Ayesha Vardag

Vardag’s training in matrimonial law was as one of two assistants to Raymond Tooth, senior partner at London law firm, Sears Tooth, and co-founder of the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, an invitation-only organisation which now consists of over 500 of the world's leading family lawyers.

In 2017, in a four year-long divorce case complicated by a dispute over whether jurisdiction lay in the UK or Malaysia, Vardag represented London-based former Malaysian beauty queen Pauline Chai whose Malaysian tycoon husband and non-executive chair of Laura Ashley Holdings, Khoo Kay Peng, wanted the case heard in their original homeland. Vardag's jurisdiction argument was decided in favour of her client and ultimately a UK court awarded a settlement of £64 million to Chai -- one of the largest ever family law settlements in the UK.

Vardag is married to Stephen Bence, a financial consultant who is director of strategy at Vardags Ltd. As of April 2016, the couple has five children.

In 2010 Vardag was initially involved with a Radmacher v Granatino, which allowed a prenuptial agreement for the first time in the UK. German heiress Katrin Radmacher won a ruling holding that the prenup drawn up to protect Radmacher’s £100 million fortune from her French-born husband Nicolas Granatino, was legally binding. While the case established for the first time that prenups are enforceable in the UK, courts still retain the discretionary right to veto them if they are found to be unfair. Vardags was removed and replaced from the case by the client before the close of the trial.

Vardag founded Ayesha Vardag solicitors in 2005, which incorporated as Vardags in May 2010.

Vardag qualified as a solicitor in 1996 and was initially trained at Linklaters.

Ayesha Mary Barbara Vardag (born March 1968) is an English solicitor. Her Supreme Court victory in the 2010 case Radmacher v Granatino, is noted for a strengthening of prenuptial agreements' status in English law. By allowing the Radmacher v Granatino prenup to stand, the Supreme Court justices opened the door to consideration of all prenups in Family Law cases. The result was that such agreements became likely to be upheld, except if found to be unfair, in which case the presiding judge has the right to waive.