Profile
Position
Sally is Joint Head of Chambers at 1GC Family Law. She practices in all aspects of children law. Acts in private law proceedings on behalf of parents and on behalf of children in Rule 16 cases (particularly where there is a significant fact-finding element) but the main focus of her work is care proceedings and adoption, acting for Local Authorities, parents, children and other interested parties.
Frequently instructed in cases where there is conflicting and/or complex medical evidence involving serious non-accidental injury to or death of a child, cases involving FII, sexual abuse, significant domestic abuse including death of a parent, honour-based violence, mental health issues, where there are multiple potential perpetrators, conflicting expert evidence and where there are concurrent criminal proceedings.
Appeared in Re T (Costs: Care Proceedings: Serious Allegation Not Proved) [2012] UKSC 36 [2013] 1 FLR 133[2013] 1 FLR 133 (where the Supreme Court considered the costs of intervenors where allegations against them were not proved) and in Re U (L) (A Child) (2) B (L) (A Child) [2004] EWCA Civ 567 [2004] 2 FLR 263 (where the court considered the standard of proof in Children’s Cases). More recently, appeared in Re C (Children: Covid 19: Representation) [2020 EWCA Civ 734], Re K (Threshold – cocaine ingestion – failure to give evidence) [2020] EWHC 2502 (Fam), Re N (Children: Fact Finding – Perplexing Presentation / Fabricated or Induced Illness) [2024] EWFC 326 and the linked decision in Re N (Children: Findings against a professional witness: Joinder or intervention) [2024] EWFC 17(B); Slough Children First v Mother & Ors [2024] EWFC 31 (B) and re K (Children) (No. 2) (Application for return orders: Best Interests Decision) [2025] EWHC 451.
Career
Called to the Bar (Inner Temple): 1994
Tenant at Francis Taylor Building 1995-1999, then 1GC Family Law to date.
Silk 2021.
Memberships
Member Family Law Bar Association (FLBA) Association of Lawyers for Children (ALC)
Education
BA (Hons) University of Kent
Content supplied by 1GC | Family Law
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Paul Harris runs a tight ship.'
- 'Paul Harris leads from the front, always super quick and willing to move mountains to make things happen.'
- 'Paul Harris is a dynamo of energy, David McDonald is Mr. Reliable, and the rest of the clerks' team regularly solve the insolvable.'
- 'The clerking team at 1GC is second to none—professional, friendly, responsive, and always solution-focused.'
- 'An outstanding set.'
- '1GC is renowned for its exceptional family law practice.'
- 'One of the leading chambers in relation to public law children work.'
- 'Market-leading set.'