EXPERTISE
Tory is a dual qualified Barrister and Solicitor-Advocate who has specialised in family law for the majority of her career. The focus of her practice is private and public law children and she has a mixed portfolio of privately paying and legally aided clients.
The mainstay of Tory’s practice is complex care proceedings and complex fact-finding hearings in private law proceedings.
Tory has a thorough but pragmatic approach to cases. She ensures that she has a strong grasp of the factual matrix of the case and is able to identify the key, determining issues.
She will robustly challenge parties and the legal framework whilst managing client expectations as to realistic outcomes.
Public Law
Tory has significant experience in care proceedings, spanning over 15 years. Prior to joining Chambers, she was the senior in-house advocate for one of the largest public child care legal teams in the Country and was also Legal Team Manager for a Children’s Services Trust. Accordingly, Tory has the detailed knowledge of internal procedures and practice that only comes from being a Local Authority advocate over a number of years.
As well as working as senior in-house Counsel, she case held the most serious of cases including multi-jurisdiction matters, a terrorism case, cases involving significant media interest in concurrent criminal proceedings and cases involving serious harm to children, murder and unexplained death.
Tory represents Local Authorities, parents and Guardians in the most serious and complex childcare matters and appears regularly in the County Court and High Court. She has a keen interest and developing practice in the interface between the Children Act/Deprivation of Liberty applications and the Court of Protection.
Recent complex children care matters in the County and High Court include cases of non-accidental injury fact find, Female Genital Mutilation(FGM), sexual abuse of children, possession of indecent images, contested adoption and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) applications.
Private Law
Tory appears for both parents, family members and guardians in private law matters in relation to children with a developing specialism in private fact find hearings, including allegations of domestic violence and abuse, emotional harm to spouse and children, coercive and controlling behaviour and financial abuse.
Tory is a sought-after advocate for cases involving serious welfare issues.
Public Access
Qualified Direct Access barrister who is able to accept instructions directly from members of the public in suitable cases.
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