UK firm builds Australian family law powerhouse with Emera deal

Mona Emera and the Emera Family Law team will continue to operate the firm, with the deal providing Emera’s clients access to enhanced resources, operational expertise, and international perspectives gained from Stowe’s experience.

Stowe’s agreement with Emera builds on Stowe’s partnership with Australian east-coast-based firm Unified Lawyers, which was announced earlier this year.

Stowe has chosen Australia as a priority international market, with the firm highlighting Australia’s “mature legal system, strong regulatory alignment with the UK, and strong demand for high-quality family law services”.

The family law firm also recognised Australia’s market as presenting a strong cultural fit with shared client values, providing an ideal foundation for international expansion.

Stowe executive chairman Ken Fowlie talked about the expansion in Victoria, seeing it as an opportunity to bolster the firm in Australia and heighten its presence.

“Expanding in Victoria is a natural next step for Stowe as we continue to grow our presence in Australia,” Fowlie said.

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“Mona and her team bring deep expertise to their work and have built a strong reputation for helping people navigate family change in a way that aligns with our own values.

“Together, we see a real opportunity to strengthen access to a compassionate model for family law in Victoria, while continuing to invest in the people, systems and technology that help deliver an outstanding client experience.”

Fowlie holds a wealth of legal experience in Australia, having spent 20 years at Slater and Gordon Lawyers in Australia, where he was the Australian CEO and executive director, before moving to the United Kingdom in 2015, where he has held roles of Slater and Gordon CEO, non-executive director at Freshminds, and is currently at Stowe Family Law, where he has been chairman for over seven years.

Speaking to Lawyers Weekly, Fowlie was asked what the acquisition of Emera Family Law meant for Stowe’s growth strategy in Australia, and particularly Victoria.

“The firm indicated our desire to be part of the Australian market earlier this year, when we partnered with Unified Lawyers, and have been working with that team throughout the year,” Fowlie said.

“The Unified team has a small presence in Melbourne, but our view was that in order to be a participant in the Australian legal market you need to have at least a strong presence in both Sydney and Melbourne, and that was what attracted us to Emera was the fact that the team had established a really strong practice in Melbourne from a standing start over a short period of time.

“Mona is someone I have known for a really long time. I know her capabilities and values, so it made sense to want to build out [Stowe’s] presence in Melbourne alongside Mona.”

Fowlie spoke to Stowe’s specialist focus and access to technology, and how people and development resources will build on Emera’s already strong offering, combining technical excellence with compassionate, client-focused advice.

“With the nature of Stowe, we’ve been trying to build a practice over a long period of time that combines access to strong resources with a practice that is grounded on caring for clients and providing technical advice delivered with empathy and compassion,” Fowlie said.

“We are one of the largest family law practices in the world; that specialist focus and access to resources, be it technology, people and development, we think can only build on what Emera already has to offer, which is that compassionate, technically excellent advice.

“For us, it’s about adding those elements to what is already a really outstanding law firm.”

Mona Emera also spent the majority of her career at Slater and Gordon in Australia, finishing as a practice group leader before founding and becoming principal of Emera Family Law.

Mona Emera shared the excitement of combining her own law firm, built on supporting clients in a compassionate manner, with Stowe, which brings an abundance of resources and years of global expertise to ultimately form a family law powerhouse.

“Joining Stowe opens an exciting new chapter for Emera Family Law; we have always been committed to supporting our clients with empathy and care,” she said.

“Stowe shares that commitment and brings with it the opportunity to further innovate, including through the use of technology.

“With Stowe’s support, we will be able to build on what we have achieved and deepen the support we provide to our clients.”