3PB

Family law team

Overview

Elizabeth Porteous is a barrister in 3PB's family team and is based in the Birmingham office. She joined 3PB in November 2022 from a rival Midlands set where she successfully completed her 12-month family pupillage.

Prior to pupillage, Elizabeth worked as a senior legal assistant at Herefordshire Council. Elizabeth worked on a large number of children public law cases at the local authority and already has built a good practice in care and adoption and private law children cases.

A mooting competition finalist at University of the West of England (UWE) in Bristol, Elizabeth was appointed head of mooting. At the University of Bristol, she was part of the Human Rights Law Clinic where she undertook in-depth research into a variety of human rights issues, helping to influence ongoing litigation and policymaking. Whilst completing the BPTC at the University of Law in Birmingham, Elizabeth was Head of the Advocacy Committee where she had the responsibility of organising and running mooting competitions and workshops.

Elizabeth has volunteered for the charity "Support Through Court", helping litigants in person to issue or defend claims. This involved frequent representation for clients in remote hearings throughout the pandemic.

Outside work, Elizabeth enjoys going on long walks and paddle-boarding. She also loves to travel and to attend festivals.

Family

Elizabeth Porteous completed her family law pupillage at another chambers in the Midlands and joined 3PB in November 2022 to further develop her skills and experience in public and private law children disputes.

She has a busy public children and private law children caseload. She plans to conduct cases that include complex allegations requiring robust cross-examination and in-depth analysis.

Elizabeth is frequently commended by solicitors for her client care and her ability to rapidly build rapport in often very difficult and upsetting circumstances. She receives excellent feedback from clients for her approachability and ability to provide realistic but sensitive advice. Her approach to clients quickly puts them at ease and enables her to build relationships with opponents and colleagues efficiently.

After completing the BPTC, she worked as a paralegal in Herefordshire Council's Legal Department dealing exclusively with public law proceedings, giving her an insight into the complexities of local authority and social work processes. Elizabeth also volunteered with "Support Through Court" at Birmingham Family and County Court, assisting members of the public to fill in legal documents and prepare for court hearings. This experience taught her to communicate and adapt in circumstances when working with people who are often highly emotional and unsure of the family law litigation process.

Year of call: 2021

Member of Middle Temple

BPTC, University of Law, Birmingham, Very Competent Human Rights Law LLM, University of Bristol, Merit Law LLB Hons, University of the West of England, 2:1