Selena Arbe-Barnes

Selena is a senior associate at Family Law in Partnership. She advises on a wide range of issues associated with the breakdown of marriage and relationships, including complex children and financial matters. Selena’s children cases often involve multi-layered child arrangement issues, including those where the most serious allegations have been made against parents. On financial matters, she assists clients at all stages of their divorce or separation with an approach tailored to their needs and circumstances – be it engaging in negotiation, alternative dispute resolution or court proceedings.

In her work, Selena is highly regarded for her client care and emotional intelligence, as well as for her sharp technical skills. She isparticularly attuned to the relational aspects of separation and divorce, having undertaken training on systemic thinking with the Tavistock & Portman NHS Trust; she is able to draw on these ideas to help clients to secure considered and favourable outcomes for themselves and their children.

Selena is committed to resolving matters in a proactive and sensitive manner, considering all options to achieve a solution that is both sensible and fair. When this is not possible and court proceedings become unavoidable, Selena will take a robust approach to protect her clients’ interests.

Over recent years, Selena has been consistently ranked as a Rising Star in the family law world by the leading directory, Legal 500 UK. The 2024 edition notes: “Selena Arbe-Barnes is clever, committed, interested, and supportive. She absorbs every detail of the client’s case.”  Earlier editions have commented: “She was always on top of absolutely everything in our matter (whilst at the same time probably having many other cases requiring her attention). She was always flawlessly and meticulously prepared for client conferences and made excellence look effortless”. The 2023 and 2024 editions of the UK Best Lawyers guide have also named Selena as ‘One to Watch’.

Selena is a fluent Spanish and French speaker. She uses her language skills to assist clients going through court proceedings both in England and abroad, including working closely with local lawyers and liaising with third parties.

Selena is a member of the British Spanish Law Association and Franco-British Lawyers Society. She is also a member of Resolution.

Reported Cases and recent financial matters on which Selena has advised include:

• Advising and securing a favourable settlement for a client who had been forced out of the start-up company she created with her husband, which had the same blueprint as a successful business venture that had been set up and sold during the parties’ long marriage.
• Assisting in financial proceedings following overseas divorce concerning property assets across Europe, the USA, Middle East and North Africa, as well as obtaining pension sharing orders in England following overseas divorce.
• Drafting and advising on separation agreements where the parties have chosen to separate, without yet divorcing, including where there are substantial business assets in the UK and abroad.
• Securing a client’s return to the family home and the transfer of the property to them, after they had been excluded from it following the making of false allegations to the police by their ex-spouse.
• Tsvetkov v Khayrova [2023] EWFC 130 – Representing the wife in a long running case concerning financial provision following divorce. During the proceedings, the couple found themselves the subject of significant press interest which required careful management. FLiP successfully defended against the Husband’s attempt to argue for a departure from a 50/50 division of the assets in his favour.
• Representing the witness in enforcement proceedings brought by the former wife against her former husband, following their divorce in the case of Barclay v Barclay [2023] EWFC 164.

Recent matters on children & parenting issues on which Selena has advised include:

• Successfully negotiating the internal relocation of children and applications to school by consent, despite these having initially been opposed by the other parent.
• Advising a client who had been alienated from their children, in proceedings with all findings sought having been made in my client’s favour. This resulted in the client being successfully reunited with their children and a transfer of residence from the other parent being achieved by consent.

• A case that involved (a) defending false allegations of mental ill-health made by the other parent, (b) securing the return of the child to the client’s care after arrangements were unilaterally suspended by the other parent, and (c) securing the client and child’s travel abroad, after the other parent’s consent to the trip had been withdrawn.
• Advising on the successful appeal of a case management order, which changed the course of court proceedings in the client’s favour.

Selena co-authored a chapter for Resolution’s Family Law Handbook (2020). She has featured in podcasts and webinars on topics ranging from civil partnerships for all, to considerations for cohabiting couples at the start and breakdown of relationships.  Drawing on her expertise in advising on parenting disputes, she has also delivered training to the pro bono group, LawWorks, on private children proceedings.

Selena has written for industry publications, such as Family Law, the Family Law Journal and Resolution’s The Review, as well as providing comments for the national press on a range of children and divorce-related issues.

Selena joined Family Law in Partnership in July 2021, having qualified at and worked in the family team of Winckworth Sherwood LLP.

Selena studied law with French at the University of Bristol (First Class Honours), going on to achieve a distinction in the Legal Practice Course at BPP Law School.