Mr Owen Smith FRSA General Information Owen joined Chambers in January 2021 upon successful completion of pupillage. Owen has extensive of experience of dealing with all areas of private family law, with a particular focus on financial remedies (including cohabitation disputes) and private law children proceedings. Owen represents both applicants and respondents in FDA (First Hearings) hearings, Financial Hearing Dispute Resolution hearings (FHDRA) and Final Hearings. Owen has dealt with a range of cases including high net worth divorces and is particularly adept at dealing with complex financial arrangements including trusts. Owen is known for giving practical advice and adopting a compassionate and empathetic approach, Owen has previously been described by a client as like "an angel from heaven". Family Law (Children) Owen's private law family (children) practice involves the following areas: Child Arrangement Orders Prohibited Steps Order Specific Issue Order Enforcement Applications Section 1 Applications under the Children Act 1989 Breach Allegations Family Law (Divorce and Financial seperation/ancillary relief) Owen has substantial experience of dealing with all matters of divorce and financial separation (ancillary relief) in particular high net worth (HNW) and ultra high net worth (UHNW) individuals. Financial Services/Banking Owen has experience in financial services regulation and litigation. Previous work has included the following: Financial matters including large and complex regulatory matters Represented Deutsche Bank in relation to investigations by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and BaFIN, the financial regulatory authority for Germany into Libor and Forex markets manipulation Advised Barclays and Citi Bank in relation to repapering of their derivative contracts following the introduction of Mifid II Actively involved in repapering, including negotiating new agreements with counterparties, in particular the more complex or difficult counterparties Instructed to advise HSBC in relation to a complex regulatory matter which related to the most high profile and largest of the bank's clients, as well as the active supervision by the FCA and PRA of the steps taken by the bank Familiar with all aspects of funds legal matters, having previously worked on placement at DWS, one of the largest fund managers in the world Represented Lloyds Bank in relation to a large caseload of retail banking litigation matters with a particular focus on claims under s140A Consumer Credit Act 1974 Company/Commercial Law Shareholder disputes Directors' duties Non-disclosure agreements Non-compete clauses Memberships Fellow Royal Society of Arts MENSA Honourable Society of Middle Temple Education Master of Liberal Arts, Management, Harvard University Postgraduate Certificate in Strategic Management, Harvard University Extension School Postgraduate Diploma in Law (BPTC), City, University of London LLB, University of Sussex Awards/Scholarships Deans List Academic Achievement Award, Harvard University Jules Thorn Scholarship, Middle Temple Sussex Scholarship Winner, University of Sussex Personal Interests Outside of work, Owen has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. This is an award granted to those individuals that the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) judges to have made outstanding achievements to social progress and development. Owen is also a keen amateur cook and likes going for walks in the countryside with his wife and daughter. He is also deeply concerned about the ongoing issues in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and volunteers as Head of Legal for H20 Congo, an organisation that aims to raise awareness of the issues involved in the mining of precious minerals in that country. In addition, Owen has an interest in history, politics and theological matters.