Family
Susan Todd is a highly experienced senior family law barrister who joined 3PB in September 2023 from another large chambers in Birmingham.
Susan has more than 30 years experience at the family bar. She works in the Family Court and the Family Division for parents, grandparents, intervenors and children's guardians. She prides herself on providing a committed service to every client, in a non-judgmental fashion, whatever their background, while remaining objective.
Susan’s experience in public law includes:
Non accidental injury Fabricated/induced illness Cases where one parent has killed the other Sexual abuse Abduction and forced marriage Female Genital Mutilation and Ritualistic abuse Human trafficking of children and adults and Modern Slavery Cases involving jurisdictional issues, including Article 15 BIIR and inter-country adoptions Same sex relationships and transgender client Secure accommodation Deprivation of Liberty Vulnerable clients such as those with a learning difficulty or a disability, including profound deafness Cases involving substance misuse, domestic abuse and mental illness Cases involving county lines and drug gangs Complex fact findingsIn private law Susan’s experience includes:
Implacable hostility and parental alienation Internal and external relocation Removal from the jurisdiction (Hague Convention and non Hague Convention) Fact finding, including domestic abuse Change of name and school Private law special guardianship and adoption Neurodevelopmental issues in adults and children Cross-jurisdictional residence cases Acting for children through their rule 16.4 GuardianBetween 2015 and 2016 Susan worked part time for BPP, teaching family law, opinion writing and drafting, conference and negotiation and professional ethics on the Bar Practice Training Course.
Outside of work, Susan has worked in the voluntary sector as a school governor and as a trustee and director of a mental health charity.
Family
Public Law Care and Adoption
Susan does a large variety of care, adoption and special guardianship work for parents, other relatives and for children’s guardians. She has a great deal of experience in dealing with clients from diverse backgrounds.
Reported and notable cases include:
Re M [unreported, July 2023]: Acted for mother in her applications to remove father as party from care proceedings and to terminate his parental responsibility. Father serving sentence for attempted murder, kidnapping, rape of the mother, whom he kept imprisoned in her flat with the children. Mother’s applications granted.
Re R [unreported, Jan 2023]: Acted for Sri Lankan mother in sexual abuse case. Court deciding that fact finding was not necessary as child did not want to return home.
Re W [unreported, 2021, 2022]: Lengthy hearing at welfare stage after fact finding in long running West Midlands sexual abuse case.
Re T [unreported, 2020- 2021]: Junior to leading counsel in fact finding and welfare hearings in Pakistani sexual abuse case for father, involving fraud and corruption.
Re J (Care Proceedings: Placement in Bangladesh) [2020] EWHC 490 (Fam) [2021] Fam Law 190 [2020] 3WLUK 740: Acted for mother in Bangladeshi NAI case at fact finding and welfare stages. Child was relocated to Bangladesh; involving expert opinion on Bangladeshi law.
Re K [unreported, 2020]: acted for father in case involving Slovakian family subject to human trafficking and modern slavery of adults and children in the family.
Re V-Z (Children) [2016] EWCA Civ 475: The Court of Appeal gave guidance on assessing potential carers in other jurisdictions, particularly when the relevant country will not allow assessment by UK social workers. Acted for Slovakian father.
Private Law Children and Domestic Abuse
Susan has extensive experience of private law cases. She has represented clients in intractable contact cases, change of name, change of school, relocation and removal from the jurisdiction (Hague Convention and non Hague Convention), private law special guardianship and adoption, and in cases involving children with special needs such as autism. Susan represents children in Rule 16.4 cases where they have their own Guardian.
Reported and notable cases include:
Re S (unreported, 2023): acted for mother in case of alleged parental alienation; issues of neurodiversity in parents and child.
Re P (unreported, 2020): acted for mother in private law residence matter where the child was resident in the UK, the father was Italian, mother was Polish and the Italian Court of Appeal had made previous
Year of Call: 1991
