Solicitor, Hampstead, London
As a long-time ‘Swiftie’, it was inevitable that I would ask family law solicitor Lewis Roberts about music megastar Taylor Swift. Just before Christmas, he posted a blog about engagement rings, sparked by the excitement that erupted among Swifties all over the world when her NFL star boyfriend Travis Kelce proposed with a bespoke ring reportedly worth $5m. There has also been ample media coverage of the gigantic 25-30 carat sparkler with which footballer Cristiano Ronaldo surprised fiancée Georgina Rodriguez. ‘Some people aren’t aware of how engagement rings are dealt with on the breakdown of a relationship,’ Lewis tells me.
The blog explains that under section 3(2) of the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1970, ‘an engagement ring is presumed to be an absolute gift’. But this presumption can be challenged if it is shown that the ring was never intended to be an unconditional gift. A common situation is that the ring is a family heirloom.
Lewis was 23 when he was admitted to the roll in 2023 – making him one of the youngest solicitors to qualify in England and Wales. Watching the US TV series How to Get Away with Murder while studying A-level law sparked his passion to pursue a legal career. He read law at university. Family law was one of the modules.
He worked as a paralegal at a boutique law firm in Ealing, west London, while also doing an LPC and LLM. He was offered a training contract. ‘I was working as a trainee, as well as undertaking the LPC and LLM. It was definitely the most challenging part of my career journey, but also the most rewarding.’
Lewis joined Raydens Solicitors last April. His family law work includes divorce, matrimonial finance, private law children proceedings and cases involving domestic abuse.
Does he get asked questions all the time by friends and family? ‘I get the odd text.’ Does he mind? No. He loves his job, ‘and I’m not just saying that’. Being able to help people, ‘I don’t find it a burden when people ask me’. Lewis stresses that it’s one thing to give people guidance, but another to give legal advice. ‘If I can help, why wouldn’t I?’
What are the most common misconceptions about divorce? ‘That everything needs to be a fight, it’s very costly and has to result in a court process,’ he replies. ‘There are alternative options, non-court dispute resolution routes. Often, people are driven by emotion and anger. They want to get the upper hand in the process of divorce. As most people going through a divorce know, the court doesn’t really consider conduct to the extent of, for example, someone having an affair and taking that into consideration. It’s the welfare of the children, needs being met, income.’
Does he feel like a counsellor as well as a lawyer? ‘One hundred percent. While giving clients the legal guidance they need to reach the best possible outcome, you’re also a counsellor/therapist. At the end of the day, this is the darkest time in people’s lives. While you’re there to guide them, you’re an ear for them to vent to, and it’s protected by confidentiality.’
Lewis counts qualifying as one of the youngest solicitors in England and Wales as a career highlight. Another is the feedback he received from a client who felt trapped in her life and believed she couldn’t go through a divorce. ‘She said I helped her out of a dark place and gave her hope,’ Lewis recalls. ‘The impact you’re making on people’s lives is so positive.’
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