Sital Fontenelle

 

Sital is a partner and head of the Kingsley Napley family team, where she specialises in complex financial matters within a divorce, including international jurisdictional cases, negotiating and drafting  pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements as well as every aspect of private children law cases. 

Sital’s areas of practice include all aspects of private family work, with particular expertise in financial remedy proceedings often involving an international dimension. Sital has extensive experience in complex cases involving off-shore trusts, family businesses, tracing assets and inherited wealth. 

Sital is an active member of the Resolution Cohabitation committee and has considerable experience in dealing with claims arising for cohabiting couples and their children. 

Sital is also highly experienced in all private children matters including applications for leave to remove from the jurisdiction, change of school and child arrangements generally. 

Sital is known for her tactical approach and likes to push boundaries to find a solution for her clients when they are dealing with a difficult time in their life. She provides constructive and pragmatic advice to achieve her client's goals and strives to obtain a positive result for all concerned. 
 
Sital is recognised as a leader in her field in the recent legal directories, including Chambers High Net Worth Guide, Legal 500 UK, Chambers UK and Spears. As well as being listed in the ' Top Recommended' tier in the Spear's Family Law Index and recognised in eprivateclient's 50 Most Influential 2025. She won silver in the Woman of the Year - Future Leaders (Partner) category at the Powerwomen Awards 2020. She was also shortlisted in 2018 for the Family Lawyer of the Year - Partner in the Citywealth Future Leaders Awards 2018.

PUBLICATIONS, PRESS AND SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

Publications & press:

• Russian billionaire’s wife wins six-year battle to have divorce claim heard in England - The Telegraph, September 2025
• Private judging increasingly popular in resolving financial aspects of divorce - eprivateclient, February 2025
• EXCLUSIVE: 2025 eprivateclient 50 Most Influential revealed - eprivate client, January 2025
• Family Justice Council publishes guidance on parental alienation - eprivateclient, December 2024
• Family court urged to prioritise domestic abuse allegations over parental alienation claims - Today's Family Lawyer, December 2024
• Lawyers welcome 'parental alienation' guidance - The Law Society Gazette, December 2024
• Contributor to Resolution’s report on Domestic Abuse in Financial Remedy proceedings 2024.
• The 2024 eprivateclient Excellence Award winning law firm weathering the economic storm - eprivateclient, July 2024
• ONS data reveal national marriage rebound - eprivateclient, June 2024 (subscription required)
• Love is in the air: The most popular places for marriage in England and Wales - The Independent, June 2024
• International Women's Day with Sital Fontenelle - ThoughtLeaders4, March 2024
• My legal life: Sital Fontenelle - Law Society Gazette, March 2024
• Review of the latest ONS statistics - The Divorce Magazine, March 2024
• Divorce plummet by 29.5 percent following mandatory waiting period introduction - ePrivateClient, March 2024
• Divorce rate plummets - Today's Family Lawyer, March 2024
• What's love got to do with it? Everything - but money still talks - ThoughtLeaders4 HNW Divorce Magazine, February 2024
• Why Are Marriage Rates Falling in England and Wales? Edge Media, February 2024
• ONS's annual cohabitation statistics - CityWealth, February 2024
• Proportion of adults married or in a civil partnerships falls below 50% - The Standard, January 2024
• Proportion of people married or in civil partnerships falls below 50% - ITV, January 2024
• Proportion of people married or in civil partnerships falls below 50% - The Independent, January 2024
• Proportion of married people in England and Wales falls below 50% for first time - The Guardian, January 2024
• Property shunning marriage as they prioritise property and children - The Telegraph, January 2024
• ONS data shows cohabiting couples fastest growing family type in UK - ePrivateClient, January 2024
• Changing legal backdrop could erode London's appeal as divorce capital - ePrivateClient, January 2024
• Who's Moving Where In Wealth Management? - SuMi, TRUST, Kingsley Napley, Others - WealthBriefing, January 2024
• Kingsley Napley names new head of its family & divorce team - ePrivateClient, January 2024
• Lawyers urge UK ministers to speed up reform of cohabitation rights, Financial Times, 2023 (subscription required)
• Ex-husband to Princess Marie-Therese handed prison sentence in divorce battle, Spear's Magazine, February 2022
• Private justice in family courts is key, The Times, December 2021
• The melting pot of a divorce, a pandemic and an uncertain housing market, Family Law LexisNexis, July 2020
• The melting pot of a divorce, a pandemic & an uncertain housing market, Prime Resi Journal of Luxury Property, June 2020 (subscription required)
• Even Hollywood wives feel aggrieved about child support, quoted in The Sunday Times, August 2018
• "Good practice guide in Cohabitation cases" Resolution, 2017 
• The concept of 'Special Contributions' in financial remedy proceedings - International Bar Association Newsletter, October 2016.
• Resolution Cohabitations Agreements - October 2016 
• Cohabitations Claims - Contributor to the Resolution Book, April 2011
• Interview for LNTV, impact of Imerman v Tchenguiz and UL v BK (Freezing Orders), 2010 
• "Shared Intentions" Article examining the case of Stack v Dowden and the impact for cohabiting couples - New Law Journal, June 2007 

