Jennifer Roberts, High Court judge in ‘money’ divorce cases, 1953-2024

The Honourable Mrs Justice Jennifer Roberts, who presided over some of England’s most high-profile divorce cases and has died aged 71, was known both on and off the bench as an elegant master of her craft.

Within weeks of being appointed to the family division of the High Court in 2014, Roberts, known as Jenny, was handed one of the biggest-ever “money” divorce disputes. The case between hedge fund billionaire Sir Chris Hohn and his American wife Jamie Cooper-Hohn caused a press frenzy and resulted in one of the largest divorce settlements of the day, with a $530mn award.

The case was notable not only for the award but for how Roberts dealt with the media. She refused to grant a blanket ban on reporting, setting a key precedent for the coverage of such cases.

Dubbed for many years the “divorce capital of the world”, London has attracted a reputation as a venue for negotiating high-profile break-ups due to its generous approach to the financially weaker spouse. Roberts was at the centre of many such cases, including a 2016 dispute between former model Christina Estrada and her former husband Walid Juffali, in which Estrada’s demands included yearly payments of £40,000 for a new fur coat and £58,000 for luxury handbags.

Despite having just been diagnosed with breast cancer when she began hearing the Hohn case, Roberts waited until its conclusion to start treatment. Her situation, which was not made public at the time, was an example of the professionalism, dedication and kindness that characterised her career, according to friends and colleagues.

“If a book were ever to be written about life in the High Court Family Division, Mrs Justice Roberts’ name would be writ large within it,” Sir Andrew McFarlane, president of the family division, said in a valedictory speech. “Jenny’s work ethic was manifest and constant. She took on the heaviest money cases . . . [but she was] not a judge who looked to make a name for herself.”

Born on March 3 1953, in Southampton, Roberts spent part of her early childhood in Sudan where her parents had met and married while working in the armed forces. She had two younger brothers, one of whom was a pilot and died in a jet accident in 1991. Her grandfather was a lawyer in Southampton and predicted her pursuit of the law, according to her brother Simon Halden.

Roberts had an unconventional route to the Bar. She married one week after her 18th birthday, had two daughters and worked stints as a model and for Island Records. In her thirties, she embarked on a law degree at Southampton University and was awarded a first.

“She was a remarkable story. A lot of the time she was doing her studies at night,” said Halden. “That determination, that steel, that ability for hard work that she had [was incredible].”

Roberts was called to the Bar in 1988 and taken on as a junior barrister at one of the country’s top sets — Queen Elizabeth Building. Starting out about a decade after most barristers, she built up a practice of financial and child cases that led to the matrimonial finance work.

She is remembered by peers for her generosity. In 1990, barely two years into her career, she was on a case opposite Lewis Marks KC, later a colleague at QEB, involving the care of children, where both barristers were feeling out of their depth. Roberts “put me completely at my ease”, Marks recalls, and advised that as counsel for the guardian the judge “will always agree with you”, which they did. Such acts of collegiality were frequent, according to those that worked with her.

During her time in the family division of the High Court, Roberts also dealt with high-profile cases involving children, ruling on a number of difficult issues related to medical treatment for young people. In 2019, she decided that a 14-year-old Jehovah’s Witness could receive a blood transfusion as part of his cancer treatment, after his family had declined consent due to their religious beliefs.

Always seen with a Hermes bag and strings of Chanel pearls around her neck, Roberts was known for her love of style and nicknamed “Duchess” by her colleagues. “She loved fashion as art,” said Elizabeth Clarke, a colleague and close friend at QEB. Even in the last months of her life, she wore an “elegant cashmere beanie”, said Clarke.

Roberts’ husband, Richard Roberts, who worked in recruitment, died in 2004. She is survived by her two daughters and six grandchildren.

“I don’t think there could be many people, if any, who had been in her court and received a judgment and thought they hadn’t had a fair crack at the whip,” said Marks. “They don’t make judges like her any more.”

Suzi Ring