Harcourt Chambers > Oxford, England > Set Profile
Harcourt Chambers Offices
Harcourt Chambers
CHURCHILL HOUSE, 3 ST ALDATE'S COURTYARD
OXFORD
OX1 1BN
England
Harcourt Chambers > The Legal 500 Rankings
Midland Circuit > Family: children and domestic violence Tier 1
Harcourt Chambers is a ‘really good set of quality barristers’ with a strong track record of advising on the full range of children law matters. Aidan Vine KC is a ‘fearless advocate’ who regularly acts in children cases, often with an international element. Daniel Sheridan is ‘a skilful advocate’ who has extensive experience of representing local authorities, parents, and guardians in the full range of children law cases. Alex Forbes‘ practice mainly focuses on public law matters. The team was further strengthened by the addition of public law children matters specialist Hannah Mettam.Leading Silks
Leading Juniors
Testimonials
‘The clerks are efficient and polite. Matthew Molloy is helpful and quick to respond.’
‘Clerks are always helpful and efficient – especially Matthew Molloy.’
‘Harcourt Chambers offers a set of highly experienced childcare barristers who exhibit extreme competence and solid legal knowledge in this area of law.’
‘Harcourt Chambers are well respected for their high-quality advocates.’
‘Harcourt Chambers has strength in depth and an uncanny ability to match the appropriate counsel to the needs of each case.’
South Eastern Circuit > Family: children and domestic violence Tier 1
‘Excellent set’ Harcourt Chambers garners praise from instructing solicitors for ‘offering a great number of talented and skilled counsel of varying levels of experience’. Nick Goodwin KC is ‘phenomenal with complex cases where there are contested scientific or medical issues’. Sara Granshaw and Alex Forbes focus on public law children cases, while Simon Miller specialises in matters involving medical issues. Rising star Natasha Miller handles cases involving alleged physical child abuse, among others, and in some matters has represented interveners.Rising stars
Leading Silks
Leading Juniors
Testimonials
‘The clerks room is the best. The team is friendly, professional, and very responsive. Matt Molloy and Laurie Amron particularly stand out.’
‘Matt Molloy, in particular, is always helpful and friendly.’
‘First-rate clerking team. Matt Molloy particularly bends over backwards to provide counsel at competitive prices and resolve issues with availability immediately and practically.’
‘Harcourt Chambers is an excellent set. They have a great number of very experienced and talented barristers.’
‘Harcourt Chambers is an excellent set of barristers. They offer counsel at various levels of experience so that one can tailor the case to the council and have many talented and skilled counsel to choose from.’
‘Harcourt Chambers is an outstanding set as a whole, offering much talented and skilled counsel at different levels of experience, allowing one to tailor cases well to the counsel available.’
‘Harcourt Chambers is an excellent set producing advocates of the highest standard.’
Work highlights
South Eastern Circuit > Family: divorce and financial remedy Tier 1
Based in London and Oxford, Harcourt Chambers is ‘an incredibly strong set for family work’ with ‘a huge breadth of experience’ in handling complex matrimonial and family finance matters. Fiona Hay ‘s ‘advocacy is calm, measured and persuasive’ and she is well known as ‘an excellent judge of the likely outcome of financial cases’, while Jane Campbell regularly acts in high-value divorce and financial remedy matters. ‘Excellent negotiator’ Douglas Allen is ‘extremely well-prepared and thorough’ while undertaking financial remedy proceedings.Leading Juniors
Testimonials
‘The set has an excellent clerking team- responsive and helpful. Matt Molloy and Laurie Amron are particular stand-outs.’
‘The set has a first-rate clerking team. Matt Molloy particularly bends over backwards to provide counsel and resolve issues with availability immediately and practically.’
‘Harcourt Chambers are the strongest set for financial matters.’
‘Harcourt Chambers is a first-class set with some excellent counsel.’
‘Harcourt Chambers are great to set with really good people. The clerks are accommodating and ready to be flexible when needed.’
London Bar > Family: children and domestic abuse Tier 3
Harcourt Chambers is a ‘very reliable set with a wide range of excellent counsel’. The head of chambers is ‘hard-working and great tactician’ Nick Goodwin KC, who has been handling a lot of cases involving the death of or serious injury to children of late. Other silks include Edward Devereux KC, who successfully represented a father seeking his children’s return to Dubai in the case Re A and B (Children), and Damian Garrido KC, who is ‘personable, approachable and hugely articulate’ and regularly represents clients in difficult domestic and international children cases. Mehvish Chaudhry is a ��dedicated and thorough advocate’ who handles a range of international child law.Rising stars
Leading Silks
Leading Juniors
Testimonials
‘Matthew Molloy is a great clerk.’
