Westgate Chambers

Family, Public Access

“Charmaine Wilson is superb. She is knowledgeable on the law and known for her robust approach when representing her clients.”

Charmaine is a specialist family law barrister representing parents and children at all levels of court, with recent experience in the Court of Appeal.  She is well regarded for her calm and confident approach, bringing a down to earth down style which allows client’s to be heard and feel confident that she will fight even the most difficult of cases.

With a background in criminal law, Charmaine is well versed in matters where family law and criminal law overlap, bringing a strong forensic approach to her case preparation and advocacy.

Charmaine is very experienced with dealing with vulnerable clients and witnesses including those with learning difficulties.  She is able to adapt to the individual needs of each client and has undertaken vulnerable witness advocacy training.

Care Proceedings

Charmaine has extensive experience of serious child protection cases involving non-accidental injury, child death, sexual abuse, fabricated illness, physical and emotional abuse and neglect. She regularly represents parents, children and other family members.  Charmaine is particularly interested in cases concerning alleged non-accidental injury requiring complex expert medical evidence and skilful cross examination. She has successfully achieved exoneration for a number of parents and intervenors in such cases.

Private Law

Charmaine undertakes cases covering the full range of private law matters including cases involving child arrangements, domestic abuse, sexual abuse, parental alienation, coercive control, prohibited steps, specific issue orders and relocation.  She has significant experience in highly acrimonious child arrangements disputes.

Domestic violence and injunctions

Charmaine represents clients who are seeking or responding to applications for injunctions linked to domestic violence or occupation of the family home. She is also experienced in relation to applications for Forced Marriage Protection Orders.

Public Access

Charmaine accepts instructions from lay clients via Public Access

Seminars

Charmaine provides seminars to Solicitor firms as part of Chambers’ Seminar Programme. You can find more information on the seminars that Charmaine has provided, here.

Notable cases:

O (Description of Sexual Abuse) [2024] EWCA Civ 126, [2024] 4 WLR 29, [2024] EWCA Civ 126, [2024] WLR(D) 73 CM Long-term foster-care [2014] EWCC B34 (Fam) Re A - successful exoneration of an intervenor in public law proceedings involving NAI to a baby Re M - successful exoneration of a father in High Court public law proceedings involving the death of a baby (junior counsel) Re M - successful exoneration of a mother in public law proceedings involving NAI Re M - Represented a mother in public law proceedings facing allegations of over-medicating and causing medical misdiagnosis of a child Re P - Represented a father with learning difficulties in public law proceedings, successfully challenging the Local Authority’s application for final care and placement orders

South Eastern Circuit Executive Committee Secretary for the Sussex and Kent FLBA Sussex Bar Mess Circuit Representative and Family Liaison Officer Association of Lawyers for Children Equality and Diversity Officer Vulnerable witness trained Inner Temple

LLB Law, Hull University BVC

Outside of work Charmaine enjoys playing netball.