A formidable advocate, Valentine has been practising law for over 30 years, becoming a QC in 2002. He is particularly renowned for his talents in financial relief cases following marital breakdown.

He has a special interest in cases concerning trusts, both nuptial and non-nuptial. Other areas of expertise include disputes over jurisdiction, professional negligence arising from divorce cases, private law children's cases and the drafting of pre-nuptial agreements.

Chambers and Partners describes him as having "a fantastic legal brain and great presentation skills… particularly impressive on pre-nuptial agreements and jurisdictional conflicts", while the Legal 500 simply says he is “brilliant.”

Educated at Shrewsbury School and the University of Durham, he was called to the Bar in 1977. He is currently a member of the Family Law Bar Association, the Professional Negligence Bar Association, the Western Circuit and the Bar Council Professional Practice Committee.

Valentine says that he never tires of tackling a new challenge: “I have a deep interest in the facts. They vary enormously from case to case and are key to formulating the best possible strategy for the client. I find every case takes me into unexpected realms.”

Valentine balances his professional and family commitments with a long-standing love of Chelsea Football Club, where he has been a season ticket holder for many years.

Notable cases

Macleod v Macleod [2008] UKPC 64 [2009] 1 FLR 641 – Resulting in landmark legal judgement by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, regarding pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements

N v N and F Trust [2005] EWHC 2908 (Fam) [2006] 1 FLR 856 – Acted for successful applicant in post-nuptial settlement of Guernsey trust

Charalambous v Charalambous [2004] 2 FLR 1093 – Trusts / post-nuptial agreements