Tanfield Chambers

Specialist in Family Law, having had a broad background in civil litigation ranging from residential landlord and tenant disputes, professional and clinical negligence and Inheritance Act claims. Actions against the Police.

Junior Counsel

Called 1987 Gray’s Inn

In family law my particular interest in is care work, regularly acting for local authorities, parents and grandparents and Guardians, often working on cases involving parries with severe and unusual personality disorders or accused of crimes of the utmost seriousness. In 2012 I represented a grandfather accused of the serial rape of his daughter (when a minor) and the grooming of his grandchildren over a 3 week fact finding. In subsequent criminal proceedings he was sentenced to a total of 17 years’ imprisonment. In 2016-17 I represented a local authority successfully prosecuting a father for the serial physical and emotional abuse of his three children in a 20 day fact finding with 25 witnesses in which findings were made overlapping with and inconsistent with those made in previous High Court proceedings. I am currently representing a local authority in a case involving the attempted murder by poisoning of a 12-day old baby.

In 2012 I won two appeals in the Court of Appeal, the first against an adoption order where a re-trial was ordered on human rights grounds (RE T, 6 Feb 2013 Lawtel); the second against a judge’s refusal to allow parents interim contact with their children in care (RE H-T CHILDREN (2012) EWCA Civ 1215).

My private family law practice embraces financial remedies recently acting in cases where a wife obtained an award worth in excess of £1.4 million against a much older husband primarily to enable her to relocate with their child to France where the bulk of his assets were acquired pre-marriage. My clients have included a celebrity boxer and a District Judge. I have appeared in the Court of Appeal representing a direct access client on appeal from a refusal to award spousal maintenance (MATTHEWS v MATTHEWS (2013) EWCA Civ 1874).

I have successfully prosecuted the Sussex police for the negligent bailment of a flock of sheep, and the Met Police for the notorious and highly publicized misconduct of former Area Cmdr Ali Dizaei.

French and German.

FLBA

Bancroft’s School, Woodford Green, Essex.

Christ Church, Oxford (1981-4): MA in Modern History.

University of Westminster. Law Conversion Course.

Chamber Music; collecting modern British prints.