Chambers Receive Bar Council Wellbeing Certificate of Recognition - May 2024
Clare Ciborowska is a specialist family practitioner. Clare accepts instructions in private law children applications, care proceedings, Female Genital Mutilation proceedings, Injunctions and Wardship proceedings.
Clare has completed the specialist advocacy training at Keble College, Oxford and is a skilled advocate. Clare has a broad range of experience and has acted in cases concerning the following:
- Fabricated and Induced Illness
- Cases involving international/cultural issues
- Coercive and controlling behaviour and domestic abuse
- Cases involving parties and/or children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder and other developmental disorders
- Cases involving complex issues related to mental health
- Parental Alienation
- Cases where all contact has broken down
- Cases where a 16.4 Guardian has been appointed
- Internal and external relocation cases
- Specific issues orders and prohibited steps orders
Clare takes a collaborative approach to cases and is an experienced negotiator and has exceptional problem-solving skills. Clare is also a robust advocate and her written work is highly effective.
Listen to Clare discuss cutting edge family law issues in our Family Law Podcast Series on your favourite podcast platform and find previous episodes here.
Hear Clare’s comments on reproductive coercion on BBC Radio 4’s ‘File on 4’ here and watch Clare in the ground-breaking BBC documentary ‘Is this Coercive Control?’ here.
Clare is a regular contributor to Family Law Journal – her previous articles can be found here and also contributes to the Human Rights Blog here.
Children (Public Law)Public law
Clare has extensive experience representing parties to care proceedings. Clare acts for parents, Guardians, separately represented children, local authorities and interveners and has been involved in complex fact-finding/final hearings with multiple witnesses concerning the most serious of issues, such as sexual abuse, violent offenders, non-accidental injuries, neglect and substance misuse.
Clare is highly experienced in urgent ICO hearings and works extremely well under pressure. She has an approachable and relatable manner with clients and works extremely hard on behalf of clients to achieve results.
Selected Cases
- A Local Authority v parents – Clare was instructed as junior counsel led by Jacqueline Roach in a complex 21 day fact-finding hearing concerning allegations of Fabricated and Induced Illness which involved analysis and management of several thousand medical records.
- A Local Authority v M, F & ZS – Clare was instructed as junior counsel (led by Jacqueline Roach (add link) for the latter part of the proceedings) to represent a child involving highly complex allegations of domestic abuse and parental alienation where several directions were made under S.37 to the local authority when the case was in private law proceedings and the child represented via a r16.4 Guardian. The proceedings also involved wardship and matters concerning international child abduction as well as complex arguments on separate representation of children and Gillick competence. A number of expert assessments were commissioned during the proceedings and findings were made that the mother had alienated the child from the father.
- A Local Authority v respondents – Clare acted Pro Bono on behalf of two parents accused of Female Genital Mutilation of three young girls. Clare successfully argued a number of points of law, procedure rules of evidence and the application was ultimately withdraw by the Local Authority.
- A Local Authority v parents – Clare acted on behalf of a mother concerning allegations of non-accidental injury to a 3-month old baby. Both the mother and the father were initially in the pool of perpetrators and the case involved a number of expert medical witnesses.
- A Local Authority v parents – Clare acted on behalf of a grandmother who had been joined to care proceedings and successfully argued for the child to be placed in the grandmother’s care in opposition to the parents who had significant and overwhelming mental health difficulties.
- A Local Authority v Parents – Clare acted for a mother with a diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Condition and was successful in arguing for a number of special measures to be put in place and for an intermediary assessment so that the mother was able to fully participate in the hearing and give evidence against the father whilst taking account of her ASC and how it affected her ability to communicate.
- Local Authority v P & G Fact-finding hearing into suspected NAI with child sustaining ALTE injury, bruising and suspected strangulation marks.
- Local Authority v G Application during care proceedings for permission not to give father notice of the proceedings due to risk of violence towards mother and child.
- Local Authority v D Fact-Finding hearing into suspected NAI. Child sustaining injuries to the face. Issue as to causation.
Clare has a strong private law children practice and is regularly instructed to provide advice and representation to clients in private law proceedings. Clare works hard to build rapport with clients and provides practical and sensitive advice. She often ‘goes the extra mile’.
Clare has a wealth of experience in cases where same-sex relationships have broken down and in cases where there are questions about the legal status of same sex parents.
Clare is also experienced in cases concerning coercive and controlling behaviour and domestic abuse and has acted for parents alleging such abuse and for parents denying such allegations.
Clare is regularly instructed in cases concerning internal and external relocations and where there are international or cultural matters involved.
Selected Cases
- A v B – private law relocation case. Clare successfully represented a mother in an international relocation application whereby the mother was granted permission to relocate with the child to The Netherlands
- A v B – Clare represented the mother in a same-sex relationship where all communication had broken down and where there was an intractable dispute over where the child should live and how the child should spend time with the other parent.
- A Child – Clare represented mother in private law proceedings in a case concerning significant coercive and controlling behaviour and was successful in arguing that there should be no order for contact between the five children and the father after obtaining findings against the father of the most serious nature.
