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“A fantastic divorce lawyer”
Legal 500
“Extremely intelligent, very tactical”
Chambers
“Joe Vaitilingam is a real joy to work with”
Chambers 2025
Over 25+ years working as a family lawyer, Joe has gained a reputation for being an astute and intelligent negotiator as well as a highly effective and skilful litigator. With immense experience in all fields of family law, he has built up a diverse clientele from all walks of life.
With particular expertise in negotiating and litigating complex financial disputes and cases concerning children, he is an expert on the relationship between trusts and family law and the preparation of pre-nuptial agreements. Joe’s extensive experience allows him to deal with multi-jurisdictional cases, where families, assets and pre-existing legal agreements are based globally.
He is a Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers, a member of Resolution, and a collaborative lawyer and mediator.
Joe qualified as a solicitor at Bates, Wells, and Braithwaite in 1996 after studying Politics and Economics at Oxford and was previously a partner at Hughes Fowler Carruthers before co-founding Vaitilingam Kay with Anne Kay
Highlights
- Joe achieved a swift and favourable financial settlement for the wife of a leading London lawyer following a series of roundtable meetings with the husband and his lawyers.
- Joe obtained one of the largest known financial awards for housing and maintenance for a child of unmarried parents, advising a mother who sought financial support for her child from the father who lives in the USA.
- Joe secured an urgent interim Hemain injunction in the High Court in highly contested proceedings which prevented the husband from pursuing litigation in Russia.
- Joe acted for the successful husband in the reported case of M v W [2014] EWHC 925. The wife had applied to the English court for further financial provision from her former husband after they had divorced in New Zealand. Joe successfully applied to the court for the dismissal of the wife’s claim.
Professional Testimonials
Every year Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners compile independent recommendations based on client and peer reviews for all practising lawyers. These are some of Joe’s reviews and testimonials from other legal professionals.
“His judgement is legendary”
Legal 500 2025
“He is enormously intelligent and famously nice”
Legal 500 2025
“Joe Vaitilingam is a real joy to work with”
Chambers 2025
“A very assured and accomplished lawyer.”
Legal 500 2023
“One of a kind. He’s good humoured, brilliantly strategic and can dig any client out of any hole, however big. He will stop at nothing to get the best result for his clients.”
Legal 500 2023
“Quality through and through. A fantastic divorce lawyer… he has an answer for everything and it is always the right answer.”
Legal 500 2022
“An excellent lawyer, pragmatic in how he approaches cases and very emotionally intelligent. He understands the different dynamics behind the money and negotiation.”
Chambers 2021
“One of the best lawyers around. He’s just fabulous. He has the nicest possible manner with clients, he’s really intelligent and he knows the law inside out.”
Chambers HNW 2022
“Simply the best there is. Cool, calm and totally understated but with the ideal combination of a steely interior and friendly exterior. He understands clients, the law and tactics and so is an all-rounder.”
Legal 500 2020
“A very highly regarded practitioner… straightforward and sensible and praised for his ability to “fight like a lion for his clients”.”
Chambers 2016