‘Harcourt Chambers is excellent and has a wide range of experienced counsel across all areas of the family.’
‘Harcourt Chambers is an excellent set, has good strength in depth concerning children’s work and is very user-friendly.’
‘Harcourt Chambers is a set which provides the full range of family counsel. It can provide representation in all areas and have a range of qualifications.’
‘The clerks are second to none, with particular reference to Matthew Molloy, who is head and shoulders the best in the business. He knows who you need for a case and will always find a way to make them available.’
Work highlights
London Bar > Family: private FDR judges and arbitrators Tier 3
Midland Circuit > Family: divorce and financial remedy
Leading Juniors
London Bar > Family: divorce and financial remedy
Leading Juniors
Harcourt Chambers > Set Profile
The set: Harcourt Chambers is one of the leading specialist family law sets in the country. It is recommended for its expertise in both children law and family finance.
Based in the Temple and in Oxford, it is home to eight well-known family silks: Nick Goodwin KC, John Vater KC, Karl Rowley KC (door tenant), Damian Garrido KC, Julia Cheetham KC (door tenant), Aidan Vine KC and Edward Devereux KC, Jonathan Sampson KC and 61 junior barristers, many of whom are acknowledged as leading practitioners in their fields.
Over the past decade, Harcourt Chambers has established itself as one of the very top “across the range” family law sets and won “Family Set of the Year” at the Chambers UK Bar Awards 2016 and “Family Law Chambers of the year – London” at the LexisNexis Family Law Awards 2018.
It has grown significantly in size and prominence and its members are regularly to be found in high profile and leading cases at first instance, appellate level and in the Supreme Court. Harcourt Chambers is particularly known for the high quality of its advocacy, advice and client care and for its modern and approachable style.
Harcourt Chambers’ highly regarded family finance practitioners undertake the full range of matrimonial, cohabitee and partnership litigation and have extensive expertise in cases of high value including those where complex issues involving pensions, private companies, farms and overseas assets exist.
Its reputation in the field of children law is well-established and widely recognised in both private and public law. In private law, Harcourt Chambers has renowned expertise in all forms of parental dispute including international relocation and child abduction. Public law work encompasses care, placement and adoption proceedings, often involving the most complex and severe cases of physical and sexual abuse.
Other offices: Oxford
Main Contacts
Department | Name | Telephone | |
---|---|---|---|
Chambers' Director | Simon Boutwood | [email protected] | 0207 353 6961 |
Practice manager | Judith Partington | [email protected] | 0207 353 6961 |
Practice Manager | Matt Molloy | [email protected] | 0207 353 6961 |
Head of Chambers | GOODWIN KC, Nick (1995) | ||
Members of Chambers | VATER KC, John (1995) | ||
Door Tenant | ROWLEY KC, Karl (1994) | ||
Members of Chambers | GARRIDO KC, Damian (1993) | ||
Door Tenant | CHEETHAM KC, Julia (1990) | ||
Members of Chambers | VINE KC, Aidan (1995) | ||
Members of Chambers | DEVEREUX KC, Edward (2001) | ||
Members of Chambers | SAMPSON KC, Jonathan (1997) | ||
Members of Chambers | EVANS, Roger (1970) | ||
Members of Chambers | COLLINSON, Alicia (1982) | ||
Members of Chambers | BRETT, Matthew (1987) | ||
Members of Chambers | HAY, Fiona (1989) | ||
Members of Chambers | CAMPBELL, Jane (1990) | ||
Members of Chambers | GRANSHAW, Sara (1991) | ||
Members of Chambers | POTTER, Louise (1993) | ||
Members of Chambers | ALLEN, Douglas (1995) | ||
Members of Chambers | MILLER, Simon (1996) | ||
Members of Chambers | BROOKES-BAKER, Matthew (1998) | ||
Members of Chambers | CABEZA, Ruth (1998) | ||
