Maria Conesa Gonzalez

Maria joined Judge & Priestley in March 2020 and is a Partner in the Family Department .

Experience

Maria started her practice in England and Wales in late 2011, and since then has worked at leading law firms in London where she gained experience in all aspects of family law. Maria has a special interest and experience in children disputes and cases involving cross border disputes, such as child abduction, registration and enforcement of foreign orders or applications for leave to remove. She is accredited by Resolution as a Specialist on private law children and child abduction reflecting her experience in those areas of law. Maria appears as recommended lawyer by the Legal 500 Editorial in 2017 who describes her as “Very experienced in Cross-border disputes”. Maria qualified as a Registered European Lawyer in England and Wales in 2015 and as a solicitor in 2018.

Maria is also qualified as a Spanish lawyer, “Abogada”, and registered with the Murcia Bar Society in Spain and is a member of its commission on international private law.

Maria often attends conferences both in England and abroad, as attendee and also as a speaker.

Maria speaks fluent Spanish and English and understands Italian.

Maria’s reported cases include:

• Re A (Children) [2019] EWHC 2334 (Fam) representing one of the interveners at a Fact Finding hearing within wardship proceedings.
• Re B (A Minor: Habitual Residence) [2016] EWHC 2174 (Fam), regarding the return of the parties’ daughter to the US under the Hague Convention 1989.

Memberships and Accreditations

Maria is a member of Resolution, accredited as a specialist on private law children and child abduction; a member of the Child Abduction Lawyers Association (CALA); of the Spanish Association of Family Lawyers (AEAFA); recommended solicitor by Reunite International as a specialist on child abduction matters; and a member of the commission of young solicitors at AIJUDEFA. She is also registered with Murcia Bar Association in Spain and a member of its International Private Law Commission.

Outside of Work

Maria enjoys travelling and spending time with family and friends.