- A Child – Clare represented a child with British Pakistani and Icelandic heritage where the mother was applying to return to Iceland with the child and where there were also significant risk factors in respect of both parents’ backgrounds.
- A v B – Clare represented a father in private law proceedings and was successful in arguing for a shared care arrangement in circumstances where the mother was opposed to shared care and sought for the father to spend alternate weekends only with the father.
- L v L Clare Successfully defended a father against allegations of sexual abuse. Findings made that the allegations had been fabricated by the Mother in order to frustrate contact.
Clare represents clients in injunctive proceedings including where allegations of serious domestic violence or abuse have been made. She has gained much experience of such applications, particularly where those applications are linked to concurrent Children Act 1989 proceedings.
Listen to Clare discuss coercive and controlling behaviour as applied in the family courts in episode 43 of our podcast Law Pod UK here.
Clare accepts work from lay clients via Direct Access. You can view her profile here.
Law Pod UK Ep. 196: Punching a window on the world of family law - Apr 2024
In January this year, the Transparency Implementation Group Reporting Pilot was rolled out to 16 more courts across England. The pilot works on the basis of a presumption that journalists and legal...
Alienation and Domestic Abuse – What on Earth is going on? - Mar 2024
Darren Howe KC, Fran Wiley KC, Clare Ciborowska and Kirsten Japp have co-written an article ‘Alienation and Domestic Abuse - What on Earth is going on?’ It has been published on Family Law...
Law Pod UK Ep. 179: Safe as Houses: depriving children of their liberty - Feb 2023
Applications for secure accommodation or deprivation of liberty orders, for children in the UK, have increased significantly in recent years. Lucy McCann talks with Richard Ager and Clare Ciborowska...
Law Pod UK Ep. 168: Psychology or pseudoscience? Parental alienation and the role of the psychologist - Sep 2022
Jim Duffy speaks to Richard Ager and Clare Ciborowska, of 1 Crown Office Row in Brighton. They discuss how the family court deals with allegations of ‘alienating behaviour’ by one parent against...
Articles by Rachael Claridge and Clare Ciborowska featured in the July edition of Family Law Journal - Aug 2022
In the July edition of Family Law Journal Rachael Claridge and Damian Woodward-Carlton QC look at the recent guidance issued by Mrs Justice Knowles in respect of the use of intimate images in private...
Law Pod UK Ep. 162: Reproductive Coercion and Control: allegations of abuse in child contact cases - Apr 2022
Clare Ciborowska and Richard Ager, both family law experts, talk about the difficult subject of reproductive coercion where such allegations arise in child contact cases. Fact finding hearings, Scott...
Clare Ciborowska comments on reproductive coercion on BBC’s ‘File on 4’ - Mar 2022
Tune into BBC Radio 4’s ‘File on 4’ programme ‘Controlling My Birth Control’ today at 8pm to hear Clare Ciborowska comment on reproductive coercion in relationships and how to spot the...
Clare Ciborowska considers whether there should be a radical reduction in court time, or a detailed forensic Fact Finding, in cases involving Domestic Abuse - Dec 2021
In the December edition, Clare Ciborowska examines whether considering recent court decisions in cases of coercive and controlling behavior, the current drive to limit court time for hearings is...
Law Pod UK : Family Law Series : Care Orders and Newborn Babies - Jul 2021
In the second of their series of family law podcasts, Clare Ciborowska and Richard Ager discuss the vexed area of care proceedings where it is considered necessary to take a baby away from its...
Law Pod UK : Family Law Series : First Podcast Episode Released - May 2021
We're delighted to announce a new series of Family Law focused episodes for our podcast Law Pod UK. Clare Ciborowska and Richard Ager join Rosalind English in the first of a series of discussions...
Clare Ciborowska comments on the Domestic Violence Bill in the Independent - Feb 2021
In a recent article by Natasha Phillips on the Independent, Clare Ciborowska comments on the Domestic Violence Bill as part of a wider look at the rise of domestic violence during the pandemic. She...
Richard Ager and Clare Ciborowska discuss Coercive Control and Abuse - Jan 2021
Join Richard Ager and Clare Ciborowska at 5pm on 3rd February for a discussion on Coercive Control and Abuse in light of F v M [2021] EWFC 4, and the conjoined cases in the Court of Appeal on 19 and...
Coercive Control in the Family Courts: F v M [2021] EWFC 4 - Jan 2021
Clare Ciborowska provides a useful summary of the case of F v M [2021] EWFC 4 which considers allegations of coercive and controlling behaviour. This is one of the first known reported cases in the...
Clare Ciborowska discusses Coercive Control at Cambridgeshire & West Suffolk Resolution Workshop - Nov 2020
On Tuesday 1st December Clare Ciborowska will give a workshop on Coercive Control in the Courtroom for Cambridgeshire & West Suffolk Resolution. Clare’s workshop will provide an introduction to...
The BBC asks ‘Is This Coercive Control?’ with Clare Ciborowska - Oct 2020
On 27th October BBC Three will feature a documentary investigating ‘Is This Coercive Control?’ with expert legal insight from family law expert Clare Ciborowska. Clare has provided consultancy to...
