Four Brick Court Chambers

Barrister 

Jacqui Gilliatt, our Joint Deputy Head of Chambers, is a seasoned family law barrister with over 30 years of experience. Her specialisation in children’s cases, including disputes involving parents, family members, and social services, is well-known. What sets Jacqui apart is her willingness to roll her sleeves up and step into the shoes of her clients and her readiness to accept direct access instructions. This empowers clients to engage directly with her.

Practice overview

Jacqui’s extensive practice encompasses a wide range of complex and sensitive areas, including:

Baby shaking cases Child abduction (including from local authority care) Complex or conflicting medical evidence Disability and education law Disputes involving same-sex couples Domestic violence Fabricated allegations Forced marriage and ‘honour’ violence Human rights and human trafficking Incest and international law Intractable contact/residence disputes Mental health and non-accidental injuries Cases involving the Official Solicitor Parallel criminal proceedings and parental alienation Placement outside the jurisdiction Sexual abuse, substance misuse, and addiction Sudden infant death and unexplained deaths Transgender issues

Jacqui’s expertise allows her to handle highly sensitive and legally complex cases with skill and dedication.

Jacqui regularly presents seminars on family law topics.

Recent seminar topics include:

Ethics Panel Event: Navigating Ethical Dilemmas and Tricky Customers Transparency in the Family Court & the Pilot Scheme Updates and Tips on Special Guardianship and Adoption On Judicial Reasons Tackling Expert Evidence Fact-Findings and Top Tips for Managing Big Cases (for LBLA) PLO Relaunch / Wasted Costs Orders Dealing with Dodgy Experts Private Law Updater Early Conclusions to Care Cases Trials Within Trials: Fact-Finding in Private Law Cases (December 2019) Crossing the Threshold: Back to Basics (2018 LBLA Conference

French, Spanish (Basic)

Family Law Bar Association Association of Lawyers for Children Middle Temple

University: Oxford Law School: Westminster University

Jacqui hosts her own website, Children in Law (which now includes Bloody Relations and new blogs like Paramount Considerations, Family Law Webworld, and The Law Is a Funny Business). Her articles cover essential topics such as Care and Supervision Orders, Fact-Finding in Care Cases, Final Care Orders, Interim Removal, Judicial Reasons, Letters to Experts, and Medical Abbreviations.

Additionally, Jacqui curates several online papers, including Decree Absolute, and Legal In General on Scoop It.

Jacqui is a passionate supporter of Biking for Children In Care, an initiative that raises funds for the Become Charity through an annual 210-mile bike ride.