Family Team
* associate member
The Family Team cover all areas of child care and matrimonial work.
Child Care
Every member of the team has considerable experience in dealing with child care cases on behalf of all parties - Children's Guardians, separately represented children, parents and in particular local authorities - whether in the High Court or the County Court. The team has been involved in representing local authorities all over the south and south west of England. Team members have dealt with all aspects of this area of law including emergency applications, adoptions, freeing applications, cases involving medical treatment of minors and abductions. Particular issues that have been dealt with by certain team members include such things as Munchausen's syndrome by proxy, serious mental health problems (both parents and children) and serious non accidental injury cases (shaken baby cases and multiple fracture cases). Certain team members have dealt with wardship cases both pre and post the Children Act 1989. Members of the team have considerable experience in disclosure issues relating to PII material, particularly for Social Services and Educational Authorities.
Children
The team covers all aspects of private law Children Act applications. This work has included cases involving permanent removal of children from the jurisdiction (and associated contact disputes), implacable hostility to contact and emergency applications in relation to child abduction. Many of the cases that team members have handled have been on behalf of grandparents and other interveners into Children Act applications.
Property and Finance
Particular members of the team deal with ancillary relief cases in respect of divorcing couples, cohabitees/former cohabitees and children. Their experience covers all aspects of ancillary relief including applications under the pension provisions and the Children Act. Certain members of the team deal with inheritance claims and claims under the Trusts of Land and Appointment of Trustees Act 1996.
Mental Health and Community Care
Particular members of the team have extensive experience on the issues affecting mental health, vulnerable adults, special needs, education and community care. The work of this team is complimentary to the work undertaken by other specialisms in the area of Registered Care Homes.
Seminars and Training
The family team are accredited CPD trainers and regularly conduct seminars on topical subjects.