Family

• Public Law cases, such as Care proceedings, Emergency Protection Orders, Adoption
• Private Law, including Child Arrangement Orders, Specific Issue and prohibited Steps Orders, Special Guardianship, an applications for leave to remove from the jurisdiction
• Financial Remedy and other financial proceedings, including relating to divorce or separation, cohabitants, schedule 1 of the Children Act 1989, pre-nuptial agreements, trusts and TLATA 1996
• Abduction (international and within UK)
• Emergency Protection, including injunctions and freezing orders
• Surrogacy
• Inheritance Act claims

Members of Chambers have been Instructed in matters at all levels of the Family Court, the Family Division of the High Court, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.

The Family Group accepts instructions from solicitors across the UK, including those working in Local Authorities. Instructions are also accepted by referrals from the Central Authority and the Official Solicitor, and members also regularly represent CAFCASS. We have a dedicated clerking team led by Jason Roukin who can help you find the right barrister for your case, in terms of speciality, experience, or simply the right personality for a vulnerable client. Chambers’ clerks will also be pleased to help with queries in relation to billing and fees, such as VHCCs. 

We are conscious that there is a huge and increasing burden on family solicitors to provide written documents for the Court. All members of the Family Group will assist with Practice Direction Documents where required, as well as providing skeleton arguments when appropriate. Members are always available to help with written Advice on the evidence, tactics or preparation of a case. Finding the right expert can sometimes make or break a case and so we keep a database of experts who have impressed (or failed to impress!). Chambers has a specialist family law library including fully up-to-date on-line services and we will be pleased to help you with any point of research for a case.

Various members of the Family Group also have experience of and work within other disciplines. As a result we can offer a tailor-made solution for clients who wish a number of issues to be addressed, such as a barrister who can act for a client in both the Family Court and criminal, immigration, public law, or civil courts. A unique feature of the multi-disciplinary approach taken by members of Chambers is the insight into “cross-over” areas of law which may arise within the family jurisdiction, such as issues involving family trusts, company structures, housing or employment issues. Alternatively joint conferences with two barristers with differing specialities can be arranged.