I help billionaires get divorces — they argue about sex chairs and £10,000 wine funds
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As a lawyer of 15 years, Kelly Edwards had been inside plenty of court rooms with disgruntled former couples. But as she stood on the shores of Antigua, in the Caribbean, this was a first, even for her. Specialising in high net-worth divorces, Kelly had been summoned to a superyacht to agree the terms of a separation between a Russian oligarch and his wife.
However, once she had landed in Antigua, the client changed his mind, and docked at a different island, casually paying for Kelly’s flights to the new destination. There she boarded a spectacular super yacht, and attempted to settle his divorce via Zoom link to the judge.
It’s millionaire – and billionaire – clients like these, that Kelly, 40, rakes in a handsome six-figure salary settling disputes for. If you’re imagining a Meghan Markle-esque Suits character though, you’d be mistaken. Kelly works from a Holborn townhouse with dark green walls and a sweeping staircase. Rather than tight dresses and ankle-breaking heels, her usual uniform is a beige roll neck sweater – accessorised by her sizeable diamond engagement ring.
Kelly began working in 2005, and is a managing partner at her divorce firm, Edwards Family Law. She says she makes around £15,000 from a ‘simple’ divorce but figures can spiral to more than £60,000 if it’s more drawn-out – which around 70% of her cases are.
‘Normal people argue over their house and who gets the children what days of the week,’ Kelly tells Metro. ‘The super rich are still arguing about the house, or houses, but also how their businesses are dealt with, fine jewellery and handbags. I had one client with a wardrobe the size of my old flat.’.
