Kate McKinlay > Park Square Barristers > Leeds, England > Barrister Profile

Kate McKinlay

0113 2459763

Work Department

Children Law and Regulatory & Law

Position

Children Law

Kate was a member of Zenith Chambers from 2001 to 2017 where she had a diverse practice encompassing family, mental capacity, community care, benefits, social housing, personal injury and education. She returns to the Bar after a period as an employed in-house barrister representing the Government’s interests in inquests and human rights litigation.

Kate formerly practiced in family law for 5 years before having her own family, and now returns to this key area of interest with a broad experience and understanding of acting for vulnerable clients and public bodies.

A seasoned advocate, she has developed her skills across a number of different jurisdictions and is able to adapt her style as circumstances require.

She is approachable, compassionate and well attuned to the highly sensitive nature of this work.

Kate has experience of care proceedings and accepts instructions from parents, children and local authorities in a wide range of matters. She provides representation at all stages of proceedings including contested final hearings and finding of fact hearings.

Kate has experience within private law of complex family conflicts including around residence, contact and specific issue orders. Previous cases have included the following features:- implacable hostility, surrogacy, domestic violence, psychiatric/psychological conditions and vulnerable clients.

Regulatory & Public
Kate joins PSQB from the Government Legal Department where she conducted inquests of behalf the Ministry of Justice, most notably on behalf of Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Services. She acted in natural causes and non-natural deaths including those which were self-self-inflicted. As a former personal injury practitioner she also has experience of inquests arising out of non-natural deaths amongst the general public.

She accepts instructions to act across the range of coronial law specialisms and represents clients in final hearings, PIRs and by way of written advices when required.

Career

Call 2000

Education

1996
University of Leeds Bachelor of Arts – English (with Philosophy and Development Studies)

1998
BPP University (formerly known as BPP Law School) Post-Graduate Diploma in Law

1999
BPP University (formerly known as BPP Law School) Bar Vocational Course – Very Competent