David Hodson OBE MCIArb
Solicitor, Mediator, Arbitrator and Partner
The International Family Law Group
David Hodson is a highly experienced family law dispute resolution specialist, especially involving an international element or complex assets or issues. He is co- founder and a partner at iFLG.
David is one of the world's leading family lawyers and regarded as one of the most innovative family lawyers of his generation:
- He was the originator and a creator of family arbitration in England and Wales, now emulated in other countries.
- He was instrumental in the 1990s in the creation of the English Family Law Accreditation Scheme.
- He was co-founder in 1995 of the world's first multi-disciplinary metropolitan family law practice, combining lawyers, mediators and counsellors, and now much copied around the world
- He was co-founder in 2007 of the world's first law firm dedicated to international families and their children, with many law firms worldwide subsequently setting up specialist international units
- He is author of the leading textbook on international family law, now in 5th edition
- In The Queen’s Birthday Honours List in June 2014 David was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his “Services to International Family Law".
In 2015, David was appointed a visiting Professor of the University of Law, to give keynote speeches on the future of family law and to assist in the future direction of legal education for family law. It does not affect his day-to-day casework and other professional commitments
After training and qualifying in Southampton, David spent 10 years at City of London law firms. David was a partner in City of London firm Theodore Goddard as head of their Family Law Department and then Frere Cholmonley Bischoff (later Eversheds). In 1995, he was joint founder of probably the world’s first metropolitan practice to combine family lawyers, mediators and counsellors and with an emphasis on a conciliatory and holistic approach. It was subsequently copied in many practices across the world. From 2003 to 2005 he worked in Sydney for a leading family law firm, qualifying as an Australian lawyer. He retains his entitlement to practice as a solicitor and barrister in Australia.
In 2007 he co-founded iFLG with Ann Thomas, the world's first law firm specifically dedicated to serving international families and their children and families with international, foreign assets.
He is past chair of the Resolution/Solicitors Family Law Association’s Financial Provision Reform Committee, Training Committee and Good Practice Committee and a founder member of its International Committee. He was a member of the Law Society’s Family Law Protocol Committee. He is a member of the Family Justice Council International Committee. He is past vice chair of the UK College of Family Mediators, the umbrella organisation for family mediation. He is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.
He was chair of the Family Law Review group of the Centre for Social Justice which in July 2009 produced a report, “Every Family Matters”, a ground breaking set of major reforms of all aspects of family law, in order to support families, marriage and children. It has been well received and parts have been endorsed by the political parties and others involved in family law and has prompted changes in the law. In 2014 he was made a Fellow of the Centre for Social Justice.
He is author and editor of "The International Family Law Practice" published by Jordans the leading textbook on the international aspects of family law work. The 5th edition was published December 2016. With Ann Thomas, he is author of “When Cupids Arrow crosses National Boundaries: A Guide for interntaional families”, a simple Q&A guide for people who wish to distill the complexities of international family law issues. Both publications are available via iFLG.
He is also author of “Divorce Reform: a Guide for Lawyers and Mediators” (Thompson Reuters), “The Business of Family Law” (Jordans), “SFLA/Resolution Guide to International Family Law” and consulting editor of “Butterworth’s Family Law in Europe”.
He is an Accredited Family Law Specialist (with portfolios in Substantial Assets and International Cases), a Fellow of the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, a past trustee of Marriage Resource, a Fellow of the Centre for Social Justice and a member of the Family Law Section of the Law Council of Australia. He has been a member of the Lawyers Christian Fellowship since his days as a trainee solicitor.
He has been a member of the Advisory Board of the Law Commission in respect of their work on "Marital Agreements, Matrimonial Property and Needs", and of the Advisory Board of the Financial Services Authority on provision of information for separating and divorcing couples.
David is ranked as a 'Leading Individual' in the Legal 500 UK Guide 2017 and described as'‘extremely knowledgeable, sharp and reliable.’
In November 2011 he received the prestigious inaugural Jordans Family Law Commentator of the Year award for his outstanding contribution to commentary on family law matters, as voted by family lawyers.
David has written and spoken extensively on family law including many conferences abroad. Copies of his papers can be obtained via iFLG.
- Available now(Brief) Judicial tips and traps in conducting complex finance cases in the family court (2019)Webinar Briefs|FamilyIn this family law webinar, our expert speakers discuss possible judicial traps that they have found, and other practitioners are likely to find when conducting ...
- Available now(Brief) Sch 1 Children Act: what are the court’s powers, what is the procedure and what is recent case law in bigger money claims? (2019)Webinar Briefs|FamilyIn this family law webinar our expert speakers explore Schedule 1 of the Children Act 1989. This schedule provides the court with the powe to ...
- Available now(Brief) Spousal maintenance: Why, When, How much and for how long? (2019)Webinar Briefs|FamilyIn this brief family law webinar, our practitioners discuss spousal maintenance received upon the breakdown on a marriage - in particular looking into the length ...
Subscribe to our webinars
LexisNexis® Webinars are available on subscription or for individual purchase. An individual purchase delivers one hour of training for just £110+VAT, a subscription delivers this considerably more cost-effectively.
Buy now and enjoy the following benefits:
- Interactive and engaging – full audio-visual.
- Watch the archived webinar, anytime you like, for up to two years after the broadcast date.
- Available on your desktop, laptop, tablet computer or mobile.
- Cost-effective – no membership fees, great discounts for group bookings, and minimal impact on your billable time.
- Authoritative – the latest developments, delivered by leading experts.
- Trustworthy – supported by Lexis®Library – download case reports, transcripts and speaker slides.