Thomas More Chambers has a specialist family team experienced in all areas of family law. The team is instructed by a mixture of clients and prides itself on its ability to handle cases across the spectrum whilst not losing sight of the personal commitment and sensitivity which such cases merit. The Family Team aims to provide not just an excellent legal service but a practical solution to family litigation. As part of the overall approach of the Family Team, one of our members is also a Resolution trained family mediator dealing with both financial and children disputes.

Members of the Family Team are members of the Family Law Bar Association and also Resolution. Many members of the Family Team speak other languages and are happy to communicate with clients in languages other than English.

We regularly offer seminars to our professional clients and the notes for such seminars are available here [Seminar Notes]. Please do contact us if you would like to be added to our guest list for such seminars in the future [Email the Clerks]

The four main areas in which the Family Team practice are:

Financial Disputes

The Family Team has a very wide experience of dealing with ancillary relief applications following divorce or following dissolution of civil partnerships. We also deal with financial disputes between unmarried partners, whether by way of Trusts of Law and Appointment of Trustees Act proceedings or for applications for child maintenance under Schedule 1 of the Children Act.

Such cases range from disputes about a family home to those involving companies, trusts and multi million pound assets where assets have been traced overseas and brought back onshore.

The Family Team particularly specialises in cases with an international element, in particular Spain and Latin America, whether this involves assets held abroad, conflicts as to jurisdiction or questions as to the validity of a marriage or divorce.

The Family Team has also built up a real expertise over recent years dealing with enforcement issues where one party does not comply with an order.

Private Law Children Disputes

The Family Team can advise on all disputes involving children, whether domestic or foreign. We can offer expert knowledge and a breadth of experience in private law proceedings at all levels of seniority. Our Family Team barristers are regularly involved on behalf of parents and extended family in contact and residence disputes, parental responsibility agreements and orders, specific issue and prohibited steps orders. In addition we are experienced in dealing with applications to remove from the jurisdiction as well as cases involving child abduction whether invoking the Hague Convention, Brussels II R or otherwise.

Public Law Care Proceedings

The Family Team is regularly instructed by parents, Local Authorities and Guardians in relation to care proceedings. Members of the Family Team have experience dealing with experts across a wide variety of disciplines and of a variety of different allegations ranging from neglect and domestic violence to baby shaking and serious sexual abuse.

Domestic violence

Barristers in the Family Team are regularly instructed in cases involving issues of domestic violence, harassment and incidents of abuse within the family and can provide urgent advice and representation to either party in the proceedings, as well as adopting a sensitive and friendly approach towards clients in what are often distressing circumstances for them.