Members of Chambers | BARRETT, Cecilia (1998) | ||
Members of Chambers | WRAIGHT, Oliver (1998) | ||
Members of Chambers | LEONG, Andrew (1998) | ||
Members of Chambers | KIRKWOOD, Edward (1999) | ||
Members of Chambers | LITTLE, Helen (1999) | ||
Members of Chambers | STYLES, Margaret (2000) | ||
Members of Chambers | JEAKINGS, Craig (2000) | ||
Members of Chambers | TURNER, James (2001) | ||
Members of Chambers | GREEN, Jason (2001) | ||
Members of Chambers | SHILLINGFORD, Julia (2002) | ||
Members of Chambers | FORBES, Alex (2003) | ||
Members of Chambers | SYME, Suzanne (2004) | ||
Members of Chambers | WILLIAMS, Alison (2004) | ||
Members of Chambers | HARRIS, Frances (2005) | ||
Members of Chambers | FIRBANK, Kit (2005) | ||
Members of Chambers | STOTT, Matthew (2005) | ||
Members of Chambers | WILKINS, Chloe (2006) | ||
Members of Chambers | DOVE, James (2006) | ||
Members of Chambers | METTAM, Hannah (2006) | ||
Members of Chambers | PERRY, Alex (2007) | ||
Members of Chambers | COX, Sian (2008) | ||
Members of Chambers | CRISPIN, Stephen (2008) | ||
Members of Chambers | CHAUDHRY, Mehvish (2008) | ||
Members of Chambers | REYNOLDS, Vicky (2008) | ||
Members of Chambers | MCILROY, Sara (2008) | ||
Members of Chambers | RAYNER, Emily (2009) | ||
Members of Chambers | MARUSZA, David (2009) | ||
Members of Chambers | FLOWERS, Victoria (2009) | ||
Members of Chambers | SAYERS, Annie (2009) | ||
Members of Chambers | RAMSDEN, Justine (2010) | ||
Members of Chambers | MCSORLEY, Hannah (2010) | ||
Members of Chambers | HOWARD, Eleanor (2012) | ||
Members of Chambers | WICKHAM, Elizabeth (2012) | ||
Members of Chambers | GRAY, Martha (2012) | ||
Members of Chambers | YARDE, Anna (2012) | ||
Members of Chambers | GATLAND, Dr Emma (2013) | ||
Members of Chambers | POWELL, Oliver (2013) | ||
Members of Chambers | GEORGE, Dr Rob (2013) | ||
Members of Chambers | AMONOO-ACQUAH, Mavis (2013) | ||
Members of Chambers | BENNETT, Edward (2013) | ||
Members of Chambers | BALL, Curtis (2015) | ||
Members of Chambers | WINDMILL, Hannah (2016) | ||
Members of Chambers | FERGUSON, Kate (2016) | ||
Members of Chambers | MILLER, Natasha (2017) | ||
Members of Chambers | CONNOR, Ethan (2017) | ||
Members of Chambers | CAMPBELL, Paige (2018) | ||
Members of Chambers | ISHMAEL, Fazeela (2018) | ||
Members of Chambers | KAYANI, Adam (2019) | ||
Members of Chambers | HUGHES, Alana (2019) |
Barrister Profiles
Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
---|---|---|---|
Thomas Braithwaite | Thomas joined Harcourt as a pupil in October 2022 and is developing… | View Profile | |
Damian Broadbent | Damian Broadbent regularly represents clients in both children and financial remedy cases.… | View Profile | |
Lucy Fairclough | Lucy is an experienced advocate specialising in child law. Prior to specialising… | View Profile | |
Sarah Hayward | Sarah’s practice includes all aspects of children law with a specific emphasis… | View Profile | |
David Marusza | David practises in all aspects of private family law, with particular focus… | View Profile | |
Hannah McSorley | Hannah is a leading junior family law specialist with a strong commercial… | View Profile | |
Hannah Mettam | Hannah has been consistently ranked in the Legal 500 as a Tier… | View Profile | |
Matthew Stott | Matthew Stott is a family law specialist. Matthew is regularly involved in… | View Profile | |
Anna Yarde | Anna specialises in the law relating to children. She balances compassion for… | View Profile |
Languages
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Harcourt Chambers is committed to all aspects of equality and diversity within the workplace. We provide an environment in which individuals from a wide range of backgrounds can fulfil their potential. Offers of pupillage and tenancy are made solely on the basis of merit, as are Chambers’ staff appointments and promotions.
Our aim is always to meet the highest standards of ethics and professionalism.
