December's family law newsletter out now

Welcome to the 3PB family newsletter

Welcome to the third edition of our family newsletter. We wish you and yours all the joys of the season and all the best for better times in 2021.

In this edition we bring you a round up of the topics covered in our brunch talks, the news of a forthcoming new Silk appointment in our team, new appointments to the family team, and our latest articles and news.

You'll also find details of when we are open over Christmas and details of the first family law brunch of 2021.

Lucy Hendry to be appointed Silk

We are delighted to announce that the Queen has announced her intention to approve the appointment of Lucy Hendry (Call 1988) as Queen’s Counsel. Many congratulations to Lucy who will formally take Silk from March 2021.

Lucy has considerable expertise in cases requiring complex medical and scientific evidence, cases involving allegations of child sex abuse, mental health and personality disorders, children and parents with
special needs/cognitive impairment/capacity issues, cultural diversity issues are evident and wardship/inherent jurisdiction disputes.

3PB family team excels in Legal Directory 2021 results

Coming hot on the heels of the team's success in the Legal 500 - with 24 3PB family barristers ranked in its latest edition across the Midlands, Western, South Eastern Circuits and London; Chambers and Partners has acknowledged 17 of our family barristers in the four circuits.

Thank you to our clients and peers for their support and their positive feedback.

3PB family clerks voted Clerking Team of the Year at Family Law Awards

Many congratulations to the family clerking team, headed by Practice Directors Rob Leonard and Ian Charlton, who won the popular vote for this prestigious award and were “commended for consistently providing some of the best clerking in the country".

Louise Worton appointed Recorder

Congratulations to Louise Worton on her appointment as a Recorder. Louise Worton will hear family matters on the South Eastern Circuit.

Louise has also been appointed as a part-time judicial office holder in the First Tier Tribunal in the South Eastern area sitting in the Social Entitlement Chamber.

Melissa Barlow appointed Circuit Judge

Congratulations to Melissa Barlow on her appointment to be a Circuit Judge.

Her Honour Judge Barlow will sit in the Bristol CJC hearing family cases.

Nicola Brown joins us from Staffordshire County Council

Nicola Brown (1998 call) joins us on January 4th 2021. Nicola specialises in care and placement proceedings and now acts for local authorities, parents, guardians and grandparents in cases involving serious non-accidental injury, sexual abuse, chronic neglect, death of the child and fabricated and induced illness (FII).

Hayley Manser strengthens our "Wessex team" 

Hayley Manser (2015 call) will work jointly from our Bournemouth and Bristol offices. Hayley has already built up a busy practice in family law and is regularly instructed on a broad range of matters including public and private law children proceedings, matrimonial finance and Family Law Act proceedings.

Former specialist care solicitor Carol Clelland joins our Birmingham team

Carol Clelland (qualified:1994, call: 2019), former Head of the Care Department at law firm Cartwright King, has specialised in care and associated proceedings for over 20 years, representing parents, grandparents and other family members, guardians, Gillick competent children, intervenors, vulnerable persons.

3PB family team presents at the Taunton and Yeovil Family Law Justice Board ​

Vanessa Meachin QC provided an update on "Vulnerability and the remote family court".
Gemma Chapman's public law update focused on "Preserving the evidence" while Amy Beddis provided a private law update.

Aimee Fox and Amy Beddis at Oxford Resolution

Aimee Fox and Amy Beddis provided a case law update for Oxford Resolution via Zoom, the
last of many presentations to Resolution this year.

3PB family team acts in two reported cases ​

Amy Beddis on our team's two reported cases this past quarter:
- In the first case, Dorian Day is  successful in an application for a child to be placed with her sister.
- Dorian Day and Matiss Krumins appear before the CoA in a case raising the question of whether a local authority can take steps to change the nationality of a child in its care, against their parents' wishes.

Pre-nups: can you have your wedding cake and eat it?

Over 10 years on from Radmacher v Granantino, with pre-nuptial agreements still not guaranteed to be upheld in court, Nicola Frost offers her best recipe to make them binding.

View Nicola's profile here

"Relocation: the dos and don’ts" and "Enforcement of Child Arrangement Orders"​ 

Elisabeth Hudson and Nathalie Bull held a webinar exploring these specialist subjects on 24 September.

View Nathalie's profile here

View Elisabeth's profile here

"Caution! committal proceedings" and "The five stages of loss in family proceedings"

Audrey Archer and Luke Nelson presented on these specialist topics during our brunch webinar of 5 November.

View Audrey's profile here

View Luke's profile here

"Bankruptcy in financial remedy proceedings" and "An exploration of costs in family finance proceedings" 

Elaine Strachan and Amy Beddis provided an overview of the above topics during our last brunch webinar of 2020.

View Elaine's profile
here

View Amy's profile here

28 January Brunch

3PB barrister Michael George and Dains forensic accounting partner Andrew Donaldson will host the next 3PB
Family Law Brunch via Zoom on Thursday 28 January.

Michael and Andrew will examine "Valuing the valuation: getting the most out of your expert in uncertain times”. 

Meet the team

3PB’s family group advises and represents clients on financial provision (divorce, cohabitation and death), child arrangements orders, property disputes, childcare / adoption, judicial review, professional negligence, regulatory matters, incapacity / Court of Protection welfare issues, international children’s issues and human rights.

Monday 21st December
Tuesday 22nd December
Wednesday 23rd December
Thursday 24th December
Friday 25th December
Monday 28th December
Tuesday 29th December
Wednesday 30th December
Thursday 31st December
Friday 1st January

0830 - 1815
0830 - 1815
0900 - 1400
Closed
Closed
1000 - 1600
1000 - 1600
1000 - 1600
Closed
0830 - 1815