Ranked as a set for family: children and domestic abuse expertise - Legal 500 2025.
Our family law barristers are regularly instructed in complex and groundbreaking cases.
As a multidisciplinary set of chambers, our 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. And they understand the key principles behind the approach to, and questioning of, vulnerable people in the justice system.
Some of our children law team undertake Court of Protection work as well. Several members of our financial remedies team undertake property and general civil litigation.
Three of our family law barristers hold paid part-time judicial roles. Some of the group are experienced mediators.
Our family law group is headed by Barry McAlinden and Dr Martina van der Leij.
Members of the group write on specialist family law-related topics:
- Dr Sara Hunton co-wrote Costs in Family Proceedings 2nd edition published by Bloomsbury Professional with Francis Wilkinson (now retired).
- A team of our barristers write judgment summaries for Family Law Week.
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