Ben Parry-Smith

Awards & Accolades

• The Spear’s 500 2026 and Spear’s Family Lawyers Index 2026: Ben is ranked as “Top Recommended” with focus on divorce and child relocation/abduction – “ Once described as the ‘protégé’ of Fiona Shackleton, Ben Parry-Smith joined Payne Hicks Beach on qualification and made partner in 2018. The Oxford graduate specialises in a range of matters relating to family law. This includes cohabitation disputes, pre- and postnuptial agreements, divorce/civil partnership, relocation of children, complex financial disputes and jurisdictional issues. Most notably, Parry-Smith was part of the team representing Princess Haya in her high-profile divorce from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Having worked on a number of cases where assets have exceeded a billion pounds, he is acutely aware of the weight that comes with such high-profile work. ‘We have the privilege of being able to help,’ he says. ‘We’ve got the power and the knowledge – and we have to remember what a responsibility that is.’
• Doyle’s Leading Family & Divorce Lawyers – London 2026: Ben is listed as “Leading” – he is recognised as a specialist London Family & Divorce Lawyer practising within the areas of family, divorce and matrimonial law matters in the London legal market and identified by his peers for his expertise and abilities in these areas.
• Chambers UK 2026: Ben is ranked under Family/Matrimonial Finance: Ultra High Net Worth.
• The Legal 500 UK 2026: Ben is ranked as a ‘Leading Partner’ for Family: Divorce and Financial Remedy’ with the directory writing that he is “acclaimed for international jurisdiction battles and cases involving trusts or capacity issues.” Testimonials include:
  • “Ben Parry-Smith is charming, disarming and brilliant, bringing out the best in his team and has excellent strategic vision.”
• Chambers High Net Worth 2025: Ben is ranked for Family/Matrimonial Finance: Ultra High Net Worth and recognised for advising on high-value divorce proceedings and nuptial agreements. Testimonials include:
  • “Ben Parry-Smith is a great litigator. Everything is done in a charming but tenacious way.”
  • “Ben Parry-Smith has seen it all. He is someone you most definitely want on your side.”
  • “Ben Parry-Smith is charming and razor sharp. He never leaves a stone unturned and always has brilliantly novel ideas to achieve the best possible results.”
• The Spear’s Awards 2025: Ben is named as a finalist for Family Lawyer of the Year.
• The Spear’s 500 2025 and Spear’s Family Lawyers Index 2025: Ben is ranked as “Top Recommended” with focus on child relocation/abduction and divorce.
• Doyle’s Leading Family & Divorce Lawyers – London 2025: Ben is listed as “Leading” – he is recognised as a specialist London Family & Divorce Lawyer practising within the areas of family, divorce and matrimonial law matters in the London legal market and identified by his peers for his expertise and abilities in these areas.
• Chambers UK 2025: Ben is ranked under Family/Matrimonial Finance: Ultra High Net Worth.
• The Legal 500 UK 2025: Ben is ranked as a ‘Leading Partner’ for Family – “‘Big money’ cases, requiring expert valuations and complex budgets, are an area of strength for Ben Parry-Smith.” “Ben Parry-Smith has an ability to make complex legal concepts readily understandable for lay clients and fantastic relationships in the sector which improves prospects of settlement.”
• Resolution Awards 2024: Ben is named as a finalist for the Wellbeing Champion Award.
• Chambers HNW 2024: Ben is listed as a “Leading Individual” – “Ben is extremely charismatic, has a razor-sharp brain and is totally confident handling the biggest pieces of litigation.” “Ben achieves the perfect balance between a focus on settlement and firm advice behind the scenes, and an ability to litigate fiercely should the circumstances require it.” “Ben is well liked by opponents. He is very good commercially and pragmatically. He runs a case well and runs a good team well.”
• Chambers UK 2024: Ben is ranked under Family/Matrimonial Finance: Ultra High Net Worth.
• The Legal 500 UK 2024: Ben is ranked as a “Leading Individual” – “Ben Parry-Smith is first rate. His pro-active strategic leadership of his team and of the client’s cases is particularly effective. His client management skills (particularly for high-net-worth clients) are especially impressive, and borne out in the demonstrably strong and trusting working relationships that he achieves with them, counsel and opponents.”
• Chambers HNW 2023: Ben is listed as a “Leading Individual” – Ben Parry-Smith advises on high-value divorce proceedings and nuptial agreements. “Ben is a brilliant member of the PHB team. He always offers direct, considered and realistic advice to the client behind closed doors, but is equally willing to fight hard for their corner should there be a need to do so. An all-round star lawyer and the future of PHB.” “Ben is a leader in his generation of partners nationally. He’s already dealing with some of the biggest cases and with unparalleled experience.”