We are proud to support Reunite http://www.reunite.org the leading UK charity specialising in parental child abduction and the movement of children across international borders. Over the years our members have contributed many hours of free advice and written and oral advocacy. We also drafted the submission for Reunite to Parliament which sought to change the criminal law of child abduction to make retaining children outside the UK a criminal offence. This submission was accepted and, when parliamentary time allows, the law will be changed in accordance with that submission.
We also support Family Rights Group https://www.frg.org.uk a UK charity which advises families about their rights and options when social workers or courts make decisions about their children’s welfare.
Our members have appeared pro bono for both of these charities before the Supreme Court, the most recent case being In re N (Children) (Adoption: Jurisdiction) (AIRE Centre and others intervening) [2016] 2 WLR 1103.
For many years we have supported Advocate, formerly known as the The Bar Pro Bono Unit, a charity which helps to find free legal assistance from volunteer barristers.
Where the circumstances merit our members will act pro bono for private clients. A recent example of this is Birch v Birch [2017] UKSC 53
Diversity
Harcourt Chambers is committed to all aspects of equality and diversity within the workplace. We provide an environment in which individuals from a wide range of backgrounds can fulfil their potential. Offers of pupillage and tenancy are made solely on the basis of merit, as are Chambers’ staff appointments and promotions. Our aim is always to meet the highest standards of ethics and professionalism.
We are proud to have signed up as part of the Bar’s collective participation to the 10,000 Black Interns initiative. The scheme aims to help transform the horizons and prospects of young Black people in the United Kingdom.
Our members regularly give pro bono advice and appear pro bono on behalf of the following charities:
Advocate – We have, for many years, been staunch supporters of Advocate (formerly the Bar Pro Bono Unit) a charity which helps to find free legal assistance from volunteer barristers.
Reunite – We are proud to support Reunite http://www.reunite.org the leading UK charity specialising in parental child abduction and the movement of children across international borders. Over the years our members have contributed many hours of free advice and written and oral advocacy. We also drafted the submission for Reunite to Parliament which sought to change the criminal law of child abduction to make retaining children outside the UK a criminal offence. This submission was accepted and, when parliamentary time allows, the law will be changed in accordance with that submission.
Family Rights Group – We also support Family Rights Group a UK charity which advises families about their rights and options when social workers or courts make decisions about their children’s welfare.
Where the circumstances merit our members will act pro bono for private clients.
Client Testimonials
CLIENT: Kim Lehal, Partner
COMPANY/FIRM: Brethertons LLP
TESTIMONIAL: I have been instructing Harcourt Chambers from the very beginning of my career spanning nearly 15 years, starting out as a trainee to now in my role as a Partner. I have worked closely with Matthew Molloy and Laurie Amron who have always been a pleasure to deal with and will always go above and beyond on all accounts for example when Counsel go part-heard, making Counsel available to accommodate a listing at short notice, listing matters where there are numerous counsel involved in a case and in relation to fees. During the pandemic, they were exceptional in continuing to provide a top-class service (with some fantastic juniors coming through) despite being faced with Counsel and Judge’s being taken unwell and hearings coming in and out at short notice. They are personable, approachable, always reachable and responsive. In all honesty, they are one of the best sets we work with. There is nothing more a Solicitor could ask for in a Clerking team.
CLIENT: Carolina Marin Pedreno, Head of the Children Department
COMPANY/FIRM: Dawson Cornwell
TESTIMONIAL: To my mind, the clerking team at Harcourt is one of the best in the country. Not only does it have great depth with many years of experience, but it has also adapted swiftly and brilliantly to remote and hybrid working. They are very professional when arranging meetings online providing different platforms to the client and when dealing with the Court listing. However, what I value most of their clerks is their interest in identifying their best member to represent our client; they don’t simply provide us with a list of available members. A personal and tailor-made service.
CLIENT: Katherine Res Pritchard, Senior Director – Head of Children
COMPANY/FIRM: Vardags
TESTIMONIAL: The clerking team are Harcourt are the very best in the business. Matt, Simon and Laurie are always a dream to work with. They are always available to assist and will bend over backwards to help. I can’t rate them highly enough. The vast majority of our children work goes to Harcourt as they will always be the first to respond to our enquiries and will come back with quotes that are both competitive and reasonable. They are always willing to take a client’s individual circumstances into account, and the service they provide is therefore far more personalised and human. They know who we like to instruct, but more than that, their knowledge stretches as far as who will be good for a particular client, which is not something that you get from other clerking teams. Matt Molloy deserves a special mention for being absolutely second to none. He is organised, efficient, and great fun to work with.