Dr Martina van der Leij specialises in family law. She is regularly instructed by local authorities, parents and Guardians in cases involving:
infant death, shaken babies, other non-accidental injuries to children
sexual and physical abuse of children
factitious or induced illness
conflicting medical opinions
mental health issues.
Martina also accepts instructions in private law cases and ancillary relief, as well as Court of Protection cases and matters involving the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
She is joint head of chambers’ family law group.
Before coming to the Bar, she worked as a clinical research scientist. She has a PhD from UCL and completed a postdoc at KCL. This background and the critical, analytical approach it cultivated has served her well when dealing with complex care cases that have significant medical or expert evidence.