1GC | Family Law

Louise is a specialist in the law relating to children and vulnerable adults. She has experience in all levels of court including the Supreme Court, and is often instructed in cases with and against leading counsel. Louise uses her broad experience to work collaboratively with those instructing her to achieve the best outcome for her clients.

Louise has extensive experience within the public law arena, acting for local authorities, parents, children (including competent children) and other family members. She is regularly instructed in the most complex cases, dealing with issues such as:

• Serious non-accidental injury, including a recent case involving the deaths of two children;
• Sexual abuse including historical sexual abuse;
• Fabricated illness;
• Radicalisation;
• Female Genital Mutilation;
• Forced marriage and honour-based violence;
• Louise is regularly instructed in cases involving adoption, including where adoptive placements have broken down.

Louise also has experience of issues regarding disclosure and the involvement of the media, including PII issues and the use of special advocates.

Louise deals with a wide variety of private law issues in relation to children, including intractable child arrangements disputes. Louise has extensive experience of cases involving:

• Fact-finding hearings;
• Cases involving sexual abuse, including false allegations of sexual abuse;
• Relocation cases including internal and external relocation;
• Cases with international and jurisdictional issues;
• Surrogacy and cases involving the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 as well as same-sex families.

Louise uses her experience of practice in the public law field to provide advice when there are issues regarding the exercise of local authority powers and functions.

She was  involved in an appeal to the Supreme Court in respect of local authority responsibilities to voluntarily accommodated children and has dealt with several cases involving applications under the Human Rights Act.

Louise’s Court of Protection practice is primarily focused on welfare matters. She has been instructed in cases involving issues about deprivation of liberty, capacity to consent to sexual relations and marriage as well as issues over treatment, placement and contact.

Louise is instructed by both local authorities and family members. Louise is frequently instructed on behalf of the Official Solicitor.

Year of Call: 2001

Amicus (Assisting Lawyers for Justice on Death Row)

Association of Lawyers for Children

Family Law Bar Association

BA (Jurisprudence), University of Oxford

BVC, Inns of Court School of Law