Former senior family judge Martin Dancey joins 3PB

10th January 2023

We are delighted to announce that former Circuit Judge His Honour Martin DanceyMartin DanceyCall: 1999, pictured here, is to join 3PB with immediate effect. An Associate member of chambers, Martin Dancey will be accepting appointments as a Private FDR Judge and is offering a conciliation and early neutral evaluation service in private law children cases, helping families find solutions.

Hamish Dunlop, Head of 3PB's Family Finance team, said: "As the Designated Family Judge on the South Coast, Martin brings with him formidable experience of deciding family finance cases at the highest level. He is an outstanding addition to 3PB."

Helen Adam, Chair of the the Family Solutions Group who runs Wells Family Mediation in Kent, added: "Martin was a founder member of the Family Solutions Group and a core participant in promoting a solutions-based approach to family issues. The impact of parental conflict on any child of the family is a driving factor in Martin's approach, as he assists families to resolve issues in the least confrontational way possible. He is a man of immense skill and wisdom in this field."

HHJ Dancey recently retired as Designated Family Judge for Dorset after 23 years on the Bench. Before becoming a judge, Martin was a family law solicitor with a South Coast law firm Ellis Jones from his admission in 1981, until his appointment as a district judge in 1999. He was appointed a circuit judge in 2015, sitting in Bournemouth and hearing family and civil cases.

Martin was a member of the Private Law Working Group and Family Solutions Group, established to work with separated parents and their children outside of the court, and has been closely involved in developing the private law reforms pilot that has recently launched in the family courts in Dorset and North Wales. These focus on restoring the child to the centre in systems that currently operates largely for parents.

Appointed as a tutor judge with the Judicial College Family Team in 2009, Martin was a Course Director between 2013 and 2017, spending much of his time planning family courses, writing materials and delivering talks to fellow judges. This included drafting guidance for the conduct of financial dispute resolution appointments for a pilot ancillary relief course.

Martin is the second new recruit announced by 3PB since the New Year, joining the FA's sports and regulatory/disciplinary barrister Sam ShureySam ShureyCall: 2015 at the national chambers.

To contact Martin, do email him on [email protected]. To instruct him on any matter, do email his clerk Rob Leonard on [email protected] or call him on 01202 292102.