Alison Grief KC > 4PB > London, England > Barrister Profile

Alison Grief KC

020 7427 5200 ag@4pb.com

Work Department

Children – public and private law.

Position

Specialist Private and Public law children practitioner:

Alison is a highly experienced children practitioner with a mixed practice in which her forensic and cross examination skills so essential in her public law work are used to maximum effect in the private law cases she is particularly known for ie high conflict cases, including allegations of parental alienation and sexual, emotional and physical abuse, domestic abuse, coercive and controlling behaviour and drug and alcohol issues in which complex cross examination of experts and parties is required and in which detailed knowledge of child protection procedures and investigations into allegations made by children and parents is required for the devising of the case strategy, including disclosure issues and the selection of experts as well as the conduct of contested fact findings and final hearings.

Alison’s recent cases include the leading authority now on the exercise of parental responsibility by local authority’s pursuant to Section 33(3) Children Act 1989 Re H (A Child) (Parental Responsibility: Vaccination) [2020] EWCA Civ 664

  https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWFC/HCJ/2020/93.html, which disapproved Re SL (Permission to Vaccinate) [2017] EWHC 125 and gives guidance which has already had an influence in private law cases and which is of wider application than merely vaccines. She was also instructed on behalf of the child in AB v CD 2021 EWHC 741 (Fam) https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Fam/2021/741.html, the leading test case on the exercise of parental responsibility in the context of the administration of puberty blocking hormone treatment for gender dysphoria following the decision of the Divisional Court in Bell v Tavistock 2020 EWHC 3274 (Admin) https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Fam/2021/741.html.

In public law work, Alison is renowned for her highly specialist work involving allegations of non-accidental injuries particularly deaths from catastrophic head injuries, other non-accidental injuries including vitamin D deficiency and other metabolic disorders and fabricated and induced illness (‘FII’). She has shared seminar platforms with the leading experts in the field and is renowned for her cross examination of medical experts and case strategizing in these most complex cases. She is regularly instructed in lengthy and voluminous cases with concurrent criminal proceedings in lengthy and voluminous cases including complex cases involving allegations of sexual abuse both current and historical including paedophile rings and inter-generational and inter-sibling abuse. The nature of her cases often involve complex disclosure applications/issues and the need for reporting restriction injunctions. She advises upon and regularly appears in contested adoption and Special Guardianship cases together with issues relating to local authority duties towards children including Judicial Review. A full list of reported cases can be found here: https://www.4pb.com/barrister-profile/alison-grief/

Career

Called 1990; QC 2015; Inner Temple. Barrister in independent practice from 1990 to date; 2 Pump Court 1990-1994; Garden Court Chambers 1994-2010; 4 Paper Buildings 2010 to present. Family Recorder; Early Neutral Evaluator; Assistant Coroner Mid Kent and Medway; Assistant Coroner Hertfordshire; Direct Public Access. Speaker at: Butterworths Private Law Children Conference on Domestic Violence in Children cases January 2011; Butterworths Medical Evidence Conference 15th June 2011, Non-accidental Head Injuries; Lexis Nexis Public Law Up-date 26th June 2012. Articles: Re SB: Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit Family Law April2010 Vol 40 (p404-406).

Memberships

FLBA; ALC.

Education

LLB (Hons).

Leisure

Two young sons, walking, gardening, theatre and anything beach related.