3DJB

Lisa heads the Family Team in Chambers . She has been in practice for over 30 years and specialises in Children Law.  Lisa has extensive experience, a first class legal background and qualifications, and advocacy skills honed practising criminal law in her early years at the Bar.  These attributes make Lisa a tenacious, meticulous yet pragmatic advocate with solid judgment and a high degree of credibility with judges and opposing advocates.

In care proceedings Lisa is frequently instructed to represent

parents and intervenors accused of serious physical or sexual abuse and/or or with significant addictions, mental health issues and learning disabilities; complex cases involving highly specialised medical evidence and with significant interplay with ongoing criminal investigations; children through their Children’s Guardian; and teenagers requiring separate representation from their Guardian.

Lisa is routinely instructed as a Leading Junior for her breadth of expertise but has also been led recently by Mark Twomey KC (three times), Sam King KC and Denise Gilling KC.

In the past few years in particular Lisa has further developed her expertise in unexplained fracture cases where children are found to have tissue connectivity and other rare disorders following genetic testing, thereby exonerating their parents and carers from blame and enabling children to be rehabilitated back into their parents’ care.

Lisa has particular skill in representing young and vulnerable parents and is known for her ability to communicate with and win the trust of clients from all backgrounds in the most sensitive and stressful situations. Lisa will always try her best to ensure she is available for every hearing to see the case through to resolution.

In private law children proceedings Lisa often acts in the most complex cases, frequently

securing contact for parents in high conflict cases; acting for parents wishing to relocate abroad or oppose relocation; assisting grandparents and/or other family members; acting for children through their rule 16.4 Guardian, and acting in specialist cases involving parental alienation, FGM and forced marriage.

Lisa has a broad and loyal following of leading solicitors across all her areas of practice. She is also qualified to accept instructions under the Bar Council Public Access scheme.

Testimonials from recent clients:

‘Thank you for helping us through our darkest night and for believing we could make it right. What you have given me and my family is the biggest gift of them all, our daughter home. I can’t thank you enough and you are in our thoughts always.’

‘Your experience and knowledge helped me to be a consistent figure in my children’s lives. The court went with your proposals, which was amazing. As a father, who’s heard so many horror stories about family courts, I can truly say that my experience was positive and I felt safe throughout.’

‘I just wanted to say a massive thanks to you. I know everybody has worked hard on this case but I feel I have received additional support from you and I couldn’t ask for a better barrister.’