Our Family Group members have specialist and experienced practices in the law relating to children and in representing local authorities, guardians, parents, children, prospective adopters and foster parents and parties in public inquiries. They also act for local authorities and others in disclosure applications by and against the police and the CPS.

The Family Group provides:

• a friendly and approachable manner with clients;
• a reasonable, practical and constructive approach to litigation and negotiations;
• a determination to achieve the best result and always fight the client's corner;
• a commitment to hard work and full preparation;
• an up-to-date knowledge of the law;
• a continuity of representation;
• priority to urgent and emergency applications and advice.

The main areas of practice are:

• public law children (care and adoption);
• public inquiries and Part 8 inquiries;
• private law children, including;
   - Contact and  residence disputes;
   - Parental responsibility agreements and orders;
   - Specific issue and prohibited steps orders;
   - Applications to remove from the jurisdiction;
   - Child abduction;
• ancillary relief and financial provision for children;
• family related crime;

Public law children cases represent the major area of the Group's work. It is a field where we can claim particular expertise and for which we are well known. We have considerable experience in representing local authorities, guardians, parents, children, prospective adopters and foster parents. Members of the Group also provide teaching and training for solicitors and social workers, regularly appearing as speakers at seminars and conferences.

Members have extensive experience in the following areas:

• Emergency applications and injunctions;
• Care applications;
• Contact applications to children in care;
• Secure accommodation applications;
• Public interest immunity applications;
• Adoption applications (including international applications);
• Inherent jurisdiction applications;
• Related judicial reviews;
• Local authorities and children themselves in serious abuse cases at all levels of court including sexual abuse and non-accidental injury;
• Special guardianship applications;
• Financial provision for children (Schedule 1 of the Children Act 1989);

CPD Training for professional clients on family topics

Members of the Group regularly give seminars on a number of topics including the following:

• Advocacy training
• Preparation for hearings, including bundles, and drafting of documents and consideration of the new Public Law outline)
• Children and Adoption Act 2002 updates (including SGOs and post placement contact)
• Evidence training for social workers
• Expert evidence- updated case law, procedure, tactics
• Emergency protection Orders
• Public Law case law update
• s 38(6) assessments and funding issues

If your firm would like us to arrange a seminar on these or any other topic, please contact us

The Family Group has a wealth of experience and is supported by a team of clerks led by a Senior Clerk with over 30 years of experience.

Click here to view our barristers working in the area of Family and to see details of notable Family cases undertaken by each barrister.