Children (Private Law)

Chambers has extensive experience in private law children matters with a strong team of specialists in this area providing advice, advocacy and alternative dispute resolution.

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We are regularly instructed in complex disputes covering the full spectrum of private law applications and in particular, Child Arrangements Orders for Children to ‘live with’ parents and/or ‘spend time with’ parents and other family members.

We accept instructions to represent parents, grandparents, separately represented children and other third parties.

Chambers has particular expertise in the following:

• Allegations of physical and sexual abuse
• Cases with ongoing allegations of domestic abuse
• Wrongful retention including Wardship
• Fertility Law, including surrogacy
• LGBT co-parenting
• Implacable hostility/Parental alienation
• Special Guardianship Orders
• Intractable contact disputes
• Specific issue orders for matters such as education, religion and medical matters
• Surrogacy
• Urgent applications for prohibited steps/specific issue orders
• Wardship

Many of our members provide advice and representation in applications with complex international elements. This includes leave to temporarily or permanently remove a child from the jurisdiction (including to non-Hague convention countries) and cases of suspected child abduction and wrongful retention including cases under wardship/inherent jurisdiction.

Where there are issues concerning adult capacity we are able to draw on our members’ expertise in the field of Court of Protection.

If you would like to investigate the possibility of resolving your dispute without going to court, a faster and more cost-effective option, you could consider children arbitration,  family arbitration or family mediation.

Clients recommend chambers for their “good range of excellent child law barristers” and “the clerks are first class. Helpful, responsive and calmly accommodating often very short-notice requests” in the Legal 500 2022.