2
Fiona Griffin
Guildford Chambers 'Fiona has the ability to communicate with a wide range of people. She has interpersonal skills, alongside the ability to express arguments and ideas clearly. She has an analytical mind and a logical approach.'
Guildford Chambers is ‘an excellent set with a strong and unrivalled family team’. Fiona Griffin has longstanding experience of representing parents, grandparents, guardians and local authorities in public and private family law proceedings. Christine Julien has ’excellent communication and interpersonal skills along with an analytical mind’ and specialises in representing children and vulnerable parents in public law proceedings, with particular expertise in cases involving allegations of physical abuse of children. Andrew Austin is a ‘very robust advocate with keen attention to detail’ and advises on the full range of private children law disputes related to abuse, parental alienation, implacable hostility, and relocation of children.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Gavin Street and Simon Morris are extremely efficient, organised and willing to help in any way.'
- 'Gavin Street always goes above and beyond to help with any cases which come up on short notice.'
- 'Guildford Chambers is incredibly high, and there is consistency in terms of the knowledge and experience of counsel.'
- 'Guildford Chambers is excellent and always accommodating and helpful.'
- 'Guildford Chambers is always doing their best to offer counsel options. Chambers have a wide variety of excellent family law barristers with skills that will match a range of different cases.'
- 'Guildford Chambers is friendly, competent, efficient, and always the first choice in instructing counsel.'
Silks
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.
2
Christine Julien
Guildford Chambers 'Christine is client-focused and excellent with vulnerable individuals in particular. She is direct with her advocacy but also collaborative outside of the courtroom and willing to look beyond the conventional in order to make progress.'
4
Andrew Austin
Guildford Chambers 'Andrew is an excellent barrister. He has a good attention to detail, is very good with clients, and his advocacy is excellent.'
4
Dominique Gillan
Guildford Chambers ‘Dominique is an effective, precise and detail-orientated advocate. She is also not afraid to challenge clients’ positions during conferences to help direct the case.’
4
5
Sophia O’Hagan
Guildford Chambers 'Sophia has excellent communication, negotiation and advocacy skills. She grasps the detailed aspects of cases quickly, and her empathy and sensitivity to the emotional aspects of family disputes are her true strengths.'
5
Nicola Holland
Guildford Chambers ‘Nicola is extremely competent. Her attention to detail is second-to-none. She is always fully prepared and a robust advocate in court yet emphatic towards vulnerable clients.’
5
Sarah Moon
Guildford Chambers ‘Sarah is approachable, adaptable, compassionate, thorough, and exactly the right balance of collaborative and tenacious. Her advocacy and cross-examination skills are second-to-none, and she can adapt her style to suit the particular facts of the case and the client.’