Profile
Work Department
Elizabeth is a specialist child law silk and sits as a Family Division Deputy High Court Judge. Elizabeth is a qualified Family Arbitrator (Children) and is a member of the Institute of Family Law Arbitrators (IFLA) Scheme.
Position
Elizabeth is highly regarded and has an established national reputation for her compassionate, approachable and pragmatic approach, as well as her extensive legal knowledge and experience, excellent advocacy and forensic preparation in complex public and private law cases.
Her appointments include:
Trustee of the Donor Conception Network 2021
Bencher of Lincoln’s Inn 2019
Honorary Doctorate of Laws Coventry University 2019
Deputy High Court Judge (Family Division) 2016
Public and Private Family Law Recorder (SE Circuit) 2012
Crown Court Recorder (SE Circuit) 2009
Silk Member of The Family Justice Council (2014-2019)
Career
Year of Call: 1998
Silk: 2003
Private Law Children
Elizabeth is a specialist child law silk and sits as a Family Division Deputy High Court Judge. She has an established national reputation for a pragmatic, robust and strategic approach, excellent advocacy and forensic preparation. She is highly regarded for her personable and compassionate style with clients, and works collaboratively with solicitors and junior counsel in tactically planning cases as a team from the very outset of her involvement.
Particular areas of interest include:
- LGBT and Modern Families parenting issues
- Surrogacy and fertility law
- Parental order applications
- Parental alienation and emotionally conflicted children
- Disputes about habitual residence
- Domestic and international relocation
- Disputes about education, religion and medical issues
Elizabeth is an expert authority in the development of the law relating to surrogacy; she was leading counsel in the recent groundbreaking cases of Re X (A Child) (Surrogacy: Time Limit) [2014] EWHC 3135 (Fam) and Re Z (No 2) (a child) [2016] EWHC 1191 (fam) (which led to the Government’s revision of the law prohibiting single people from applying for parental orders).
Elizabeth is also regularly instructed in cases following breakdown of surrogacy arrangements or same-sex parenting arrangements.
Elizabeth is the head of the Chambers Childcare Group and a member of Chambers Management Committee.
In 2017 Elizabeth was shortlisted for ‘Family Silk of the Year’ at the Jordans Family Law Awards, in 2018 she was the ’Regional/Scottish Silk of the Year’ at the Legal 500 UK Awards and in 2019 she was shortlisted again for the same award.
Elizabeth is Direct Access trained and is therefore happy and able to accept instructions from prospective clients directly.
Public Law Children
Elizabeth has substantial expertise in acting for all parties in complex care, adoption and wardship proceedings and has a detailed knowledge of the legal and social care issues relating to local authority planning and decision making for children.
She recently acted for respondents in Operation Satchel and Operation Directed, the two largest public law cases heard to date in the UK Family courts.
Particular areas of interest include:
- Child death
- Serious physical injury
- Allegations of physical, emotional and sexual abuse
- Fabricated/Induced Illness (FII)
- Toxicology and poisoning
- Judicial review
- Human rights issues
- Disclosure and Public Interest Immunity (PII) issues relating to children
- LGBT and Modern Families parenting issues
Elizabeth is the head of the Chambers Childcare Group and a member of Chambers Management Committee.
In 2017 Elizabeth was shortlisted for ‘Family Silk of the Year’ at the Jordans Family Law Awards, in 2018 she was the ’Regional/Scottish Silk of the year’ at the Legal 500 UK Awards and in 2019 was shortlisted again for the same award.
Notable Cases
Tameside MBC v AM & Ors; Derby City Council v AB & Ors; Lambeth BC v ED & Ors; Manchester CC v LT & Ors [ 2021] EWHC 2472 (Fam)
Salford City Council v W [2021] 1689 (Fam)
Salford City Council v W [2021] EWHC 61 (Fam)
Re K (Threshold: Cocaine Ingestion: Failure to Give Evidence) [2020] EWHC 2502 (Fam)
Re C (Children) (Covid-19: Representation) [2020] EWCA Civ 734
Re P (Sexual Abuse: Finding of Fact Hearing) [2019] EWFC 27
VBC v AGM [2019] EWFC 64
Re C (Declaration of Parentage: Written Consent) [2019] EWHC 648 (Fam)
M v W, C & Secretary of State for Health [2019] EWHC 648 (Fam)
Rochdale Borough Council v F & Others [2018] EWHC 2996 (Fam)
Carmarthenshire CC v Y and Others [2017] EWFC 36
Re Z (A Child) (No 2) [2016] EWHC 1191 (Fam)
Re N-S (Children) [2017] EWCA Civ 1121
Re AD, AE, AF, AG & AH (HFEA 2008) [2017] EWHC 1782 (Fam)
Re P-K (Children) [2017] EWCA Civ 965
RE M (A CHILD) sub nom (1) H (2) B v (1) S (2) M (A CHILD BY HER GUARDIAN) [2015] EWFC 36
RE F (A CHILD) (International Relocation Cases) sub nom DF v N B-F [2015] EWCA Civ 882
Re X (A Child) (Surrogacy: Time Limit) [2014] EWHC 3135 (Fam)
Re B (A Child) [2014] EWHC B1 (Fam) Re S (A Child) [2013] EWCA Civ 1073
SMBC v RG et al [2013] EWHC 2373 (COP)
Re M (A Child) [2012] EWCA Civ 446
S v Z [2012] EWHC 84 (Fam) Re D O’H (Children) [2011] EWCA Civ 1343
Re L (Duty to the Court of a Psychologist) [2011] EWHC B29 (Fam)
Re C and D (Photographs of Injuries) [2010] EWHC B27(Fam)
Re X, Y and Z (Children) [2010] EWHC B12 (Fam)
Re W (Care: Threshold Criteria) [2007] 2 FLR 98 (CA)
Re B (Appeals: Lack of Reasons) [2003] 2 FLR 1035 (CA)
Recommendations
Recommendations
Chambers and Partners 2021: “She is creative, strategic and collaborative in her approach. A QC of choice for cases which challenge the law or raise novel issues in the area of LGBT family law and fertility law.”
