Janet maintains a broad family law practice, often acting in cases, which change or clarify the law or procedure. She is noted for her mastery of her papers, her clear strategic thinking and her exceptional client care.
Janet’s work in the private law children field includes a wide variety of disputes about the welfare of children, involving internal and international relocation, specific issues which arise where parents are unable to agree about the exercise of their parental responsibility in relation to matters such as education and medical treatment. Other cases involve private adoption and surrogacy (Janet being involved in two major reported cases in this field in the last year).
In the public law children field, Janet’s cases involve complex medical/mental health issues or issues which are part of the reserved jurisdiction of the High Court. Many of her cases involve the death of young children, where the issue is how the child died and whether the death was from a natural or organic cause or resulted from non-accidental injury. Janet is also instructed in ‘end of life’ and other medical treatment cases.
Janet also undertakes the full range of finance work including international cases, applications under Schedule 1 of the Children Act 1989 and nuptial agreements.
Janet is an IFLA accredited arbitrator with considerable experience of undertaking arbitrations in both children and financial cases and she also assists in the devising and delivering of training for family law arbitrators under the IFLA scheme.
Janet is a trained and experienced family mediator who also undertakes other forms of dispute resolution, including private FDRs and Early Neutral Evaluation.
Janet sits part-time as a Judge, in both civil and family cases.
Year of Call: 1980, Lincoln’s Inn Year of Silk: 2006 Recorder (family, civil, crim): 2000
Publications of note: Joint author of the book ‘Money Laundering for Lawyers,’ published by Butterworths (Lexis Nexis) Contributor to ‘Halsbury’s Laws of England Lead author and editor of the 1 Garden Court Handbook ‘Applications under Schedule 1 of the Children Act 1989’ (Jordans) Contributor to Family Law and to ‘Cases that Shook the World’ (Lexis Nexis)
French, German, modern Greek.
Member of the FLBA
The Association of Lawyers for Children
Member of the Court of Protection Bar Association
Institute of Family Law Arbitrators.
University of London (LLB Hons)