INSIGHTSNews & Events

By Andrew Chalmers   If you have been on LinkedIn within the last month or so, you may have noticed that the decision in Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP [2025] EWHC 2341 (KB) has caused a fairly strong and divided reaction. On one side of the aisle you have paralegals and legal executives, especially...

Please see the link to our YouTube channel for the first of four webinars –   Translated Witness Statements: Procedures and Pitfalls – Jamie Walker- Haworth – YouTube  

    Dominique Gillan – ‘Dominique, who is erudite, calm, professional, and good with lay clients and judges, and regularly handles high-value financial remedy cases.’ ‘Dominique is committed to client care of the highest standard and is highly experienced in Children Act proceedings.’ Laura Smallwood – ‘Laura is very responsive, thorough in her preparation and...

We are pleased welcome Olivia Crego-Bustelo as member of Chambers following the successful completion of her pupillage.  

By Rowan Morton HHJ Matthews sitting as a High Court Judge gave Judgment yesterday following a costs application following a split trial liability only hearing, in what he described as tragic family litigation. https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Ch/2025/1711.html Sheila Wills had 9 children, six of whom survived her. At the time of her death in April 2020 one of...

By Dominique Gillan We are well familiar with the rules and practice directions dealing with vulnerable parties in family proceedings. But what about the less frequently encountered position of a party who lacks litigation capacity?   The starting point is the Mental Capacity Act 2005 which provides as follows: S1 Principles …… A person must...

By Rowan Morton What constitutes a “subsequent agreement” to an express declaration of trust? Back in 2007 the landmark case of Stack v Dowden [2007] UKHL 17 saw the Supreme Court establish a general rule that an express declaration of trust is conclusive unless varied by a subsequent agreement (or affected by proprietary estoppel, fraud...

Guildford Chambers is delighted to announce that Dominique Gillan has been elected as Head of Chambers, and Nicola Holland and Jamie Walker-Haworth have been elected as Joint Deputy Heads of Chambers. Their appointments are effective from 17th April 2025. Chambers owes a huge debt of gratitude to George Coates who led Chambers for 18...

Holly Parker   With advances in technology, an increasing number of parties are seeking to rely on covert recordings in family proceedings. On the surface, such recordings may appear to provide helpful evidence of alleged behaviour. However, the courts generally view recordings of these nature in a dim light. In Re B (A Child) [2017]...

Introduction Picture this: you are instructed to represent a client in their application for without notice non-molestation and occupation orders under the Family Law Act 1996 (‘FLA 1996’). The court has read the application and has granted a without notice order on the papers and listed a return hearing. All good so far. You read...

Questionnaires at First Appointments are forever a battle between lawyers as to what is necessary/proportionate and what is cross-examination. Since the introduction of rule 9.14(5) there is now a direction that both parties in a financial remedies case must provide one another with a questionnaire requiring further information about their finances 14 days prior to...

Over the festive period, we will have reduced opening hours.   Monday 23rd December 8:30am – 1:30pm Tuesday 24th December Closed Friday 27th December Closed Monday 30th December 9am – 11am Tuesday 31st December 9am – 11am Thursday 2nd January Open (8:30am – 6pm usual hours) If you urgently need assistance outside of these hours, you can...