Claudia Gilham

Principal Associate

What can I do for you

Claudia is a principal associate in our family team. She advises clients about the financial consequences of relationship breakdown, whether cohabiting or married. Claudia also has a substantial practice in advising parents in private law children cases, particularly those which are considered high conflict and/or with an international aspect. Legal 500 considers her the "name to note for private children cases" in the region.

What do others say

The only Chambers and Partners 2023 "Star Associate" in the region.

Legal 500 2023 "Next Generation Partner" and winner of Legal 500 Northern Powerhouse 2023 Private Client Rising Star Award.

Commentators state:

"She is the future of family law - she has an absolutely phenomenal brain and her expertise is outrageous."
"The amount of support and care she puts in to cases is just incredible from both a professional and emotional point of view."
"Claudia is an absolute standout performer... she is punching well above her standing. Claudia is on course to become the standout family lawyer in the north."

Supporting your ambitions

Claudia works hard to understand what her clients want to achieve, providing valuable, robust and straightforward advice.

Recent highlights for Claudia include:

Advising a father in the Court of Appeal, and advising a mother in complex children proceedings which included a two-week long fact-finding hearing.

In both cases, Claudia kept the focus on the child(ren) throughout.

Negotiating a favourable agreement for a multi-generational farmer with significant arguments regarding the accrual of pre-marital wealth.

Commentators state:

"Mills & Reeve are the stand-out quality firm in Leeds. They are a notch above everyone else. The quality of their work is unparalleled"

and

"They are the go-to team for resolving large financial disputes, incredibly thorough in their analysis of the detail and desire to achieve the right result for their client, who is completely safe in their hands."

What else should you know?

Claudia plays rugby for Scarborough Women's RUFC, which means she never underestimates the value of team work (and getting her hands dirty!).

Claudia is a vocal advocate of volunteering and community engagement.

What our clients say about us

“I think Mills & Reeve are a wonderful firm. The support they have provided to us in a really difficult area has been brilliant, collaborative and commercially minded. The team were absolutely wonderful and a joy to work with. Amazing advice and support and a real collaborative effort with us. I can't thank them enough for getting us through some really tough times and doing so with an amazing can-do attitude.”

“They are friendly, fast, always available and always on top of the game. I tend to judge my legal team against the other side's legal team and never doubt Mills & Reeve is the better of the two.”

“All interactions have been very clear. Responses to questions have always been very swift and unambiguous. Our company, and my family, have used various services in Mills & Reeve with the same level of satisfaction.”

“I value the fact that Mills & Reeve are recognised as a good place to work in the UK Best Companies survey. This aligns with the values of our business and means that Mills & Reeve can share what is required to achieve this status with our business.”

As many clients will testify, too many lawyers deliver the required legal expertise but fail to deliver an outstanding client experience. Which is why we always listen to our clients and constantly ask ourselves what we can do to deliver the results you expect.

You expect a close and attentive working relationship, with a lawyer that is responsive and available when you need them. You also want clear, pragmatic and commercial advice tailored to your needs, and transparency and certainty on costs. We completely agree. That’s why every day, through our culture and approach we are committed to delivering the exceptional results and service our clients expect of us.

Insights from Claudia

22 Dec 2022

A Family Court for cases that are only genuinely necessary?

03 Aug 2020

What is a parenting charter?