Boardman, Hawkins & Osborne

Family Law

Ruth Hawkins is a founding partner of Boardman, Hawkins & Osborne LLP.

Ruth qualified as a solicitor in 1997. She has been a member of the Law Society’s Children Panel since 2005, and her legal work involves specialising in childcare work and complex children cases.

Ruth also became a family mediator in 2012 and mediates in all areas of family disputes including children and financial disputes.  This allows her to use her vast experience in childcare law and child development, in her mediation practice. Ruth has undertaken the What about Henry Course on child development. https://www.onlymums.org/what-about-henry

In her Legal practice, Ruth specialises in acting for children, parents and family members, grandparents and aunts and uncles in court proceedings including care proceedings, children law disputes, adoption and wardship. Ruth is able to represent children and young people in court proceedings, either with their court appointed Guardians or separately represent them where appropriate.

Reported Cases:

Ruth acted for the subject teenage girls with their court appointed Guardian, in an application brought by their paternal aunt, for a Forced Marriage Protection Order. The application did not succeed, and the Judge found that there was no evidence that the girls were at risk of forced marriage, and further found that the application was without merit.

Re M (Special Guardianship Order: Leave To Apply To Discharge) (Rev 1) [2021] EWCA Civ 442 (26 March 2021) www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Civ/2021/442.html

Ruth acted for the special guardians, the maternal grandparents, in this appeal brought by the child’s mother. The mother was appealing against an order to refuse permission to apply to discharge a Special Guardianship Order (SGO).  The appeal was allowed, and permission was granted to the mother to make her application and also make her application for a child arrangements order. There are not many cases where the Court of Appeal or higher courts have considered the law in relation to SGOs.

Re A and B (No. 2)(SGO)(domestic abuse no direct contact to father) [2020] EWFC B15 (06 March 2020) www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWFC/OJ/2020/B15.html

Ruth acted in long running proceedings for these children, via their court appointed Guardians. The initial case involved findings of serious domestic abuse by the father against the mother. Before the case could be concluded, the children’s mother committed suicide, and their future living arrangements needed to be decided against this background. The court decided to make SGOs in favour of the family friends that the mother and the children were living with, and made orders preventing the father from making further applications to the court as well as refusing contact between the father and the children

As well as being a member of the Law Society’s Children Panel, Ruth is a member of the Association of Lawyers for Children and Resolution.  Ruth is also a Family Law Panel member https://thefamilylawpanel.org/  through Only Mums/Only Dads and provides assistance through that scheme and is also a regular contributor to their publications.

Ruth leads the firm’s community and charity involvement, both locally and nationally. Ruth is a Trustee of Abingdon Carousel, the Children’s Centre in Abingdon, and is a passionate advocate for community services, especially for those more vulnerable members of the community