Sarah will join the firm on 22 September.
A highly renowned specialist in children law, Sarah began her legal career at the Bar, where she spent a decade representing parents, children, guardians, local authorities and the Official Solicitor in complex and sensitive cases. She later held positions at boutique family practices, before joining Payne Hicks Beach in 2020 as Partner and Head of the Modern Family Law team.
Sarah brings extensive experience across a wide range of family law matters, with particular expertise in modern family issues such as fertility, surrogacy, adoption, child arrangements, donor conception, schooling, and gender. Her clients include ultra-high net worth and high-profile individuals and families, often involved in international and multi-party cases.
Widely recognised in the legal profession, Sarah has been praised by Chambers and Partners for her “encyclopaedic knowledge of the law”, her skill in handling “tricky modern family matters” and being “at the cutting edge of case law”. The Legal 500 describes her as “exceptional” and “entirely dedicated to her clients”. A leading market commentator, Sarah is frequently invited to speak at major international family law conferences, and she regularly contributes to articles in The Times, The Guardian and The Financial Times, as well as leading family law journals.
Jo Edwards, Partner and Head of Family at Forsters, said: “We are absolutely thrilled that Sarah is joining us. This strategic hire significantly enhances our already strong children law practice, adding a dedicated expert to an already exceptional team. Her deep expertise and commitment to stellar client care will be in high demand among clients seeking first-rate advice in what are often complex, multi-jurisdictional and sensitive cases. We can’t wait to have Sarah on board and look forward to achieving great things together.”
Sarah Williams commented: “Joining Forsters is a hugely exciting next step in my career. The breadth and depth of the firm’s expertise represents the perfect platform to build my practice and provide Forsters’ clients with a holistic service. It is so exciting to be working alongside Jo and the rest of the team to build a world-class children law offering that reflects the modern challenges and considerations of our clients.”
Natasha Rees, Senior Partner at Forsters, added: “Sarah’s appointment signals a major milestone in the evolution and growth of our market-leading Family team. Few practitioners bring the same calibre of specialist knowledge and experience in children matters, and we’re delighted that Forsters can now offer this highly sought-after expertise to clients, bolstering an already excellent Family team. We are delighted to welcome Sarah to the firm.”
Sarah’s arrival continues an exceptional year for Forsters’ Family team, with Guy Mawson promoted to partner in April and Family partner Dickon Ceadel recently named Rising Star at the Chambers High Net Worth Awards 2025.
