4PB

Private Children Law

Paul’s practice focuses on acting for parents who are often locked into fraught and highly contentious residence, relocation (international and domestic) and contact disputes. These cases frequently involve allegations of domestic abuse, emotional, psychological, physical or sexual, including aspects of parental estrangement and alienation. He has been involved in a number of protracted and complex High Court parental alienation cases. He has the experience to bring into such cases wider professional expertise where required, with instruction of experts within the field to help cut through the issues.

International Children Law

As a member of the 4PB international child law practice group, Paul acts frequently for parents concerned with children moving across international borders and involved in international jurisdictional disputes. He is experienced in applications made by parents to relocate, domestic and international, where he takes on cases across the Family Court, often concluding at High Court level. He frequently appears in the High Court in inherent jurisdiction, wardship, child abduction, Hague Convention and non Hague convention proceedings. His expertise crosses over from representing parents to also acting for children and local authorities. Examples of the cases he takes on include Re TC and JC (Children:Relocation) [2013] EWHC292 (Fam)  – securing a parent permission permanently to relocate, in that case to Australia, and Re L (Children) (2017) EWCA Civ 441, in obtaining orders for the return of abducted children, in that case from Romania. His experience in relocation cases and recovery of children has involved him in leading cases in a multitude of jurisdictions, most recently, amongst others, across Europe, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates, Israel and Iran.

A number of Paul’s cases have attracted media interest. He has experience in securing press restriction orders as well as working with the media where required to obtain media publicity orders. The  recovery of a young child from Spain, widely reported across the media, is one example (The London Borough of Barking & Dagenham v Jessica Richards & Elliana Shand [2017] EWHC 2863 (Fam) 2017 WL 05282158).

Public Children Law

Across the wide sphere of public law work, Paul acts for parents, grandparents, competent children, Guardians and Local Authorities. His focus is on medical cases involving allegations of non accidental injury, including infant deaths and near fatal incidents. He acts frequently in cases with mental health issues. He has acted in a number of cases involving allegations of fabricated or induced illness. His public law practice takes him into the Court of Protection where he represents private individuals and public bodies, drawing from his wealth of experience within the parallel best interest jurisdiction.

He has expertise in adoption and special guardianship, with a focus on Human Rights’ arguments. He has mounted and resisted applications for revocation of Placement Orders and Adoption Orders, appearing in the High Court case of Re AW (a Child: Application to revoke Placement Order: Leave to oppose Adoption) 2013 EWHC 2967 (Fam).

He is adept at dealing with expert witnesses, including cross examining experts where challenge is required. He was instructed for a parent in the lead case in alcohol and drug testing (Re H (A Child) (Hair Strand Tests) 2017 EWFC 64).