• Chambers UK 2023: Ben is listed as a “Leading Individual” – Ben Parry-Smith acts on a broad range of family law matters, from cohabitation disputes and nuptial agreements to relocation and jurisdictional issues. He has additional experience in cohabitation and civil partnership issues.
• The Legal 500 UK 2023: Ben is ranked as a “Next Generation Partner” – “Ben Parry-Smith is sensible yet tenacious.” “urbane, exudes confidence, a sophisticated approach to the knottiest of problems.” “Ben Parry-Smith – a partner whose star is in the ascendant, clients love him and he gets on well with the other side, which often takes the heat out of a case.”
• Chambers HNW 2022: Ben is ranked as a “Leading Individual” – “He is a really excellent lawyer. He’s very clever, very pragmatic and very good with clients. He can synthesise complex advice into easy-to-understand language,” “He’s very effective, has an easy manner about him and he applies ideas beautifully. He is very thoughtful, creative and efficient.” “He fights his client’s corner but is very fair and pragmatic in his approach.”
• The Legal 500 UK 2022: Ben is ranked as a “Next Generation Partner”. “sharp and thoughtful, with an inventive mind which looks for and finds creative but positive solutions to the cases that he is involved in” “a ball of energy, engaging, committed and commercially savvy. Can charm the birds out of the trees, a great skill in this area”
• Chambers HNW 2021: Ben is listed as a “Leading Individual” – “incredibly good at putting clients at ease.” “He can talk equally well to financially naive people and titans of industry.” Parry-Smith represents high net worth clients in complex divorce and children matters. An interviewee notes: “He is great, he is always very thorough. He has a very tactical brain.”
• Chambers UK 2021: Ben is listed as a “Leading Individual” – “Ben is exceptionally bright and intelligent, one step ahead of the other side all the way through. I cannot speak highly enough of the personal attention that he gave to the matter at hand and the smaller details and his tactical awareness. He is absolutely great.” “He is extremely energetic and confident. He is very enthusiastic and gives you a great deal of confidence; he instils confidence by his mastery of the case.”
• The Legal 500 UK 2021: Ben is listed as a “Next Generation Partner” – “Ben Parry-Smith attracts great confidence from clients.”
• Chambers HNW 2020:Ben is listed as “Up & Coming” – Ben Parry-Smith advises on the full range of family law cases and is “someone who has the most extraordinary energy for cases,” a source says, adding that “he goes above and beyond the call of duty for his clients and he has great instincts for cases.” A London barrister says Parry-Smith “instils confidence by his mastery of the case.”
• Chambers HNW 2019: Ben is listed as “Up & Coming” – “Class act and star of the future” Ben Parry-Smith advises high net worth individuals on all aspects of family law. He is described as “extremely personable and charming and courteous” by barristers he works with. Another source enthuses: “Ben has an enormous amount of energy that he brings to cases, and clients clearly love him for it. He gets things done fast and this often steals a march on his opponents. He has a charming manner and much more experience than his level of solicitor would ordinarily have. He is used to dealing with high-profile clients and is not at all fazed by their at times obscure demands and requests.”
• Chambers UK 2019: Ben is listed as “Up & Coming” – one source commends his “cracking judgment”, adding: “even at the early stages, his instinctive feel for a case is very strong”
• The Legal 500 UK 2019: ranked as a Recommended Lawyer – Newly promoted partner Ben Parry-Smith is “supremely competent and gifted at negotiation”
• Spear’s 500 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026: Ben is listed in the current 2026 edition as “Top Recommended” with a focus on child relocation/abduction and divorce. He has received accolades for many years in the publication as “Recommended” and “Rising Star Family Lawyer: Young Turk” with a focus on high value remedies, complex finances and private children law. Ben is described as having “spotless credentials”
• The Lawyer Hot 100 2019: Ben is listed in The Hot 100 Litigators 2019
• Spear’s Family Lawyers Index 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026: “Top Recommended” in the 2026, 2025 and 2024 editions and earlier publications as “Recommended” and “Rising Star Family Lawyer: Young Turk”
• The Legal 500 UK 2017: listed as a “Next Generation Lawyer” and comments that “the fearless, charming and pragmatic Ben Parry-Smith punches well above his weight and already does top-quality work – he is one to watch”