Clare Ciborowska & Natasha Isaac provide an update on Domestic Abuse for Lexis Nexis - Feb 2020
On 18th February 2020, Clare Ciborowska and Natasha Isaac gave a live webinar giving a legal update on domestic abuse for Lexis Nexis webinars. They discussed the definition of domestic abuse and...
Clare Ciborowska writes about Dignity, Fairness, Equality, Respect and Independence in the Family Law Journal - Aug 2019
In the August 2019 issue of the Family Law Journal, Clare Ciborowska offers insight into Dignity, Fairness, Equality, Respect and Independence in family law. In particular, she focuses on increasingly...
Join 1COR and East Sussex YRes with GoodLaw Solicitors for a Seminar on ‘Finance and Children’ - Jun 2019
On 27th June 1COR are hosting the East Sussex Yres ‘General Update Seminar: Finance and Children’ in chambers, with sponsorship from GoodLaw Solicitors. Amanda Minto and Clare Ciborowska will be...
Clare Ciborowska gives insight into coercive control in private law proceedings in the Family Law Journal - May 2019
Clare Ciborowska has written an article for the May 2019 edition of the Family Law journal. It is titled How to approach allegations of coercive and controlling behaviour in private law...
International Women’s Day: Clare Ciborowska & Pegah Sharghy reflect on life at the Bar - Mar 2019
Pegah Sharghy Call Year: 1998 Why did you decide to become a barrister? It is a profession like no other. Despite its many challenges particularly for those of us who are mothers and domestic...
Clare Ciborowska on Domestic Abuse: Coercive Control - Oct 2018
Clare Ciborowska has recently featured on a podcast episode of Law Pod UK looking at the criminal definition of coercive control and how this is applied in the family law context. The episode looks...
Law Pod UK Ep. 43: Coercive and controlling behaviour as applied in the family courts - Oct 2018
Rosalind English talks to barrister Clare Ciborowska about the new offence of coercive and controlling behaviour and how it can affect proceedings in the family courts. Listen to this episode on...
Clare Ciborowska succeeds in Appeal of findings made at a private law (children) final hearing - Sep 2018
The appeal arose as a result of the district judge at first instance refusing to allow a litigant in person to submit a signed witness statement and to give oral evidence on two key areas of dispute...
Clare Ciborowska and Kirsten Japp talk with Worthing Law Society about domestic abuse cases - Sep 2018
Clare Ciborowska and Kirsten Japp will be giving a talk to Worthing Law Society about recent court decisions in cases involving domestic abuse and how the courts are dealing with the distinction...
Clare Ciborowska succeeds in complex fact-finding hearing in a private law case concerning allegations of coercive control - Aug 2018
Clare Ciborowska succeeds in complex fact-finding hearing in a private law case concerning allegations of coercive control. Coercive control was made a criminal offence in 2015. Increasingly the...
Martin Downs and Clare Ciborowska in case concerning placement of a child in The Gambia - Feb 2018
The Judgment has just been released of the first case in which the High Court has authorised the placement of a child in The Gambia. Mrs Justice Theis made the child the subject of a Special...
Clare Ciborowska and Christopher Rice successfully challenge a care plan for adoption - Jun 2017
Clare Ciborowska and Christopher Rice, acting separately for parents in care proceedings, successfully challenge a care plan for adoption of four children in the Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC)....
Richard Ager and Clare Ciborowska appointed as Associates of the University of Sussex - Mar 2015
Building on Chambers' many links with the University, we are pleased to announce that Richard Ager and Clare Ciborowska have been appointed Associates of the School of Social Work and Social Care at...
Clare Ciborowska’s Commentary on an Alternative Dispute Resolution Conference in Singapore - Dec 2012
Commentary by Clare Ciborowska on an Alternative Dispute Resolution Conference in Singapore is available here.
Clare Ciborowska and Catriona Murdoch secure funding to attend International Legal Conferences - Sep 2012
Clare Ciborowska and Catriona Murdoch have secured grants made available from the International Professional Development and Legal Practice Development Grant Programme. Following a competitive...
Re J (A Child: Disclosure) [2012] EWCA Civ 120: Sexual Abuse Allegations and Disclosure - Sep 2012
Clare Ciborowska comments on the case of Re J (A Child: Discolsure). Background This is a case that concerned private law proceedings between A and her mother (M) and father (F). The parents...
The role of Litigants in Person in the courts and the wider implications for family lawyers - Jul 2012
Clare Ciborowska delivered a presentation on the 10th July 2012 looking at the role of Litigants in Person. Please click here to read an article by Clare on this topic.
Family Law without the Lawyers? McKenzie Friends, Litigants in person and funding expert reports Seminar - Jun 2012
Family Law Without the Lawyers? McKenzie Friends, Litigants in person and funding expert reports Seminar at 5.30pm - 6.30pm on Tuesday 10th July 2012 to be held at Crown Office Row Chambers followed...
Luisa Morelli and Clare Ciborowska appear before the Court of Appeal - Dec 2011