12 College Place

Western Circuit
Family Law Bar Association
Criminal Bar Association

Family

Financial Claims

Considerable experience in all areas of financial disputes involving families, divorcing couples (both married and common law), children (under Schedule 1 of the Children Act 1989). This has involved the whole spectrum of financial disputes from those with low incomes and those involving substantial sums of money, property and companies, and pensions.

Children

A wide range of experience in all Public Law matters acting for all parties from the Local Authority & Guardian, to the Parents (and Interveners). This has included cases involving, inter alia, neglect, physical abuse (in particular shaken baby syndrome), sexual abuse, substance abuse and mental health problems including Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy/Factitious illness, de Clerambault's Syndrome, and adoptions. Cases include substantial threshold hearing as to the nature and causation of NAI, and identification of perpetrators. He has advised local authorities on secure accommodation practice and policy.

In the Private law area he has wide experience of all types of disputes, including where findings of fact are required due to issues of sexual abuse and/or domestic violence and cases where the children have been separately represented due to implacable hostility of one of the parents. He also has experience in cases involving child abduction and The Hague Convention.

He has lectured a number of local authorities over the years on issues of disclosure within both the family courts and as between the family and criminal courts.

Crime

His practice covers all areas of criminal work but he has a particular interest in cases involving sexual offences and offences committed against children. Of necessity, this involves knowledge of social services procedures and material, and the principles and practice governing Public Interest Immunity matters. His systematic approach to criminal litigation has as its cornerstone thorough preparation and pro-active case management. He prides himself on a meticulous attention to detail, which has time and again paid off in heavy paper-based or unused material cases where he has had notable successes.

He has been instructed over the years to prosecute in a number of police operations, on occasions being involved pre-arrest in case management. These have invariably involved extensive PII considerations/hearings.