Duncan Lewis Solicitors

Family and Child Care

Family and child care director, Laila Bhunnoo, is a solicitor-advocate and specialises in representing parents, children’s guardians, and children in all Children Act matters. She has a wide practice assisting publically funded clients across London. Her practice covers special guardianship orders, care orders, supervision orders, emergency protection orders, UK and international adoption, child abduction, forced marriage protection orders, and FGM orders.

Laila’s work also covers matters that involve same sex relationships, and she has significant experience representing vulnerable teenagers, often separately from their Guardian when conflict has arisen.

Laila is a member of the Law Society’s Children Panel as a Children Representative and is an experienced advocate with Higher Rights of Audience, which entitles her to represent clients at all levels of court. She is repeatedly the ‘solicitor of choice’ for Children Guardians in connection with Rule 16.4 appointments. Being one of the few Asian specialists in this area, Laila is also often appointed in culturally complex cases.

Laila was awarded Employer of the Year 2011 and 2016 by the National Mentoring Consortium for her work with the University of Westminster law students; mentoring BME university students to help them achieve a better understanding of the work place and developing their skills through increasing confidence in their own abilities.

Laila was admitted as a Solicitor in 1997. She was initially with Duncan Lewis from 2003 to 2014 as a partner-level director of family & childcare and returned to the company in October 2016 from Hodge Jones & Allen.

Laila is a member of the Law Society’s Children Panel, the Association of Lawyers for Children and is also a member of Resolution.

Laila has an LLB (Hons) from the University of Westminster and obtained her LPC from the College of Law, Lancaster Gate.