Christopher Stirling will speak at the Jersey International Family Law Conference sponsored by Corbett le Quesne on Friday 3 October. The theme of the conference is non-court dispute resolution. He will discuss the use of the civil mediation model in resolving family finance disputes.
Barry McAlinden and Rebecca Davies will deliver a webinar for Family Law Week subscribers on s.37 Children Act and local authority intervention in private law children cases. They will discuss the court’s powers under section 37 Children Act and when the court can use its power to direct a local authority to investigate a child’s circumstances.
Applications have opened for the 5th intake of students on the mentoring scheme for underrepresented groups at the Bar. The scheme aims to encourage undergraduates and postgraduates from groups that are not well represented at the Bar to consider becoming barristers.
We are delighted that Andrew Burrell and James Fowler join us as tenants, after completing pupillage with us.
We are delighted to welcome Robert Sharp and Benedict Flinn who start their pupillage with us today.
LexisNexis Family Law Awards 2025 have shortlisted Joanna Thom for ‘Family law young barrister of the year’. The award recognises barristers under 5 years’ call who have demonstrated that they have the skills and knowledge to become a leading family lawyer of the future.
Jonathan Pennington Legh represented the successful applicant, resisting set aside and permission to appeal in residential property proceedings. The respondent sought to challenge the decision on the grounds that he lacked capacity. The Tribunal refused both the application to set aside and the second respondent’s request for permission to appeal.
Genevieve Screeche-Powell led by Kelvin Rutledge KC acted for the London Borough of Tower Hamlets to successfully resist an appeal about the local authority’s use of a database of homeless applicants awaiting transfer to alternative temporary accommodation. The appellant, Ms Begum had claimed that the system of allocating temporary accommodation indirectly discriminated against women.
Francis Hoar acted pro bono for the appellant in the Court of Appeal, in an appeal against the High Court’s dismissal of a judicial review into a local council’s decision to build a shared driveway without seeking her consent: Anwar v Ealing London Borough Council [2025] EWCA Civ 813.
Rebecca Handcock acted for the local authority at an inquest into the death of a 79-year-old woman who died at the care home where she lived. The local authority was responsible for her placement at the care home (and her deprivation of liberty there), and had safeguarding and other oversight duties in respect of the home.