Carolina Marín Pedreño

Partner and Head of Children Department
“She is one of the leading international child abduction lawyers in the country. She has a very fine tactical sense and good client care”Chambers UK 2024
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Profile

Carolina is Head of the Children Department; awarded the highest ranking as Band 1 by Chambers & Partners for Family Children Law: Cross-Border Disputes. 

Described by sources as “absolutely superb”, Carolina is an award winning “International Lawyer of the Year” and The Times “Lawyer of the Week”. Consistently ranked by Chambers & Partners and The Legal 500 as a “Leading Partner”, she is highly sought after as “one of the foremost international children lawyers”, acting for high net worth individuals and the publicly funded alike.

Her specialisms include child abduction, registration and enforcement of foreign contact orders, leave to remove, residence, contact and public law cases. She is a Resolution Accredited Specialist in Child Abduction and Private Children Law – disputes between parents or relatives. She also has experience in the law relating to surrogacy (both domestic and international), family formation and assisted reproduction rights. 

Carolina is the elected Vice President of the International Academy of Family Lawyers, President of the Human Rights Commission of the Union Internationale des Avocats (UIA), Vice President of the UIA’s Family Commission, Vice President of AIJUDEFA, the Association of Spanish speaking family lawyers based in Chile and the former President of the Westminster & Holborn Law Society.  She is a member of the International Committee of Resolution and co-chair of the European Family Justice Observatory.

As a dual qualified Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales and Spanish Abogado, she is also Head of the firm’s Spanish Desk. She is the elected Executive member for international affairs of the Bar Association of Murcia and Founder and Secretary of the Spanish Association of Collaborative Lawyers. In 2016, she participated, at the request of the Spanish Judicial Council, in the training of the Spanish Judiciary in international family law.

Carolina has a degree in law from the University of Murcia, Spain and studied international family law at the Università degli Studi Magna Græcia, Italy on a European Commission “Erasmus” scholarship. She joined Dawson Cornwell in 2003 having won a second European Commission scholarship and qualified as a European Lawyer in this jurisdiction in 2004.

Carolina is a frequent lecturer and author on family law and has been interviewed by the press on many occasions. She has acted in many of the leading cases in the field of international children law, including cases in the Supreme Court and the European Court of Human Rights. 

Carolina’s first language is Spanish. She also speaks fluent Italian.

Awards & Recognitions
  • Highly Commended in the International Family Lawyer of the Year category at the LexisNexis Family Law Awards 2024
  • Included in the inaugural Pro Bono Recognition List 2024
  • Shortlisted for the Family Law Awards 2023 family Law Partner of the Year
  • Listed in the Todojuristas.com Ranking of Law Professors 2023, recognising professionals from the legal sector who combine their daily work with teaching activity in Universities and Business Schools in Spain
  • Recognised in the Business Today list of Top 10 London Lawyers Navigating Cross-Border Children Disputes (July 2023)
  • Winner Jordans Family Law Awards "International Lawyer of the Year" 2016
  • Selected by the USA Embassy in UK to participate in their highly prestigious US State Department International Visitors Leadership Program  2016,  in their multi-regional project, "Children in the US Justice System" (2016)
  • Selected to participate in the exchange programme between The Law Society and The Bar Association of Sao Paulo (2015).
  • The Times’ Lawyer of the Week for her successful representation of a client in the first case with Russia following their ratification of The Hague 1996 Convention (September 2014)
  • International Academy of Family Lawyers First European Chapter Award for Young Family Lawyers for her essay  “The Brussels II bis Regulation – Five Years On and Proposal for Reform”(2011)
Rankings

Leading Individual (Band 1)
Carolina Marín Pedreño is head of the firm's children department and has a wealth of international expertise including leave to remove matters and cross-border abduction cases. As a native Spanish speaker who is dual-qualified in Spain and England and Wales, she frequently advises clients on cases concerning Spain and Latin American jurisdictions. "Her level of knowledge of international child abduction law is encyclopaedic and her insight and tactics first-rate." "Carolina Marín Pedreño is one of the top child abduction lawyers in the UK. She is very well-connected and knowledgeable." "Carolina's experience is considerable and she is a guiding hand in ensuring the major cases in which she is involved run right. She is an innovator." "She is the solicitor everyone wants for international child abduction cases. She is not only committed to private children law work, but an expert in dealing with a whole range of vulnerable clients." "Carolina is a very experienced solicitor in surrogacy and international cases. She is a good tactician who always has good ideas regarding the direction of the case."
Chambers UK 2025

Leading Partner
“Carolina Marín Pedreño has a huge depth of expertise and experience in both international and domestic proceedings involving children. She leads her very able team and is widely respected by them."
Legal 500 2025

Leading Children Lawyer
Carolina Marín Pedreño was recognised as Preeminent in the "Leading Children Lawyers" category as well as being recognised in the "Leading Family & Divorce Lawyers" category.
London edition of the 2024 Doyle's guide

Leading Individual (Band 1)
Carolina Marín Pedreño is head of the firm's children department and has a wealth of international expertise including leave to remove matters and cross-border abduction cases. As a native Spanish speaker who is dual-qualified in Spain and England and Wales, she frequently advises clients on cases concerning Spain and Latin American jurisdictions. “I know a client is in good hands when working with Carolina - she goes out of her way and fights for them while being very compassionate.” “She is one of the leading international child abduction lawyers in the country. She has a very fine tactical sense and good client care.” “Carolina is hugely experienced in the field and has a very good strategic mind. She knows the law inside out and back to front and she is very good with clients.” "Carolina is incredibly well connected with lawyers in other jurisdictions. If you need an expert she always knows the best person to approach."
Chambers UK 2024

