3PB

With ‘a profound understanding of family law and non-accidental injury cases’ and considerable experience in care, adoption, and private law matters Vanessa Meachin KC heads up the family law group at 3PB, ‘an excellent set with a range of barristers of the highest quality in the field of complex care proceedings’. Emma Griffiths leads the children law practice, and head of chambers Elizabeth McGrath KC has a ‘brilliant bedside manner’ and an active private and public law practice, the former including cases surrounding domestic abuse, coercive and controlling behaviour, and parental alienation, and the latter demonstrating expertise in proceedings with international elements. Lucy Hendry KC is an ‘extremely effective and dynamic advocate’ and is highly proficient in representing an array of clients, including children, intervenors, and guardians, including those with cognitive and capacity issues. Turning to the juniors, Nicola Martin also has a broad ranging practice, encompassing care cases arising from serious and fatal injuries to children, and private law cases concerning abduction and relocation. Aimee Fox is highly skilled in handling proceedings centred around children with significant educational needs. Matiss Krumins is another notable practitioner with prowess in administrative law and judicial review proceedings - he appeared in the unusual case of The Father v Worcestershire CC, representing the local authority in the Supreme Court against a litigant in person, who sought the return of his children from a care order not through any family law remedy but through a writ of habeas corpus. Lucy Clayton has a strong focus on cases surrounding issues of parental alienation, sexual abuse, and coercive control, as well as surrogacy-related matters.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

'Ian Charlton is always attentive and will always be available to help. Isabelle Lea is extremely good, has excellent communication and makes you feel that she has everything under control.'
'Ian Charlton is a go-to. You can completely trust his opinion.'
'David Sadler is efficient, helpful and provides excellent customer service.'
'The clerks are helpful and always willing to assist, and they will go above and beyond in order to accommodate choice of counsel. They are so helpful. Gemma Hyett is wonderful to deal with.'
'The clerks' room is excellent. Ian Charlton, Gemma Hyett, Rob Leonard and Philip Jones are exceptional and will do anything they can to help and are very approachable.'
'Isabelle Lee and Gemma Hyett are fantastic; very swift to respond and always on top of their barristers' diaries.'

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.

Lucy Hendry KC

‘Lucy is a determined advocate who will always present the client’s case with tenacity and enthusiasm. She is unwavering in her dedication to justice and has earned the respect of peers, clients, and opposing counsel alike.'

Elizabeth McGrath KC

‘Elizabeth is very much the whole package, as she is extremely knowledgeable and experienced, she has a brilliant bedside manner, especially with clients who are vulnerable, and she has the ability to explain the most complex legal matters in a way that can be understood simply by lay clients. Her preparation and research in cases is meticulous, she leaves no stone unturned, her written arguments are incredibly strong, and her advocacy is equally impressive.'

Vanessa Meachin KC

Vanessa is a distinguished King's Counsel with a stellar reputation for excellence in advocacy. With over 35 years call, she has consistently demonstrated exceptional skill in handling complex and challenging cases, and her expertise spans across all areas of family law, where she has achieved remarkable success and recognition.'

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.

Nicola Martin

‘Nicola is very empathetic to the clients and has an ability to draw them out and connect with them. She is a fine advocate and in addition she is fast at providing written advice, and she is very approachable for solicitors.'

Stephen Abberley

Nicola Brown

‘Without a doubt, one of Nicola's greatest strength is her unique ability to establish a rapport with her clients and her bedside manner is unrivalled. No matter the client and no matter the circumstance of the case, clients are guaranteed to feel listened to, supported and encouraged.'

Lucy Clayton

‘Lucy is down-to-earth, pragmatic, approachable and knowledgeable. She is very calming with the clients, and good on her feet.'

Andrew Duncan

‘Andrew has an impressive ability to build an instant rapport with the lay client, instilling an immediate sense of trust and confidence in what can be an incredibly stressful and difficult time for the lay client. His preparation skills and attention to detail are two of many attributes for which he is well known for within the local circuit.'

Aimee Fox

‘Aimee is a formidable opponent. She is sharp as a razor and calm under pressure. Aimee quickly gets to grips with complex issues and instinctively handles the most sensitive of situations. She is a pleasure to work with and skilled beyond her call.'

Matiss Krumins

‘Matiss is incredibly easy to instruct, with a natural ability to understand and execute complex instructions with precision. In court, his advocacy is both effective and calm, and when it comes to cross-examination, he is formidable.’

Lawrence Messling

Laura Scott

‘Laura demonstrates exceptional advocacy skills, consistently presenting clients' cases with clarity, precision and confidence. She has an excellent approach to client care, demonstrating genuine empathy and understanding, particularly in sensitive cases involving domestic abuse or vulnerable clients, and she has a good, through understanding of family law and her ability to reference relevant case law and apply it effectively in proceedings.'

Amy Beddis

Ayesha Bell-Paris

'Ayesha is an excellent advocate. She cares deeply for her clients and this is shown by her thoughtful explanation of the process to clients and her attention to detail about their specific case, which immediately puts clients at ease.'

Poonam Bhari

Nathalie Bull

Frida Dahlqvist

Adeo Fraser

‘Adeo is very confident, knows the case in detail and has a very good style of advocacy. Strong advocate, methodical and great with clients.'

Paul Froud

Paul is such a wonderful advocate; he is knowledgeable, passionate and effective. He is also fantastic with clients, in particular young and vulnerable clients, who know that through Paul, they have a voice.'

Emma Griffiths

Ria Herbert

'Ria quickly gets to the main issues in a case and is highly skilled in preparing the case based on its individual, relevant facts. Ria is a robust advocate and will fully explain to her clients the benefits of advancing their case in a particular way, whilst listening to their individual concerns.'

Eleanor Marsh

‘Eleanor's written work is of exceptionally high quality and she is meticulous with her preparation. Her advocacy is equally good and she is a safe pair of hands who clearly takes pride in her work and ensures she listens to her client's concerns too.'

Susan Todd

‘Susan is an exceptionally hardworking member of the Bar with outstanding attention to detail. Her dedication and precision in every task is truly impressive, and she consistently ensures accuracy in all aspects of her cases, from thorough research to meticulous document preparation.’

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.