The Legal 500 > United Kingdom - The Bar > Regional Bar > Family and children law

John Vater QC of Harcourt Chambers frequently appears in serious care cases in the Midlands, with recent work having included child deaths and allegations of sexual abuse.

No5 Barristers Chambers houses a strong contingent of children-focused barristers, with members of its 'vast pool of experienced counsel' receiving instructions in some of the most complex care cases and private law disputes. At the senior end, Stefano Nuvoloni QC appears in some of the most serious cases on circuit, with recent work involving deaths, serious brain injuries, and sexual abuse. 'Legal powerhouse' Michele Friel is highly recommended for private law matters, acting on some of the region's most complex cases, while practitioners such as Victoria Clifford, Kristina Brown, and Kathryn Taylor are some of the strongest juniors for care work on circuit. The team also houses some financial specialists, with Stephanie Brown considered to be 'at the top of her game' in this area, frequently representing private clients in financial remedy proceedings, often involving offshore or hidden assets.

St Ives Chambers is a strong presence in family law, with a 'full armoury of experienced, thoroughly professional, well-respected counsel' providing coverage across both public and private children law, as well as a strong financial remedy team. The set can take on the most complex of children cases thanks to Jeremy Weston QC and Elizabeth Isaacs QC, both of whom are frequently instructed in some of the region's largest matters, with solicitors praising the 'sound judgement and meticulous preparation' of both barristers. Senior juniors Timothy Bowe and Matthew Maynard also undertake substantial cases. Jayne Mullen and Nicholas Starks lead the way in matrimonial finance, both dealing with high-value cases involving a range of issues such as non-capacitous parties, pension rights, the potential sale of family farms and more.

St Philips Chambers is home to a wide range of family specialists, with ' a wide range of experienced barristers to suit every case' that makes the set a 'go-to chambers' within the region. In financial remedy cases, members are instructed on a wide range of cases including those which are at the leading edge of certain issues, such as Juliet Allen's work as a led junior on Moher v Moher, a Court of Appeal case concerning how courts should value undisclosed assets. In care proceedings the set includes experienced practitioners such as Sara Lewis and Carolyn Jones, as well as rising stars such as William Horwood, who recently acted for the child in a reported case in which a local authority sought declarations under inherent jurisdiction that a care regime involving deprivation of liberty was lawful, following a serious assault by an adolescent on their older sibling.

3PB is primarily known in the Midlands for its contingent of care-focused barristers, whose practice involves serious non accidental injuries, sexual abuse allegations, adoption orders and more for the full range of parties including local authorities, parents and children. However, the set also houses several barristers with experience in financial remedy proceedings, such as Elizabeth McGrath QC and Vanessa Meachin QC, both of whom have seen recent substantial cases involving private clients with large asset portfolios in addition to their child law practices. Turning to the set's the junior ranks, Michael George is praised for his 'exceptional aptitude for financial remedy work, particularly cases involving company law, complex accounts and pensions'; on the care side, key juniors include Lawrence Messling, Suzanne Coleclough , and Stephen Abberley, while practitioners such as Poonam Bhari, Aimee Fox, and Nicola Martin spread themselves across both areas.