Family and Children
Guildford Chambers well distinguished and extensive team of barristers who accept instructions in both public and private law Children Act matters.
Our specialist Public Law barristers regularly represent parents, guardians, local authorities, children themselves, extended family and intervenors. No two cases are identical, and our experienced family barristers fully understand the need for clear and reliable advocacy which gets right to the heart of every case.
Our barristers deliver (in writing or in person) professional advice and guidance in our areas of expertise, including:
- Care and supervision orders
- Emergency protection orders
- Placement applications
- Adoptions
Our barristers are routinely instructed in a very wide range of cases involving chronic neglect, domestic abuse, mental health, learning difficulties, substance misuse, non accidental injuries, emotional and/or sexual abuse, fabricated or induced illnesses and intentional harm of a parent or child.
In the area of Private Law, our barristers have a wide range of experience of dealing with applications for, and enforcement of, Residence, Contact and other Section 8 Orders, ranging from disputes over the child’s religion, education, medical treatment including LGBTQ issues, parenting and surname. They have a wealth of experience in complex cases involving parental alienation and intractable contact disputes (where the parent with care is opposed to any form of contact with the other parent), and cases involving substance misuse (drugs and/or alcohol). Our barristers are often instructed in “fact finding hearings” where one or both raise allegations of domestic abuse such as physical, sexual, emotional abuse or of controlling coercive behaviour. We accept instructions in cases involving permanent removal of a child to a different part of the country and from the jurisdiction, as well as international abduction cases (Child Abduction and Custody Act 1985 – “The Hague Convention” – together with the New Brussels II). As in the public law arena they routinely represent parents, those with parental responsibility including surrogates, extended family members, competent children and r16.4 Guardians.
In dealing with both public and private law cases, our family barristers are experienced in working with vulnerable clients with a broad spectrum of mental health and cognitive difficulties, and are able to tailor their approaches to meet the clients’ individual needs. They routinely have to consider and challenge expert evidence.
They regularly appear in all the levels of courts including from appellate courts to the High court and other family courts before Judges and the lay justices. Our barristers collaborate closely with their instructing solicitors upon each and every case and with the client to achieve the best outcome
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