Emma Brunning

Emma joined Birketts in spring 2014, having worked as a family lawyer in well-respected firms in Essex (mainly in Chelmsford) throughout her career. She is a Partner in our Family Team and is a qualified Arbitrator in respect of financial matters arising from separation and divorce.

Emma assists clients with a full range of issues involving family law, including:

• cohabitation agreements;
• pre-marital agreements (that is ‘pre-nups’);
• divorce and financial issues arising from divorce;
• disputes involving Children;
• unmarried couples dealing with financial issues arising from separation;
• issues surrounding same sex couples;
• legal separation agreements;
• domestic violence and injunctions.

Emma is a Resolution accredited specialist in Advance Financial Provision 1 and Private Children Law. She is a trained collaborative lawyer, giving her clients the option to resolve their difficulties in a non-contentious manner.

Emma qualified as a Solicitor in October 1997. She has developed a particular interest in financial issues surrounding relationships and disputes between parents and children. Many of her clients have complex financial arrangements or face extremely difficult decisions around ongoing arrangements for their children.

Having assisted clients with family law problems for many years, Emma understands the emotional turmoil that comes with relationship breakdowns and dealing with important family decisions. Each situation is unique and Emma tailors her advice to suit her clients’ individual circumstances.

Emma aims to reach constructive solutions with minimum conflict and expense. She believes it is important to negotiate a settlement with minimum court involvement, wherever possible. Where a case needs input from a judge, she is experienced in working within the court process to achieve your final objective wherever possible.

Emma aims to reach constructive solutions with minimum conflict and expense. She has worked within the local and London family justice system for over 20 years and appreciates the challenges the system faces. She believes it is important to negotiate a settlement with minimum court involvement, wherever possible. Emma believes that Arbitration, Mediation and Collaborative law all have a role to avoid the acrimony and delays the court system can inadvertently cause. Where a case needs input from a judge, she is experienced in working within the court process to achieve your final objective wherever possible.

Emma is recommended and named as a ‘Leading Individual’ by Legal 500 [UK 2024]. In this edition, a client notes “Emma Brunning – she has a quiet steel to her. Resolute in her support of her clients, able to give them clear and realistic advice and thinks ahead in order to get the best result.”

Emma is ranked by Chambers [UK 2024]. A client in this edition says “Emma is incredibly client-focused with an astonishing eye for detail.” Another adds “She is a really impressive lawyer and extremely personable.”

Recent client feedback for Emma includes: “Thank you so much for your help through this, which you know I found highly distressing. Your professional approach and skill were of great value to me, but you also cared which was very much appreciated.”

When she is not working, Emma focuses on her family and her community. Emma is a wife and mother. She lives in a small village in Essex and believes that community can play an important role in life. She is a Parish Councillor for her local village.

Emma is based in our Chelmsford office.

Emma is recommended and named as a ‘Leading Individual’ by Legal 500 [UK 2024]. In this edition, a client notes “Emma Brunning – she has a quiet steel to her. Resolute in her support of her clients, able to give them clear and realistic advice and thinks ahead in order to get the best result.”

Clients in the previous edition said “Emma Brunning gives approachable, pragmatic and commercially orientated advice.” Another added “Emma Brunning is incredibly hardworking, efficient and knowledgeable. Emma is strategically astute and has great judgement.”

Clients in an earlier edition noted “I consider Emma Brunning to be an excellent family solicitor, who is clever and committed to her client’s cause, but also able to provide the necessary advice and guidance that they sometimes do not want to hear. However, her clients trust her and she instils confidence. Emma is a pleasure to work with and her instructions and e-bundles are immaculate.” Another added “Emma Brunning is kind and caring and very sympathetic and tactful when dealing with emotional issues. She was a pillar of strength to me at times and also gave me a realistic perspective on my situation moving forward. She was always fair and balanced in her advice and I feel very lucky to have her represent me.”

Emma is ranked by Chambers [UK 2024]. A client in this edition says “Emma is incredibly client-focused with an astonishing eye for detail.” Another adds “She is a really impressive lawyer and extremely personable.”

In the previous edition, a client described Emma as “really efficient and is always on point”. An earlier edition noted “She has been kind and considerate of a delicate situation. She was available more than I could have expected when I needed her. She has given sound advice that was in my family’s best interests while remaining fair.” Emma also wins praise from sources for her “down-to-earth, sensible advice”. A client reports: “Emma has helped me through one of the hardest times my life. The support and advice she has given me over the last few months has been incredible.”

Recent client feedback for Emma includes: “Thank you so much for your help through this, which you know I found highly distressing. Your professional approach and skill were of great value to me, but you also cared which was very much appreciated.”

When she is not working, Emma focuses on her family and her community. Emma is a wife and mother. She lives in a small village in Essex and believes that community can play an important role in life. She is a Parish Councillor for her local village.