divorce tax advice for family lawyers

About Juno Family

Juno Family offers expert tax services to assist family law firms in providing their clients with tax advice and support. Our Partner, Sofia Thomas, is one of the leading UK experts on tax on divorce and family breakdown.  She is the author of Tax Implications on Family Breakdown, now in its second edition with Bloomsbury Professional.

Specialist tax advice on family breakdown and divorce

Sofia trained and qualified in personal tax at PwC before going onto work at Citigroup, specialising in deferred compensation. She holds the highest tax qualification in the UK as a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation and graduate from the University of Oxford with an MSc in Taxation. Since 2016, Sofia has been considered a leading expert in the field of tax on divorce and has vast experience of the tax issues that can arise during family breakdown.

Juno Family provides specialist tax consulting services to family law firms. At Juno Family, we understand the multifaceted regulatory environment in which law firms operate and we aim to provide straightforward advice on complicated UK tax issues. We have been a trusted tax partner to many Legal 500 law firms since 2016 by providing clear and concise reports that clients can understand and action.

We aim to place ourselves discreetly by your side to offer either one off or ongoing support during the process.  We are a boutique specialist firm, meaning that we can act quickly and have a strong underlying knowledge of your world and what it is you need from us.

As Featured:

Single Joint Expert

“a SJE should be used ‘wherever possible’. Not ‘ideally’ or ‘generally’ but ‘wherever possible’”
—  Justice Mostyn in J v J.

Our typical turnaround time is 20 – 25 working days. Examples of SJE we have been instructed on in the past year include:

  • Investment property/rollover relief on sale or transfer of properties
  • Capital gains tax implication on selling or transferring the main home
  • Tax implications of a Mesher Order versus a Deferred Charge
  • Tax implications of distributing a property portfolio

Expert Instruction

We can be instructed as an expert for one party,  through their solicitors firm  and provide complete transparency to ensure the solicitor or barrister can also rely on the advice given.

Our typical turnaround time is 20 to 25 working days, although this work usually requires a longer engagement to assist in implementing the advice. Examples of expert instructions we have been instructed on in the past year include:

  • Review of pension sharing order, lifetime allowance breach
  • Tax implications of offshore assets and income
  • Analysis of complex earnings structures
  • Availability and preservation of Entrepreneur’s Relief
  • Transfer of assets in Schedule 1 separation
  • Tax Implications of a ToLATA claim
  • UK tax implications of US trusts

A trusted tax partner to Top 500 law firms

Russell CookeGoodman RayMachinsIrwin Mitchell
Sofia Thomas
Sofia Thomas - Tax Specialist

Tax Implications on Family Breakdown, Second Edition

Co-written by leading tax expert, Sofia Thomas, and family lawyer, James Pirrie, this book provides answers to the common problems encountered in financial remedy cases in a way that assists professionals from each discipline.

The Second Edition covers a number of significant developments including:

– Up-to-date allowances and bands
– Changes to the rules regarding capital gains tax for divorcing couples
– Updated Stamp Duty Land Tax for couples
– Changes to corporation tax and its impact on how couples structure their finances
– Cryptoassets
– The tightening of the rules, heightened judicial expectations of the selection process and the ways in which experts deliver their assistance to the court
– All precedents are available as electronic downloads


Purchase the book

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you do mediation work?

Yes, Sofia can sit in on mediations to assist with any tax queries which may arise during the day. Depending on the length and complexities of the discussions Sofia can either attend a full day or part of the day.  For those clients with simpler tax issues, Sofia can also attend via conference call.

During the mediation Sofia will be able to advise on potential tax implications to provide accurate and up to date figures for a range of taxes.  In our experience this has proved extremely valuable as it has enabled the negotiations to continue with consideration of the tax implications.  These sessions are not appropriate for in-detail complex tax planning but they are incredibly useful for individuals who are considering several options on the day.

As part of mediation services, Sofia will provide a complete follow-up report  detailing all of the tax advice given during the meeting. These are completed usually within 3 working days of the mediation.

Who can rely on the advice?

Our engagement letters can stipulate that our clients’ solicitors and barristers can rely on our advice given.

Do you provide in-house tax expertise?

Yes, alongside attending your office for client meetings, training and talks, Sofia also runs all day tax surgeries in-house. Tax surgeries are proving increasingly popular with our firms. They run as follows, Sofia will attend your offices from 8am – 6pm, all staff members can book a time with Sofia to discuss cases, areas they find difficult or even personal tax queries.  During lunch Sofia will run a lunch and learn on all the current hot tax topics for Family lawyers.

After the day Sofia will follow up on all appointments with a 1-2 page report on what was discussed or advised. These all day tax surgeries cost £2,500 + VAT (and travel costs if outside London).

If you would like to book a tax surgery or a lunch and learn session for your offices please contact family@junotax.co.uk

Do you cover the whole of the UK?

Yes, though we are a London based firm, we cover Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands.

Can you liaise with HMRC directly for a client?

Yes, we are able to appoint ourselves as the authorised agent for the client meaning we can speak with HMRC about the clients’ specific tax affairs.  Once registered as their agent all post sent to the client will also be duplicated and sent to us.

How do I instruct Juno Family?

Please send an email to family@junotax.co.uk outlining the assets of the case and scenarios that you would like us to opine on. We will use this information to prepare a quote, confirm our turnaround times and will provide a copy of Sofia’s CV. We aim to provide quotes within 48 hours of receiving your email.

Do you hold your own Insurance?

Yes, at Juno Family we are fully insured and with each client engagement we highlight the relevant liability cap for the engagement. We are also regulated by the Chartered Institute of Taxation.