Victoria is a Senior Associate Solicitor and Collaborative Lawyer in our Chilgrove office who has experience in all areas of family law, including finances upon divorce and private children matters. Victoria has developed a particular specialism in international surrogacy. Victoria has become a specialist practitioner in this field regularly representing intended parents in arrangements entered into all over the world. Victoria has delivered seminars to peers promoting best practice and over the past few years three of Victoria’s recent complex international surrogacy cases have been reported in the national law archives as they all contained novel points of law to become precedent case law. 

As a member of Resolution and a trained Collaborative Lawyer, Victoria is committed to resolving disputes constructively and has successfully managed to settle a large proportion of her cases without needing to resort to litigation.

Victoria was named Rising Star two years’ running in the Legal 500 in 2022 and 2023, and was awarded Highly Commended in the Rising Star Award at the Resolution Awards 2024. The Resolution Award recognised Victoria’s “outstanding contributions to the family justice sector” and “unwavering commitment to the Resolution Code of Practice”.

Reported Cases 

PP & Anor v RR (leave to withdraw parental order application) Neutral Citation Number [2026] EWFC 172 Victoria represented the intended parents in this complex overseas surrogacy case concerning twin children born via a surrogacy arrangement in Sri Lanka. During the proceedings it became apparent that neither applicant had a genetic link to the children (owing to a mix up with the clinic using donor sperm) and the court was therefore not able to grant a parental order. Victoria successfully withdrew their application and persuaded the court to make an interim child arrangements order to confer parental responsibility and to grant them permission to adopt the children instead. The proceedings are ongoing, however, Mr Justice Peel handed down a written interim judgment on 1 July 2026.

Read the Judgment. 

Read more on our blog. 

Re J (A child) (Surrogacy: Adoption Order) [2025] EWHC 2960. Victoria represented the intended parents in a complex domestic surrogacy case. This case concerned a 2.5 year old child who was born via an informal domestic surrogacy arrangement whereby the intended parents met their surrogate through a Facebook group. It became apparent during the proceedings that the subject child was in fact not genetically related to either intended parent, despite a positive DNA test having been submitted to court. The judge found that all parties had provided untruthful evidence to the court at times and the court made various findings at the final hearing. The court eventually made an adoption order however with the following warning: “Nothing within this judgment should be read as my condoning the behaviour of any of the lay parties. No one reading this judgment should consider that the ends justified the means. No one reading this judgment should presume that on a similar set of facts a court in a future case will grant an adoption order.”

Read the Judgment.

Read more on our blog. 

QR (Parental Order: Dispensing with Consent: Proportionality) [2023] EWHC 3196 (Fam).  Victoria represented in the intended parents in an overseas surrogacy matter in India. The case concerned a 3 year old child and the application was made outside of the 6 month statutory time limit. Owing to the time that had passed since the child was born, the surrogate was unable to provide her consent as she had moved address and could not be found. The court ultimately dispensed with the need for the surrogate’s consent. The case shone a spotlight on the court’s approach to consent in surrogacy cases, in particular the need for “proportionality”, and in this case the cultural sensitivities at play in India surrounding surrogacy played a huge part in the court’s approach. 

Read the Judgment. 

Read more on our blog. 

Career History

Prior to joining Edward Cooke Family Law in May 2023, Victoria obtained over 10 years of family law experience in London. She practised as a specialist family lawyer in London for 5 years with a Central London Firm, having qualified into their Family Team in 2018.

Victoria actually started her legal career in 2012 in Central London, where she gained significant experience working as a paralegal at two leading Family Law Firms, assisting on complex high-net-worth matters, often with an international element, before starting her training contract in 2016.

Prior to that Victoria graduated from the University of the West of England with First Class Honours in Law (LLB) and went on to attain her Legal Practice Course at the College of Law in Guildford, where she obtained a commendation.

Areas of Work

Victoria is experienced in dealing with all areas of family law work, including financial issues arising on divorce and separation, child arrangements, relocation cases, nuptial agreements and surrogacy arrangements (usually with an international element).

Professional Background

Victoria is a member of Resolution.

Client Feedback

Victoria was ranked as a rising star two years’ running in the Legal 500 directory 2022 and 2023 edition and a Recommended Lawyer since 2024. 

Legal 500 2026

"Victoria Maxwell is an outstandingly brilliant surrogacy lawyer. She is a delight to work with and always one step ahead. Her forensic skills make her well placed to deal with difficult litigation more generally. Clients adore her and she gives clear and realistic advice."

Legal 500 2025

"Victoria Maxwell undertakes very difficult and complex surrogacy cases. She deals with them with sensitivity and care. Her knowledge of surrogacy law is second to none and her case preparation is always exemplary."

Legal 500 2024

 “Victoria Maxwell at Edward Cooke Family Law is an exceptionally bright, forward thinking solicitor with a special interest and expertise in surrogacy cases."

Legal 500 2023

 “I have worked with Victoria on a number of complex surrogacy cases. She is a first class lawyer who has rightly acquired a reputation as one of the go to lawyers for surrogacy cases. She continually punches above her weight and has the knowledge, wisdom and experience of a partner.”

“Victoria Maxwell is a great family lawyer. Very friendly manners, available on short notice, super responsive. She has developed an excellent knowledge of all issues regarding surrogacy (including the recognition of foreign surrogacy into the UK).”

Legal 500 2022

“Extremely knowledgeable and experienced in complicated international surrogacy cases. She has vast experience dealing with other aspects of the HFEA 2008, she is forensic in her analysis when it comes to dealing with difficult cases.”

Legal 500 2021

“Victoria Maxwell is exceptional. She is a natural in dealing with complex international surrogacy cases. I often forget that she is only a few years’ PQE, as she has the knowledge and wisdom of a partner, without being over confident.”

Outside of Work

Victoria grew up on a farm near Chilgrove and following a decade in London has moved back to her roots.

Outside of work Victoria can usually be found in the kitchen cooking up a storm or walking through the South Downs.