Speaking:

• Speaker for ThoughtLeaders4 HNW Divorce Litigation - 4th Annual Flagship Conference 2024
• Speaker for ThoughtLeaders4 Private Client Advisory and Litigation Forum: Paris 2024
• Speaker at Informa International Trust and Private Client conference
•  Jersey and Guernsey 2023 on “Modernising Trusts”
• Judge for the LexisNexis Family Law Awards 2023
• Invited to speak on “Protection of Trusts upon divorce” at STEP Monaco 2023
• Presenting on “Trusts and divorce” at the Trust & Estates Litigation Forum 2022, Marrakesh
• Presenting the Jordan’s family law case round-up, 2021.
• Speaker at Resolution seminar: “International Cohabitation: practice and policy” May 2021.
• Speaker at the Cohabitation workshops at Resolution Conference in 2011 and 2017. 

 

What clients and directories say

Sital Fontenelle is one of the stars of the future. She's achieved a lot already but she's definitely one to watch. She will be one of the leading solicitors in her field."

Chambers HNW 2025

She brings a real energy is to do the best by the client in the most efficient and collaborative way possible."

Chambers and Partners, 2025

Sital Fontenelle fights really hard for her clients. She has bags of energy and ideas - and never lets go if she thinks she is right."

Legal 500, 2025

She is great at what she does and will go even further. Brilliant with international family law cases."

Chambers and Partners, High Net Worth Guide 2024

Sital is a really good litigator with a great practice in prenuptial agreements; she always sorts them out really quickly. She is very pleasant to work with."

Chambers and Partners, High Net Worth Guide 2024

Sital is an absolute star."

Chambers and Partners, High Net Worth Guide 2024

Sital is extremely relentless in her support of her clients. She goes to the ends of the earth for clients, and never switches off. She is very down to earth and direct, approachable and accessible."

Chambers and Partners, High Net Worth Guide 2023

Sital is a tough and effective negotiator. She fights your corner."

Chambers  and Partners, High Net Worth Guide 2023 2023   

She is a joy to deal with and is the full package. She cares deeply about her clients and is strategic and robust. She is very emotionally attuned and sensitive to her clients' family dynamics."

Chambers UK, 2023

Sital is one of my favourite lawyers in the market; she's a real breath of fresh air. She's direct and straightforward, but very approachable and accessible."
Chambers UK, 2023

A wonderful lawyer who is very personable, client-friendly and pragmatic."

Chambers UK, 2023

She's knowledgeable, experienced and a go-to for complicated matters."
Chambers UK, 2023

She really grapples with some of the most complex points and doesn't shy away from them. She is very tactical and sensible in her approach."
Chambers UK, 2023

An absolute star - she is a brilliant litigator."
Legal 500, 2023

 

Professional societies/memberships and awards

• Listed in the 'Top Recommended' in the Spear's 500 Family Law Index
• Resolution 
• Committee member of Cohabitation Working Party
• Listed as a Citywealth Leader in Family and Matrimonial
• Chambers UK
• Chambers HNW
• The Legal 500
• Doyle's Guide 2025, Leading, Family & Divorce Lawyer

 

REPORTED CASES

• AH & BH (Premarital Agreement) [2024] EWFC 125 - Acted for a wife who successfully challenged her prenuptial agreement.
• X v Y (Child Arrangements Order) [2019] EWHC 2872 (Fam) - Appeal to the High Court in respect of first instance judge’s decision unilaterally to make an order that the child live with his mother. Permission to appeal granted and substantive appeal resolved at hearing.
• AH v BH [2024] EWFC 125.