The Bar - Regional Bar • Midland Circuit

Family: children and domestic abuse

3PB

3PB continues to be recognised as an ‘impressively strong set’ for family law work in the Midlands. The ’Calm, robust and effective’ Nicola Martin has considerable experience handling care proceedings arising from serious injuries and abuse as well as private law children matters involving issues such as abduction, alienation, and relocation. Lucy Clayton has a particular interest in cases concerning abduction, LGBT parents and surrogacy, and the misuse of social media. Laura Scott specialises in cases involving older children and young people, including sexual or criminal exploitation. Aimee Fox is widely praised as a ‘phenomenal advocate’ with strong client care skills. Her expertise encompasses multi-jurisdictional relocation cases. Suzanne Coleclough retired in 2023, and Frida Dahlqvist joined from KCH Garden Square in October 2024.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

'Rob Leonard and Tom Cox are both excellent, helpful and responsive.'
'3PB are brilliant. Ian Charlton and Patrick Steptoe are both excellent clerks. They will move mountains to find a barrister even on short notice.'
'Ian Charlton is key to establishing relationships with this set of chambers.'
'The clerks and the service/support they provide is second to none. The clerking team is always willing to take steps to assist wherever possible.'
'3PB Chambers is a really good set both in Birmingham and nationally. They have a range of barristers available in all disciplines with many of them having dual specialisms i.e. Family Law and Education Law or additional training i.e. mediation / arbitration.'
'A good all-round family set, with a wide variety of counsel in their experiences and niches.'
'A strong set with brilliant advocates.'
'3PB are an excellent barristers chambers, top choice when looking for counsel, particularly in complex matters.'

Silks

Leading Silks

KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.

Lucy Hendry KC

3PB

‘Lucy is an extremely experienced family law KC, doing the most complex cases. She always has the case forensically ready from the outset, so as to set her tactics and strategy and to guide often vulnerable clients through these most difficult of cases. She is a real team player and is an extremely effective communicator, always finding a way to deliver her questions and submissions with devastating effect.'

Elizabeth McGrath KC

3PB

‘Outside the court room Elizabeth is a calming figure for parents in what can be very upsetting proceedings. She has an empathetic approach but maintains an ability to give robust advice. Her preparation of cases is rigorous and her ability to spot minute details is unparalleled. Her cross-examination and submissions are skillful, forensic and precise.'

Vanessa Meachin KC

3PB

‘Vanessa is a highly skilled advocate and her client care is of the highest quality. She is able to digest vast amounts of complex papers and gain a clear understanding of complex medical information.'

Juniors

Leading Juniors

Leading juniors are those with significant experience of key cases, strong market recognition from both peers and clients, and are seen as future candidates for silk.

Nicola Martin

3PB

‘Nicola is a exceptional barrister. She is thorough, amazingly professional, sensitive to clients needs and will give everything to each case. She is a pillar of strength – robust in court and realistic and sensitive in her approach.’

Aimee Fox

3PB

‘Aimee is a formidable opponent. She is sharp as a razor and calm under pressure. Aimee quickly gets to grips with complex issues and instinctively handles the most sensitive of situations. She is a pleasure to work with and skilled beyond her call.'

Nicola Brown

3PB

‘Nicola is a determined and fearless advocate and strong cross-examiner. She has exceptionally good client skills and as an advocate is always very down-to-earth, pragmatic and sensible.'

Lawrence Messling

3PB

Laura Scott

3PB

‘Laura is very thorough in her preparation and knowledge of cases. She is an excellent advocate, always well prepared and ready to argue a case when necessary, with a fantastic knowledge of the law and case law in support. She is fabulous with clients, putting them at ease very quickly and explaining each and every step before and after hearings.'

Lucy Clayton

3PB

‘Lucy is pragmatic but personable. She prepares in great depth; she is robust both on paper in skeleton arguments and position statements, and in court. Lucy has a strong presence in court but also provides sensible advice to clients. She goes above and beyond.’

Amy Beddis

3PB

‘Amy is a fantastic barrister. She has a calm and considerate manner with clients. She is extremely well-prepared and can be relied upon to have read all her papers and prepped the case thoroughly. She works collaboratively with instructing solicitors which is always a positive. She gives sage and commercial advice, but is also a tenacious advocate in court.'

Poonam Bhari

3PB

Nathalie Bull

3PB

‘Nathalie's particular strength is for having compassion and empathy for clients whilst also providing clear and concise legal advice. Her written documents are well structured and she is able to explain complex legal matters simply. Nathalie is persuasive and unwavering but in a respectful and considered way.'

Andrew Duncan

3PB

‘Andrew is a formidable advocate. His written advocacy is exceptional and always drafted with precision and care. He is always up to date with developments in the field of children law and never shies away from a legal argument. Andrew has a reputation for excellent oral advocacy; he is persuasive, tenacious and suitably adaptable depending on the witness.'

Adeo Fraser

3PB

‘Adeo never appears fazed by anything or intimated by anyone and has an ability to instill confidence in clients. He manages to carefully balance complex legal proceedings with a human and empathetic touch and is an excellent advocate, even amongst the toughest opponents.'

Emma Griffiths

3PB

'Emma is a first-rate advocate and fully commits to any case she is briefed on. She is a delight to work with and demonstrates she values her solicitors' input. She is an excellent advocate and her written material is also excellent. She is a first choice of barrister for almost any case.'

Frida Dahlqvist

3PB

‘Frida is extremely approachable, professional and personable. She is always well prepared and incredibly thorough: an experienced and effective advocate with clear communication skills.’

Stephen Abberley

3PB

‘Stephen is a first-rate junior and rivals his silk colleagues in his case analysis, paperwork and cross-examination. His case preparation and analysis is second to none. He is a first choice for complex children matters, particularly when physical abuse is an issue.’

Susan Todd

3PB

'Susan is a phenomenal barrister - she is meticulous in her preparation and you underrate her at your peril. She really doesn't pull any punches in her fearless advocacy. She is super organised in her preparation and really makes her clients feel empowered, confident and above all aligned with the strategy.'

Paul Froud

3PB

'Paul is a veracious advocate whose attention to detail is excellent. He also is empathetic and thoughtful and he gives a voice to those who often feel that they have none, Paul has represented children who genuinely for the first time feel that they have been given a voice and most importantly have been listened to because of his first class advocacy. '

Rising stars

Rising stars at the Bar are defined as barristers between four and eight years’ call who are seen as up-and-coming members of the Bar in their respective practice areas by clients and peers alike. They will already be instructed in high-profile, complex, and high-value contentious and non-contentious matters, working with and opposite more experienced leading counsel.

Eleanor Marsh

3PB

‘Eleanor's preparation is second to none and her advocacy is first class. She is very professional and courteous at all times and handles complex and difficult cases with ease. Her ability to remain calm in crisis and under pressure is amazing.'

Sam Pentony

3PB

‘Sam is knowledgeable and robust as an advocate, whilst being extremely personable and empathetic towards clients and their needs. His advice is always measured and resolution focused. Sam is a fantastic negotiator.'

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