Pauline Troy

Pauline qualified as a solicitor in 1989 and was the senior partner at a large criminal and family law firm from 1998-2010. Pauline transferred to the Bar in October 2011 and practiced at 42 Bedford Row in London until joining chambers in August 2024. Pauline is therefore a dual qualified practitioner in that she is a non-practising solicitor (still on the Roll of Solicitors) and now practises as a barrister. In February 2025, Birkbeck University in London invited Pauline to speak to students about her career on both sides of the profession as part of their “Legal Practice Conversations” series. She has specialised in children’s law for over 36 years.

Pauline’s experience covers the full range of public law child protection cases including the most serious matters involving homicide within the family, sexual abuse, non-accidental injury, fabricated illness, neglect, domestic violence, substance misuse and mental health difficulties. Pauline regularly represents any of the involved parties in such cases and since joining chambers has recently undertaken a four-week fact finding hearing for a Local Authority involving the serious non-accidental injury of two very young children. The case involved multiple parties, three of whom were represented by Kings Counsel. The Court made all the findings sought by the Local Authority and the case concluded by the Court making Placement Orders under the Adoption and Children Act.

The public law children work raises a range of human rights issues given the state interference in the private and family life of the children who are the subject of the proceedings and their parents. Some cases also include applications under Article 5 ECHR for High Court intervention under the Inherent Jurisdiction to authorise the deprivation of liberty of a young person where there is a shortage of placements for extremely vulnerable children in care. This work mirrors the issues that arise in the Court of Protection where arrangements for vulnerable adults often give rise to such applications and Pauline is expanding her practice to undertake adult work in the Court of Protection.

Pauline has also completed the FLBA Vulnerable Witness training.

As a highly experienced dual qualified solicitor/barrister, Pauline is well placed to assist clients using the Direct Public Access model in appropriate cases. Pauline’s vast experience of direct client contact ensures that a solution focussed approach is taken to the issues and clients can be confident that they will get “the best of both worlds” of the range of skills offered by a legal professional when instructing Pauline.

In terms of other children law issues, Pauline has considerable experience of the law arising from alternative family structures, especially in the lesbian and gay community, including families created by surrogacy or donor insemination arrangements. Pauline has represented intended parents in proceedings for a Parental Order under S54 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008, including cases where children have been born to a surrogate overseas in the USA. She has also advised and represented parties on either side of disputes when co-parenting arrangements have broken down in the context of lesbian and gay parenting. These cases raise fundamental issues of the legal recognition of parenthood, parental responsibility, blended families, stepparent adoptions and psychological parenting.