About Jon
Jon is a Partner and Solicitor, and the Head of our Family team.
Jon is also the firm’s Training Principle.
Formally educated at Southampton Solent University and Guildford College of Law, Jon qualified as a Solicitor in 2011, and since has gained vast experience in Family Law.
Jon acts in all areas of Family Law, including:
- Drafting family law documents, including pre-nuptial agreements, post-nuptial agreements, and cohabitation agreements;
- Advising and representing clients following a family breakdown, including divorce, child arrangements, and financial arrangements;
- Family Law injunctions including non-molestation and occupation order proceedings;
- Assisting families with their legal creation, including around surrogacy and parental orders.
Jon's Experience
As a confident advocate, Jon regularly appears in court to represent his clients, and he is able to undertake mediation, to offer clients out of court options to resolution. Jon is currently working towards becoming an accredited mediator.
Jon is an accredited member of the Law Society Family Panel and the Law Society Advanced Family Law Panel, recognising a high level of skill, expertise and knowledge in family law matters, and is a member of Resolution.
Well regarded as a leader in his field, Jon is recognised in Legal 500 as a Leading Partner and a Doyle's Ranked Leading Lawyer. Jon is also a published author in the area of international and internal child relocation, having written, ‘A practical Guide to Internal and External Child Relocation’, as well as a having written a number of articles for legal publications.
Jon spent the first decade of his career in Winchester, and worked closely with the students at the University. He has a passion for inspiring the next generation of lawyers, and this was recognised by the University of Winchester in 2023 when he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship in recognition for this support of the University and law students, including overseeing their legal advice centre.
Supporting Clients
For Jon, the way to support clients is to take the time to get to know them.
Whilst he is a keen supporter of technology and AI, and utilising this to improve the client experience, Jon believes that where people will always be superior is in taking the time to get to know the person. This can involve finding out more about them, what they want to achieve, and what they want theirs, and any children's, futures to look like.
“I often think if you start with where you want to get to, then we can plan to work towards this.”
A Successful Day
While Jon agrees that the ideal will always be achieving the outcome that a client wants from their case, for him the true success is often leaving a client, or even a colleague, feeling more hopeful and optimistic about their future, and with a clearer plan.
“Family law can often involve seeing people going through a difficult time, when they have no idea what to do, and I always aim to leave anyone I meet with feeling more hopeful, and clearer on what the next steps are, and their future will look like.”
Why Dutton Gregory?
Jon outlines his reasons for working at Dutton Gregory: “For me, the best thing about Dutton Gregory is that you're encouraged to be yourself, and supported to be the best version of yourself.”
“The firm also care about things that are important to you, and I'm fortunate that for years I've been supported in hosting a charity quiz night to raise money for the Romsey Opportunity Group, a children's charity where I am a patron.”
Where Jon Aims To Be In 15 Years
In his spare time, Jon trains in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, where he is a brown belt: “I would hope in less than 15 years' time I'll have achieved my blackbelt and also be teaching as well as competing still.... providing my body can keep up...”
Professionally, Jon would like to have inspired a number of lawyers to be undertaking careers in Law: “I'm fortunate in my time to have been a mentor, to both people inside and outside of Dutton Gregory, as well as being the firm's training principle, and I'm passionate about inspiring the next generation of lawyers, not just in advising on the law, but also shaping and improving it.”