Legal 500 2021: “Her preparation of every case is meticulous and impressive, her advice is robust and straightforward, and she stands up for her clients.”
Chambers & Partners 2020: “She has an excellent in-depth knowledge of the law and social work practice, and tenaciously fights her client’s corner in a firm and balanced manner. She’s also extremely personable and a great team player.” “She’s a phenomenal individual who mastered the issues very quickly.”
Legal 500 2019: “An enormously effective trial advocate.”
Chambers & Partners 2019:“She fights the client’s corner in a firm and balanced manner. She is also extremely personable and a great team player.” “She has an excellent grasp of the law and is also a brilliant strategist.”
Legal 500 2018: “Exceptionally clever; a strategic thinker who is willing to push the boundaries in her approach to cases.”
Chambers & Partners 2018: “A joy to work with. She is incredibly collaborative and gets the best out of the whole team. She is massively bright and has an ability to think outside of the box.” “She has a superb work ethic and retains her balance, judgement and humour in stressful situations.”
Legal 500 2017: “A Titan in children’s work.”
Legal 500 2017: “She radiates creative energy and has one of the quickest minds in the business”
Legal 500 2016: “Her expertise in care work includes complex cases involving child fatalities, serious injuries and sexual abuse.”
Chambers & Partners 2016: “She would always be my first choice – an excellent advocate. She is very well prepared, has very good client care skills and is very approachable. She is bright and passionate about what she does. I would go to her with any family matter that needed silk.” “I would single her out as a really strong feisty advocate who is incredibly thorough in her preparation and extremely effective.”
Chambers & Partners 2015: “Continues to be regarded as a go-to barrister for complex children matters involving death and serious injury. She has a keen interest in the academic side of litigation and is a thorough and versatile advocate.”
Legal 500 2014: “Approachable and a pleasure to deal with.”
Chambers & Partners 2014: “A child law expert in care proceedings as well as child abduction and forced marriages…and she is well versed in dealing with cases concerning learning disabilities. A competent lawyer who handles her clients very well and provides sensible advice.”
Legal 500 2013: New silk Elizabeth Isaacs QC is “a brilliant barrister.”
Chambers & Partners 2013: “A former social worker, she is valued for the unique perspective that her previous job affords her. Those that use her do so as “she is very personable and has very good judgement.”
Legal 500 2012: Elizabeth Isaacs “fights her corner with determination.”
Chambers & Partners 2012: “Personable, sensible, and highly knowledgeable,” she is “excellent with clients” and “fights their corner doggedly.” As a former social worker, she brings to the table invaluable added insight into the workings of the care system.
Legal 500 2011: “Superb”
Languages
Memberships
Education
BA (Hons) Psychology (Dunelm)
MA Social Work
LLB (Hons)
Content supplied by St Ives Chambers
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'The clerks are personable and it feels like they care. They can make recommendations based on the nature of the case which is invaluable. Sarah Robinson, Nick Burdon and Asma Akhtar run matters like a well-oiled machine!'
- 'The clerks provide an excellent service. They are highly responsive and user friendly. Stuart Walker and Nick Burdon are standouts.'
- 'Clerks are superb. Nick Burdon in particular will aways do his utmost to help even in an emergency.'
- 'All of their clerks are professional, friendly and helpful, especially Nick Burdon and Asma Akhtar.'
- 'Sarah Robinson, Nick Burdon, Asma Akhtar, and Stuart Walker are outstanding. Whenever you speak to any of the clerks, you are greeted with warmth. Nick has an ability to light up a room even if he is in it.'
- 'The clerks are really helpful and will do their very best to accommodate your request and choice of counsel, often going above and beyond. David Walters gets to know who you like to instruct in particular form their set which demonstrates his commitment to solicitor relationships.'
- 'David Walters and Scott Goodison are always supportive and reliable.'
- 'Scott Goodison and David Walters are the best family clerks in Birmingham. They are supportive of solicitors, helpful and have a clear knowledge of the field they work in.'