Family

Our family law barristers are regularly instructed in complex and groundbreaking court cases.

Being a multidisciplinary set of chambers, clients benefit from our expertise in related areas such as housing, property law, judicial review or vulnerable adults. Many of our barristers have completed the Advocacy & The Vulnerable (Family) training.

Some of our children law team undertake Court of Protection work as well. Several members of our financial remedies team have strong property and general civil litigation practices too.

As well as high quality litigation advice and representation, we have a strong track record of supporting clients through alternative dispute resolution.

Our family law group is headed by Barry McAlinden.

Our expertise

Children

We act for local authorities, parents, children’s guardians and intervenors in all public and private children law matters.

Our work covers:

• care proceedings and other applications brought by a local authority including serious non-accidental injury and sexual abuse allegations
• adoption applications in the UK and overseas
• surrogacy arrangements in the UK and overseas
• protective orders including abduction, FGM (female genital mutilation) forced marriage cases, domestic violence injunctions
• disputes between individuals about the upbringing of children, including residence, contact and parental alienation

Financial claims

• Financial remedies following divorce/dissolution of civil partnership
• Financial remedies following breakdown of co-habiting relationships, including TOLATA claims
• Maintenance claims for spouses and children, including Schedule 1 claims
• Pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements
• Cases with an overseas element, including recognition and enforcement of foreign orders

Alternative dispute resolution

Children disputes

Our experienced barrister mediators can help guide all parties in a dispute to reach their own agreement within an impartial and confidential process. We help separating parents with neutral evaluation of disputes about arrangements for children.

Where separating couples broadly agree about arrangements for their children, our barristers can help finalise details of the joint proposal to ensure that it is effective. This may include applying for a court order in some circumstances.

Financial remedies

We have barristers with specialist financial claims experience who:

• assist separating couples with neutral evaluation of disputes related to financial claims
• can help where separating couples would like to collaborate to resolve their financial arrangements
• have extensive expertise as judges sitting in the Financial Remedies Court and act as private FDR (financial dispute resolution) adjudicators - a private FDR appointment tends to offer more flexibility for the parties, avoids delay and can reduce overall costs.

What happens at a private FDR appointment?

At the private FDR hearing, 1 of our financial claims barristers sitting as the FDR adjudicator, indicates the order they would make if your financial claim was before them at court. Although their decision is not binding, it gives you a useful neutral evaluation of each person's case and a basis from which to negotiate.

Family barristers