The Bar - Regional Bar • Wales and Chester Circuit
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Family: children and domestic abuse

30 Park Place

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With ‘an excellent range of barristers from silks and seniors to up-and-coming juniors’ 30 Park Place Chambers continues to offer a premier family law service, with members regularly instructed by local authorities, parents, and guardians in challenging cases. Catherine Heyworth KC, widely praised as ’an extremely strong advocate’, handles complex cases involving allegations relating to infant deaths, physical and sexual abuse, fabricated illness, and genetic disorders. The ‘highly experienced’ Catrin John specialises in cases concerning the serious sexual and physical abuse of children. She was appointed head of chambers in October 2023 following the elevation of Ruth Henke KC, as was, to the High Court bench. Samuel Shepherd is noted for his client care as well as for his ’calm, measured and convincing’ advocacy, while Oliver Harris continues to build a strong and varied family law practice. He stands out as a ‘conscientious barrister’ with ’an eye for detail.’

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'James Dowse is a first-class clerk for the set who provides a top-notch service with no fuss. He is extremely responsive and helpful in sometimes difficult and last-minute situations.'
  • 'The clerks are all fantastic and Sadie Davies and Sarah Worman are exceptional! They are approachable, hardworking and will assist with any enquiry and will go above and beyond to assist!'
  • '30 Park place is a great set of chambers with a lot of solid talent in the family law team. They have some great up-and-coming juniors.'
  • '30 Park Place is the go-to set for family law as all the team have a wealth of experience. They are welcomed by judges due to their knowledge and experience in advocacy. Clients are always in safe hands with them.'
  • '30 Park Place is an exceptional set of chambers, particularly in the field of Family/Children Law. They are professional and reliable yet relatable. As a whole their family department has an excellent range of barristers from very experienced KCs and seniors to more junior barristers. They appear to be a set which clearly understands the need to constantly be promoting new talent and providing opportunities for development.'

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.
Catherine Heyworth KC
30 Park Place Chambers
‘Catherine excels as an advocate, demonstrating superb communication skills paired with unwavering empathy. She maintains thorough knowledge of the law, ensuring her advice is consistently clear and reliable.’

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.
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Catrin John
30 Park Place Chambers
'Catrin is always extremely well-prepared. She is very easy to instruct and communicates well with instructing solicitors before, during and after hearings. She is an accomplished advocate who gets her point across very well.'
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Nathan Jones
30 Park Place Chambers
‘Nathan is meticulous in case preparation with an incredible capacity to absorb and retain detail. His cross-examination and submissions are of the highest standard. He goes the extra mile for solicitors and clients, with whom he has a good rapport.'
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Claire Williams
30 Park Place Chambers
‘Claire's preparation for cases is always thorough and exceptional, even when she is handed a brief last minute. She thinks of every possible outcome and prepares for it and her aptitude to identify relevant and core issues quickly and adeptly in complex cases is exceptional. She is also excellent on her feet.'
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Rhys Evans
30 Park Place Chambers
‘Rhys is an exceptional advocate – persuasive, tenacious and absolutely devastating in cross-examination. He is known for his meticulous preparation and incredible work ethic.  He inspires total confidence in clients and is always first choice for the most complex and serious cases.’
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Rhian Jones
30 Park Place Chambers
‘Rhian is a very able advocate in public law children cases. Her knowledge of the law is second-to-none, and her ability to master a very large volume of papers in a short period of time is extraordinary. She presents cases on behalf of the local authority in a way that is both fair and compelling. Judges are always pleased to see her in their court.’
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Samuel Shepherd
30 Park Place Chambers
 ‘Sam is extremely thorough and has a great manner with clients that instantly puts them at ease. He is very responsive, and his advocacy is calm, measured and convincing. He takes a sensible and proportionate approach to all cases. He is very happy to help in between hearings as necessary.’
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Oliver Harris
30 Park Place Chambers
 ‘Oliver is a conscientious barrister who strives to provide the best possible advice to clients and his instructing solicitors. He is thorough and has an eye for detail in all that he does. His advocacy and submissions are meticulous and he is a rising star, definitely one to watch.’

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