Raymond Clive Tooth is a matrimonial and

family law Family law (also called matrimonial law or the law of domestic relations) is an area of the law that deals with family matters and domestic relations. Overview Subjects that commonly fall under a nation's body of family law include: * Marriage ...

lawyer and racehorse owner in the United Kingdom. He represents the wives of male celebrities in high-profile divorces.

Education and career

Tooth attended several schools before earning his law degree, including

Dragon School ("Reach for the Sun") , established = 1877 , closed = , type = Preparatory day and boarding school and Pre-Prep school , religion = Church of England , president = , head_label = Head , head = Emma Goldsm ...

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, Kings School in

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...

and

University College In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies ...

in Oxford. In 1966, Tooth became a qualified lawyer. Since then, he has worked for several

law firms A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to r ...

, such as A&G Tooth (1966–70), Payne Hicks Beach (1970–77) and Colombotti Alkin (1977–82). In 1986 Tooth and other international family lawyers, including

Fiona Shackleton Fiona Sara Shackleton, Baroness Shackleton of Belgravia, (''née'' Charkham; born 26 May 1956) is an English solicitor and Conservative politician, who has represented members of the British royal family and celebrities, including Sir Paul McC ...

, co-founded the

International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

, an invitation only organisation which now consists of over 500 of the world's leading family lawyers. In 1982, Tooth established his own law firm, Raymond Tooth and Co. Later on, the firm would be renamed Sears Tooth. The firm, based out of London, consists of two partners, one assistant solicitor, and three other fee earners. Despite the firm's relatively small size, their cases are often reported in British law reports more frequently than some larger firms. Sears Tooth was involved in the prominent Miller vs. Miller

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

case. In addition to high-profile divorces, Tooth and his firm also handle cases that prevent the removal or dissipation of assets and domestic violence as well.Sears Tooth Legal 500 Profile
/ref> He charges roughly £450 per hour.The real cost of divorce
news.bbc.co.uk, 25 October 2006, accessed 23 May 2009. His firm originated the eponymous "Sears Tooth agreement", a deed that assigns the client's winnings to the solicitor to enable the client to fund the case. He has earned the nickname Jaws for the manner in which he fights for his clients money in the courtroom. He is also a member of the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. He has gone up against several high-profile British celebrities, such as Jude Law,

Michael Barrymore Michael Ciaran Parker (born 4 May 1952), known by his stage name Michael Barrymore, is an English actor, comedian and television presenter of game shows and light entertainment programmes on British television in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s ...

and

Colin Montgomerie Colin Stuart Montgomerie, OBE (born 23 June 1963) is a Scottish professional golfer. He has won a record eight European Tour Order of Merit titles, including a streak of seven consecutively from 1993 to 1999. He has won 31 European Tour events ...

. Tooth, never one to shy away from controversial advice, was once quoted as saying: ''"A rich man in my view should not marry a poor woman. If he does, then he must have a pre-nuptial agreement."'' He runs his business by the motto: ''"Don't get even, get Tooth."'' Despite his tendency to be involved in and win high-profile cases, Tooth was sued in 2005 by a former client and non-celebrity, Olga Spasic. In the end, he was found by the court to have overcharged her for his services by £12,000.,

List of celebrity clients

Sadie Frost Sadie Liza Frost (née Vaughan; born 19 June 1965) is an English actress, producer and fashion designer, who ran fashion label Frost French (until its closure in 2011) and a film production company (Blonde to Black Pictures). Early life Frost ...

(divorced Jude Law) *

Cheryl Barrymore Cheryl Carlisa Barrymore (''née'' Cocklin,
observer.guardian.co.uk; accessed 6 September 2015. ...

(divorced Michael Barrymore) * Eimear Montgomerie (divorced Colin Montgomerie) *

Patti Boyd Patricia Anne Boyd (born 17 March 1944) is an English model and photographer. She was one of the leading international models during the 1960s and, with Jean Shrimpton, epitomised the British female look of the era. Boyd married George Harri ...

(divorced Eric Clapton) * Susan Renouf (divorced

Robert Sangster Robert Edmund Sangster (23 May 1936 – 7 April 2004)

) * Irina Abramovich (divorced

Roman Abramovich Roman Arkadyevich Abramovich (, ; he, רומן ארקדיביץ' אברמוביץ'; born 24 October 1966) is a Russian oligarch and politician. He is the former owner of Chelsea, a Premier League football club in London, England, and is the ...

) Originally, the divorce between Roman and Irina Abramovich was believed to have the potential to be the largest divorce settlement in history, with Irina requesting half of Roman's £18 billion fortune. Ultimately, Irina and Roman settled out of court for £155 million.

Personal life

Nearly 30 years after his first divorce, Raymond Tooth's most recent marriage to Debbie Dove fell apart in 2008. The two met while Tooth was representing her in a previous divorce case. In his own divorce case, Tooth hired another prominent UK divorce lawyer,

Horse racing

In addition to being a famous celebrity lawyer in the UK, Tooth also spends some of his free time on the racetrack, as he is also a prominent horse owner. He has worked with some of the UK's most renowned trainers, such as

Nicky Henderson Nicholas John Henderson (born 10 December 1950) is a British racehorse trainer. He has been British jump racing Champion Trainer six times. Background His father was Johnny Henderson who was one of the founders of the Racecourse Holdings Tru ...

and Richard Hannon, Sr.Racingpost.com Profile: Raymond Tooth
/ref> In the 2008/09 season, Tooth came close to collecting a £1,000,000 bonus put up by WBX for winning the

Triple Crown of Hurdling Triple is used in several contexts to mean "threefold" or a " treble": Sports * Triple (baseball), a three-base hit * A basketball three-point field goal * A figure skating jump with three rotations * In bowling terms, three strikes in a row * I ...

, just missing out when his horse, Punjabi, fell while vying for the lead in the Christmas Hurdle. Significant racing wins: * Champion Hurdle (Punjabi, 2009) *

Fighting Fifth Hurdle The Fighting Fifth Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Newcastle over a distance of about 2 miles and half a ...

(Punjabi, 2008) *

Punchestown Champion Hurdle The Punchestown Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Ireland which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Punchestown over a distance of about 2 miles (3,219 metres), and during ...

(Punjabi, 2008) * Tattersalls October Auction Stakes (

Exclamation An exclamation is an emphatic utterance, the articulate expression of an affect. Exclamation may also refer to: * Exclamation mark, the punctuation mark "!" * Exclamation, an emphatic interjection * Exclamation, a statement against penal interest ...

, 2007) *

Coronation Stakes The Coronation Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 7 furlong and 213 yards (1,603 metres), and it is schedul ...

( Indian Ink, 2007) * Ballymore Properties Champion Hurdle (Punjabi, 2007) *

Cheveley Park Stakes The Cheveley Park Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it ...

(Indian Ink, 2006) * Watership Down Stud Sales Stakes (Indian Ink, 2006)

References

External links