The 36 Group

The 36 Group is ‘a well-established set for family law’. The set has an excellent reputation for handling international child law matters and fertility and surrogacy cases. William Tyler KC is ‘an exceptionally persuasive and immensely impressive advocate’, and head of the family team Hannah Markham KC has ‘real presence in the court room’. Among the juniors, Kate Grieve is ‘very eloquent’ and is sought after for her expertise in advising on a wide range of public and private child law matters, including relocation issues, alleged abuse and parental alienation. The junior end of the team was bolstered by the arrivals of Meredith Major and Hannah Justiva in September 2025.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

'The clerks are absolutely top tier, especially Adam Cope and Danny Chapman. They will go out of their way to provide the right barrister for a particular case and are always flexible and accommodating to any particular request you may have.'
'Danny Chapman is a brilliant clerk. He will do everything he can to help.'

Lawyers

Leading Silks

KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.

Hannah Markham KC

‘Hannah’s style of advocacy is powerful: she draws in the room and continuously seeks to make sure the judge is with her.'

William Tyler KC

William has the ability to make the most unreasonable of litigants realise they should listen to him and follow his advice. A masterful advocate.'

Martin Kingerley KC

Martin is a smooth operator. He has a natural way of putting clients at ease. Judges respect him.'

Lucy Reed KC

‘Lucy is an excellent barrister. Her knowledge is second-to-none, she is incredibly dedicated, and leaves no stone unturned in the pursuit of her client’s case.’

Leading Juniors

Leading juniors are those with significant experience of key cases, strong market recognition from both peers and clients, and are seen as future candidates for silk.

Kate Grieve

‘Kate is exceptional. She goes above and beyond to support instructing solicitors and can manage even the most difficult clients with ease because of her brilliant client care skills.’

Kate Tompkins

‘Kate is always a master of her brief, which feeds into a confident, assured and measured delivery of her arguments in court. She is solutions-focused and tenacious.'

Joanne Ecob

'Joanne's advice is always on point and is delivered in an accessible and sympathetic manner. She looks at the bigger picture and has really sound judgement in tricky, multi-faceted cases where there a number of competing issues and potential solutions, and her advocacy is calm and measured, hitting the killer points with precision.'

George Harley

‘George is an extremely robust barrister with a rigorous, detail-oriented, and client-focussed approach. His strength is the force of his advocacy, as he approaches each case with confidence and determination.’

Fenella Cooil

Ben Mansfield

Ben is an exceptionally skilled and persuasive advocate in the field of family law. His courtroom presence is calm, focused, and highly effective, he presents complex issues with clarity and precision, and his cross-examination is consistently measured and impactful.’

Hena Vissian

‘Hena is an excellent family law barrister whose case preparation is thorough and detailed. She is very friendly and approachable, which means she builds a quick rapport with clients, and her advocacy skills are highly persuasive.'

Kelly Webb

Kelly is serene in court and demonstrates empathy towards vulnerable individuals. She is always one step ahead and instils confidence in her clients, and she is a natural on her feet.’

Adiba Bassam

‘Adiba is a brilliant barrister who is quick on her feet.'

Sabuhi Chaudhry

‘Sabuhi is a firm and accomplished advocate, and she is able to develop an excellent relationship with clients and not shy away from giving difficult advice where needed.'

Chloe Kenvin

‘Clients trust her advice and opinions. Her advocacy is well prepared, articulate, and tenacious.’

Meredith Major

‘Meredith is a highly skilled advocate. She is approachable, gives sensible advice and is liked by clients and professionals.’

Eve Robinson

‘Eve is bright, approachable and excellent in court, even when faced with difficult and aggressive litigants in person. She can be relied on to advise sensibly.’

Madeleine Whelan

‘Madeleine has a flair for family work. She is a strong and sensible advocate on her feet, she offers pragmatic advice, always with a strategy in mind, and clients are reassured by her approach.’

Rising stars

Rising stars at the Bar are defined as barristers between four and eight years’ call who are seen as up-and-coming members of the Bar in their respective practice areas by clients and peers alike. They will already be instructed in high-profile, complex, and high-value contentious and non-contentious matters, working with and opposite more experienced leading counsel.