Leading Individual
“Carolina Marín Pedreño is a practitioner of great experience, and of the highest international, as well as domestic, standing, with recognition at governmental level, and in her membership and leadership of prominent international bodies.” "Carolina Marin Pedreño is renowned for her skill in family law around the globe." Carolina Marin Pedreño is a "standout partner in an international children law department with significant depth."
Legal 500 2024

Leading Individual (Band 1)
Carolina Marín Pedreño frequently advises clients on issues with Spanish or Latin American elements. She has considerable experience of acting on behalf of clients on leave to remove matters and cross-border abduction cases. "Carolina is exceptionally brilliant with clients. She is great at reassuring them, exploring complicated concepts and navigating them through the world of family law together." "She is always up to date, pragmatic and responsive." "She picks up on all of the issues involved quickly but her biggest strength is her international connections." "She offers an extraordinary level of technical preparation, listening, answering, warmness and humour!"
Chambers UK 2023

Next Generation Partner
“Carolina Marin Pedreño is a highly dedicated lawyer who was my solicitor for a child abduction issue. She is hardworking, professional, tactical, strategic and aims to resolve matters in a non-confrontational way. Carolina even took my messages while on vacation and her advise was always spot on. Her team is excellent.”
Legal 500 2023

Leading Individual (Band 1)
A specific area of strength for Carolina Marín Pedreño lies in advising clients on issues with Spanish or Latin American elements. She has considerable experience of acting on behalf of clients on leave to remove matters and cross-border abduction cases. "She's personable, constructive and collaborative." "She's hugely experienced with an international profile. She is extraordinarily good with clients and sees cases in a strategic way. She's hugely talented and takes on many big cases. She's first class." "She is an experienced cross-border children lawyer who is very capable."
Chambers UK 2022

Next Generation Partner
“Carolina Marin Pedreño — hardworking, tactical, impressively intelligent Head of the Children Team. Particularly strong on international children cases with a real feel for the right answer or the optimal answer for a client.”
Legal 500 2022

Leading Individual (Band 1)
A specific area of strength for Carolina Marín Pedreño lies in advising clients on issues with Spanish or Latin American elements. She has considerable experience of acting on behalf of clients on leave to remove matters, cross-border abduction cases and financial disputes. "Without exception clients tell me how much they have enjoyed working with her and how supportive she is. She is absolutely brilliant." "She is a walking encyclopaedia regarding cross-border issues. She has a very clear way of explaining the most difficult and complex cases regarding jurisdiction and applicable law." "She's absolutely superb and has a fantastic grounding in all manner of international law."
Chambers UK 2021

Next Generation Partner
Carolina Marin Pedreño “has strong experience at the highest level of international cases. Her tactical judgement is excellent, and her international links and knowledge are impressive.”
Legal 500 2021

Leading Individual (Band 1)
Carolina Marín Pedreño is a well-regarded bilingual practitioner who has extensive experience in Spanish and Latin American matters. Her international practice encompasses abduction, leave to remove and care proceedings, as well as cross-border financial disputes. One source remarks: "She is an extremely conscientious and competent lawyer who always acts with integrity and with her clients' best interests at heart."
Chambers & Partners 2020

Next Generation Partner
"Carolina Marín Pedreño has a great client manner and a very good tactical mind".
Legal 500 2020

Leading Individual (Band 1)
Carolina Marín Pedreño "always wants the best for her clients" and is "fearless, enormously experienced and extremely conscientious," according to interviewees. She is highlighted for her strength in matters involving the international abduction of children, as well as cases involving contact and residence orders.
Chambers & Partners 2019

Leading Individual (Band 1)
Carolina Marín Pedreño has earned a reputation as one of the foremost international children lawyers, offering particular expertise in cases with a Spanish element as a dual-qualified practitioner. Interviewees describe her as "a wonderful professional with great knowledge of both UK and Spanish children law at the same time as international regulation."
Chambers & Partners 2018

Carolina has “strong experience at the highest level of international cases”.
Legal 500 2017

Leading Individual (Band 1)
Carolina Marín Pedreño is "absolutely superb: very sure-footed and authoritative" and "provides certainty in the labyrinth of EU law on relocation and child abduction cases," according to commentators. She is qualified in both the UK and Spain and is an industry expert in multi-jurisdictional child issues.
Chambers & Partners 2017

Leading Individual
EU Law expert Carolina Marín Pedreño is a go-to practitioner for cross-border work involving both public and private children cases. Interviewees describe her as “very experienced and aware of all the new movements coming out” noting that she is “very good with clients and great in a crisis”.
Chambers & Partners 2016

“very experienced in international cases at the highest level”.
Legal 500 2016

Leading Individual
Carolina Marín Pedreño is an experienced children law practitioner with expertise in international private law proceedings and particular strength in Anglo-Iberian matters.
Chambers & Partners 2015

“pleasant and absolutely dedicated to clients”.
Legal 500 2015

Leading Individual
Carolina Marín Pedreño handles a range of cross-border cases and is noted for her capacity to advise Spanish clients and Spanish speaking clients, which is aided by her Spanish language skills and her dual qualification in England & Wales and Spain.
Chambers & Partners 2014

Leading Individual
She “has a deep understanding of these cases and she is able to predict what is going to happen and what is the best thing to do at each moment in time”. She is a dual qualified English lawyer and Spanish Abogado, and regularly acts for Spanish speaking clients and individuals whose cases involve Spanish speaking countries. She is noted for her particular specialism in cross-border children matters.
Chambers & Partners 2013

Media
Reported Cases
2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
Publications

Carolina has written numerous articles both in English and in Spanish language legal journals including:

Emergency Line