Global investment company Investcorp has bought Stowe Family Law, the largest specialist family law firm in the UK, from the private equity group Livingbridge.
Based in Leeds and founded by Marilyn Stowe in 1982, Stowe Family Law has more than doubled in size in the past two years and now has almost 400 staff at 90 offices across Britain, working for 5,000 clients a year. Those clients' fees helped Stowe to generate an annual turnover of more than £37 million to the end of March.
Although the terms of the deal, including the price, have not been disclosed, Investcorp's investment will be used to help Stowe develop its growth strategy, called Stowe 3.0, which aims to expand the client base to 10,000 within five years. Investcorp will also use its considerable experience in building technology-enabled businesses to help Stowe expand its delivery and services.
“We are delighted to begin this next chapter in the Stowe story and look forward to working with the Investcorp team, who share our passion and strategic vision for the firm,” said Ken Fowlie, executive chairman at Stowe Family Law. “With their support and collaboration, we will continue to invest in our business and people to achieve our mission to become the first choice for family law.
“Given Investcorp’s experience, we will accelerate investment in technology, including looking to unlock the power of artificial intelligence to further enhance customer experience and service quality.”
'New partnership'
For its part, Investcorp, which is 20 per cent owned by Mubadala Investment Company, is “pleased to be starting this new partnership”.
“We were impressed by the company’s commitment to build a resilient and scalable business powered by technology, and look forward to working with Ken and the team as they continue on their vision of Stowe 3.0, a true leader in the legal field,” said Gilbert Kamieniecky, Investcorp's head of private equity, Europe.
Much of Stowe Family Law's growth has come from a buying spree over the past few years. In June, Stowe announced it was buying Hawkins Family Law, a boutique firm with offices across London and the south-east of England. Last year, it acquired Crisp and Company, a firm of solicitors with 17 offices across the UK, including one in Manchester. Stowe also snapped up Watson Thomas, a firm of family law solicitors in Hampshire and Surrey.
According to the UK's Office for National Statistics, divorce rates in Britain are falling, with 80,057 divorces granted in England and Wales in 2022. That represents a 29.5 per cent decrease compared with 2021 (113,505 divorces) and was the lowest number of divorces since 1971.
However, experts contend that the drop may be down to administrative issues in 2017 and 2018, and the delays to divorce proceedings brought on by the Covid pandemic in 2021 and 2022, rather than a significant improvement in the durability of British marriages.
According to research conducted by the lawyers Beecham Peacock, 42 per cent of UK marriages end in divorce, and the average length of a marriage is 12.5 years. The shortest marriage on record in the UK happened in 2004 and lasted just 90 minutes, according to Beecham Peacock.
Top tips
Create and maintain a strong bond between yourself and your child, through sensitivity, responsiveness, touch, talk and play. “The bond you have with your kids is the blueprint for the relationships they will have later on in life,” says Dr Sarah Rasmi, a psychologist.
Set a good example. Practise what you preach, so if you want to raise kind children, they need to see you being kind and hear you explaining to them what kindness is. So, “narrate your behaviour”.
Praise the positive rather than focusing on the negative. Catch them when they’re being good and acknowledge it.
Show empathy towards your child’s needs as well as your own. Take care of yourself so that you can be calm, loving and respectful, rather than angry and frustrated.
Be open to communication, goal-setting and problem-solving, says Dr Thoraiya Kanafani. “It is important to recognise that there is a fine line between positive parenting and becoming parents who overanalyse their children and provide more emotional context than what is in the child’s emotional development to understand.”
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
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6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 Group 1 (PA) Dh119,373 (Dirt) 1,600m
Winner: Brraq, Adrie de Vries (jockey), Jean-Claude Pecout (trainer)
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9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,000m
Winner: Etisalat, Sando Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
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