Straight talking Zoë Bloom often acts for people locked in difficult conflict. Personality disorders are extremely trying, as opponents may exaggerate, manipulate, coerce and bully to influence a case. ‘They see court as a stage,’ she says. ‘You have to go through four or five hearings with the same judge before you get recognition your client is describing a real problem’. Her caseload comprises some of the most complex issues families face and she is not afraid to drive matters through to a settlement. With Keystone’s full-service offering, the solicitor offers advice across 25 service areas and almost 20 sectors, often with a commercial angle, since her clientele are UHNWs, top business people and public figures, all with one thing in common: ‘They all need guidance through a difficult period.’ She cherishes her role, which is about ‘quickly and incisively taking control of the process and finding the most cost-proportionate conclusion’. She also specialises in prenups. ‘We’re now starting to see the fallouts,’ she says. Since there are no recognised routes to limit negotiations or disclosure process, this is a period for experiments. ‘We are all trying different approaches and receiving different responses from judges, but it is great to be working within this innovative time.’