Ann Thomas is a world leading specialist solicitor in international family law, particularly international child relocation and child abduction.
She is currently a Consultant at Stephens Scown - a leading law firm in the south-west of England, working out of their Exeter office.
Her profile was featured in Devon Life magazine in late 2024 and can be found here SS Devon Life Dec 24 2
In 2007, Ann co-founded, with David Hodson KC (Hons) OBE, The International Family Law Group, London, (iFLG) to great and worldwide acclaim. She was its Managing Partner and Senior Partner until March 2024. In this capacity, she oversaw the huge growth of the firm, received external verification accreditations. iFLG was the world’s first law firm created to serve the interests of international families and their children. In 2019, under Ann’s management, iFLG won the Law Society’s prestigious Excellence Award. iFLG is now one of the world’s leading international family law firms.
Ann is a globally recognised expert in international chid law and lectures to the legal profession worldwide. She is ranked as a leading child law solicitor specialising in international child relocation. She is also a specialist in international child abduction and was a panel member of the Government’s Child Abduction Unit and reunite for over 30 years.
In 2007, Ann co-founded, with David Hodson KC (Hons) OBE, The International Family Law Group, London, (iFLG) to great and worldwide acclaim. She was its Managing Partner and Senior Partner until March 2024. In this capacity, she oversaw the huge growth of the firm, received external verification accreditations. iFLG was the world’s first law firm created to serve the interests of international families and their children. In 2019, under Ann’s management, iFLG won the Law Society’s prestigious Excellence Award. iFLG is now one of the world’s leading international family law firms.
Ann is a globally recognised expert in international chid law and lectures to the legal profession worldwide. She is ranked as a leading child law solicitor specialising in international child relocation. She is also a specialist in international child abduction and was a panel member of the Government’s Child Abduction Unit and reunite for over 30 years.
In December 2011, Ann was one of the first mediators in the country to qualify as a Direct Consultant with Children. She can therefore meet directly with children so they may express their views in respect of the separation process of their parents and issues concerning contact and residence. Ann can bring this into the mediation process or otherwise feed back to the parents and the mediator during the mediation process.
Ann has acted for many high-net-worth clients and those in the entertainment industry. Throughout her career, she has regularly been asked to comment on topical issues in family law by the media and has been in several high profile reported cases, some of which have attracted much media interest, one of which was in the case of Madeleine McCann.
She has written articles on the recent developments in family law
and has also presented seminars on international aspects of family law in this country and abroad. She has been involved in training family Judges in Serbia in the Hague Convention and international family law. Ann has lectured extensively across the globe to practitioners on aspects of international family law, child relocation and child abduction including at international conferences in Melbourne, Brisbane, Fiji, Singapore, New Caledonia, Cape Town.
Ann has contributed to leading textbooks on international children law. She was one of the first mediators to qualify as a Direct Consultant with Children, meeting with children to enable them to express their views within the mediation process regarding their living and contact arrangements. Ann has written numerous articles on recent developments in family law. She has also presented seminars on international aspects of family law to the legal profession in England and abroad. She has also presented inter-active seminars on handling the emotional stages of a relationship breakdown.
Ann has been a Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL) for over 25 years. The IAFL is recognised as the world’s most prestigious organisation of peer elected leading specialist family lawyers dealing with international work.
Professional Appointments
- The Law Society’s Family Law Panel (Advanced Accreditation) in international law and children
- Fellow of the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers
- The International Bar Association
- The Solicitors Family Law Association (SFLA) now known as Resolution
- Former Chair of the Resolution International Committee
- Member of Resolution National Committee
- Former member of Resolution London and Cambridge Regional Committees
- Family law all issues Mediator
- Civil law Mediator
- Specialist Mediator qualified with Direct Access to children.
- Former Chair of LawNet Family Lawyers Group
- Former Chair and founder of the Eurojuris International Family Lawyers Group (Brussels)
- The Scottish Family Law Association
- The Institute of Directors
- International Academy of Collaborative Lawyers
- Law Council of Australia, Family Law Section
- Listed as a leading family lawyer in Citywealth.
- Member of The International Society of Family Law
Testimonials (Legal 500 from 2019 to date)
- 2024 Ann Thomas is an exceptional individual. She has personally overseen my case from the start and it is not an exaggeration to say that we achieved an outcome that has given me my life back
- 2023 Brilliant client skills and a delight to work with
- 2022 'Ann Thomas is a leading international children lawyer and one of the top such specialists in London. She also brings intelligence, thought and planning to her cases and does all in her power to achieve the result her client seeks.
- 2021 iFLG was established by David Hodson and Ann Thomas, who have both remained among the very best family law solicitors for many years. They have built up a formidable team.
- 2020 I find this team highly professional. Ann Thomas is a lawyer, smart and compassionate.
- 2019 'Highly recommended for her work in children and relocation cases'.
Professional Memberships
- Advanced accredited solicitor international family law and children (The Law Society’s Family Law Panel).
- Member of the Lawyers’ Network of Reunite, the leading UK charity specialising in international parental child abduction providing advice, information and support to parents, family members and guardians who fear abduction or have had a child abducted from them.
- Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers, the world’s leading organisation of peer elected top family lawyers dealing with international family law.
Legal text publications to date
- The International Family Law Practice' 2012 -2013 LexisNexis (second edition) - chapters on: International Child Relocation and International Children
- 'The International Family Law Practice'2013 - 2014 LexisNexis (third edition) - chapters on: International Child Relocation and International Children
- 'The International Family Law Practice'2015 - 2016 LexisNexis (fourth edition) - chapters on: International Child Relocation
- 'The International Family Law Practice'2016 - 2017 LexisNexis (fifth edition) - chapters on: International Child Relocation
- 'The International Family Law Practice'2021 - 2022, LexisNexis (sixth edition) - chapters on: International Child Relocation
- Co-author with David Hodson of 'When Cupid’s Arrow Crosses National Boundaries: A Guide for International Families
Major reported decisions
Marinos -v – Marinos 2007 EWHC 2047 (Fam)
Re G (a minor) Convention of the Civil aspects of International Child Abduction.
Re K (a Child) (transfer of residence) 1999
For Ann’s outside interests please see her personal website.