Jacqueline Whelan > Chambers of Richard Pratt KC > Liverpool, England > Barrister Profile

Jacqueline Whelan

Work Department

Family

Position

Jacqueline Whelan has a wealth of experience in family law including;

– Public and Private Child
– Accredited mediator specializing in Public Sector dispute resolution at Chief Officer and Executive level in Health
– Social service and Education
– Experienced Special Education Law advocate
– Inquests following Unexpected Deaths in public sector services, England and Wales.

Career

Call: 2015

Family Law

Miss Whelan is frequently instructed in both private and public child law in both England and Wales. Having quickly built a good rapport with her clients, Jacqueline is regularly thanked for her work and is recommended to others and securing a wide client base.

Tenacious and hard working, Jacqueline quickly sees to the heart of the matter and the options for the maximum benefit to her client.

Vulnerable clients and challenging matters are welcomed by Jacqueline, who understands how stressful court hearings can be and ensures the client’s best interests are protected, whilst not losing sight of the overriding objective to the court.

Jacqueline has earned the respect of her colleagues and members of the judiciary through her advocacy, negotiation and drafting skills, reducing hearings times and associated costs to the clients.

Balanced with a career spanning almost 30 years’ within the public sector services of health and social services, Jacqueline understand and values the public purse and works tirelessly to reduce the pressure on it.

It is Jacqueline’s understanding of case management objections, weighed against limited resources and significantly overwhelming demands upon the public purse, which makes her a trusted ally and unnerving opponent.

Jacqueline knows what public bodies should be providing, how they should be provided and what the legal consequences and remedies are when public services fall short.

Regularly instructed in high profile public child law cases involving significant safeguarding and pubic safety concerns, non accidental injuries, abduction, jurisdiction and organised crime for both the local authority, parents and children through their Guardian.

Jacqueline is also instructed in private law cases in England and Wales, involving domestic violence, coercive control and welfare concerns for the children, including parental alienation and protracted parental disagreement. Jacqueline is regularly instructed by both local authorities and parents/ grandparents in these often complex and very distressing cases.

 

Education Law

Jacqueline has an extensive Education law practice working with children and adults in both England and Wales navigating with ease the often complex regulations and legislation underpinning special education/additional learning needs provision.

Parents and professionals are able to utilise Jacqueline’s knowledge of the law and her understanding of mental and physical health needs, to determine what legally should be provided and how to achieve this.

Jacqueline is regularly instructed by professional and charitable organisations to support their clients and is an invited speaker and advocate for the Downs Syndrome Association.

As a parent with first hand knowledge of the challenges of special educational needs and the impact this has on the individual and family, Jacqueline is a Champion of vulnerable clients with fierce reknown, swiftly cutting through red tape to achieve the best outcome for them.

 

Mediation

Jacqueline is an accomplished mediator, often instructed by public bodies at chief officer level to resolve the negative effects on service users of disparities between service provision and need, balancing regulatory and legal obligations to evidence what public bodies ‘must’ and ‘may’ do and the often conflicting areas in between.

For private clients, Jacqueline works with parties to reach resolution of often long and drawn out matters, which appear hopeless and beyond conclusion.

Parties welcome Jacqueline’s straight talking and candid approach, and appreciate the opportunity to be in control of their own resolutions, rather than ones ordered by the court.

Jacqueline’s clients includes sporting bodies and organisations, charities, SME’s and public sector services at Chief Officer and Director Level and service users.

 

Memberships

The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn – Scholar and Denning Society Member.  

Education Law Association 

Family Law Bar Association

Child Poverty Action Group    

Education

ADReg Group 2015 – Accredited Civil and Commercial Law Mediator.

BPP University Law School, 2013 – 2015 – Bar Professional Training Course – Very Competent

University of Chester Law school, 2008 -2013 – LLB Hons  2:1

University of Lancaster, 2000 – Diploma in Management and NVQ 5 in Operational Management in Public Sector Services

Institute of Transactional Analysis, 2000-2004 –Advanced Training in Clinical Transactional Analysis

University of Liverpool, 1994 – Certificate of Qualification in Social Work, Diploma in Social Studies – Mental Health and HMP Walton specialist placements. Qualified Social worker and Probation Officer.