1GC | Family Law

Janet practices at the highest level in both children and financial cases and maintains a broad family law practice, often acting in cases, which change or clarify the law or procedure. She is noted for her mastery of her papers, her clear strategic thinking and her exceptional client care. 

Janet’s work in the private law children field includes a wide variety of disputes about the welfare of children, involving internal and international relocation, specific issues regarding schooling and issues which arise where parents are unable to agree about their child receiving medical treatment. Other cases involve private adoption and issues concerning modern families, including surrogacy.  

In the public law children field, Janet’s cases involve complex medical/mental health issues or issues which are part of the reserved jurisdiction of the High Court. Many of her cases involve the death of young children, where the issue is how the child died and whether the death was from a natural or organic cause or resulted from non-accidental injury. Janet is also instructed in ‘end of life’ and other medical treatment cases. 

Janet also undertakes the full range of finance work including international cases, applications under Schedule 1 of the Children Act 1989 and nuptial agreements.  In 2021 she ventured into the Chancery Division and was successful in an application to transfer proceedings there to the Family Division of the High Court. 

Janet is an IFLA accredited arbitrator with considerable experience of undertaking arbitrations in both children and financial cases and she also assists in the devising and delivering of training for family law arbitrators under the IFLA scheme.  

Janet is a trained and experienced family mediator who also undertakes other forms of dispute resolution, including private FDRs and Early Neutral Evaluation. 

Janet sits part-time as a Judge, in both civil and family cases. 

Year of Call: 1980, Lincoln’s Inn Year of Silk: 2006Recorder (family, civil, crim): 2000

Publications of note:Joint author of the book ‘Money Laundering for Lawyers,’ published by Butterworths (Lexis Nexis)Contributor to ‘Halsbury’s Laws of EnglandLead author and editor of the 1 Garden Court Handbook ‘Applications under Schedule 1 of the Children Act 1989’ (Jordans)Contributor to Family Law and to ‘Cases that Shook the World’ (Lexis Nexis)

French, German, modern Greek.

FLBA committeeMember of the Law Reform Committee of the Bar CouncilMember of the Association of Lawyers for ChildrenMember of the Court of Protection Bar AssociationMember of Resolution

University of London (LLB Hons)