Family Team
* associate member
The Family Team cover all areas of child care and matrimonial work.
CHILD CARE TEAM
Every member of the team has considerable experience in dealing with child care cases on behalf of all parties - Children's Guardians, separately represented children, parents and in particular local authorities - whether in the High Court or the County Court. The team has been involved in representing local authorities all over the south and south west of England. Team members have dealt with all aspects of this area of law including emergency applications, adoptions, freeing applications, cases involving medical treatment of minors and abductions. Particular issues that have been dealt with by certain team members include such things as Munchausen's syndrome by proxy, serious mental health problems (both parents and children) and serious non accidental injury cases (shaken baby cases and multiple fracture cases). Certain team members have dealt with wardship cases both pre and post the Children Act 1989. Members of the team have considerable experience in disclosure issues relating to PII material, particularly for Social Services and Educational Authorities.
Children Act Work
The team covers all aspects of private law Children Act applications. This work has included cases involving permanent removal of children from the jurisdiction (and associated contact disputes), implacable hostility to contact and emergency applications in relation to child abduction. Many of the cases that team members have handled have been on behalf of grandparents and other interveners into Children Act applications.
MATRIMONIAL FINANCE TEAM
This particular Team is composed of Hugh Merry, Tim Compton, Dylan Morgan, Jessica Habel, Catherine Burrett, Graeme Harrison, Charlotte Lees, Tracey Hennessey, Mark Chaloner, Zosia Kensiton and Emma Southern.
This Team deals with ancillary relief cases in respect of divorcing couples, cohabitees/former cohabitees and children. Their experience covers all aspects of ancillary relief including applications under the pension provisions and the Children Act. Certain members of the team deal with inheritance claims and claims under the Trusts of Land and Appointment of Trustees Act 1996. We have considerable experience of financial cases including those involving complicated pension provisions and in dealing with pre-nuptial agreements The Team is available to lecture on a wide range of subjects should our clients require training in any area of this law.
MENTAL HEALTH AND COMMUNITY CARE TEAM
This new Team to Chambers is made up of Margaret Pine-Coffin, Catherine Burrett, Graeme Harrison, Tracey Hennessey, Charlotte Lees, Mark Chaloner, Zosia Keniston and Emma Southern.
The Team has extensive experience on the issues affecting mental health, vulnerable adults, special needs, education and community care. We can undertake a wide range of work before the Mental Heaith Review Tribunal, help in bringing judicial review proceedings in the High Court and deal with any areas that involve mental capapcity in any other Courts.
We can undertake this work both of local authority clients and for individuals and the Team is available to provide training seminars on these and related subjects for any of our many clients.
The work of the Team is complimentary to the that undertaken by other specialisms in the area of Registered Care Homes.
Of the members of the Team Margaret Pine-Coffin has over ten years of experience in dealing with cases involving the Mental Health Act 1983 and now the Mental Health Act 2007 in particular with applications under s.29 for the displacement of the patient's nearest relative and advising on the appropriateness of aftercare. She is interested in the wider issues of social and community care for those who require it, whether old or young, or whatever the nature of thier disability. Margaret has experience in advising on the availability and design of serives in the community and of advising on applications under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. She also appears regularly in the Court of Protection.
Catherine Burrett undertakes all aspects of Mental Health work. She is an ex psychiatric nurse so has experience in dealing with vulnerable adults and children. She also has knowledge of nursing and hospital procedures.
Tracey Hennessey has considerable experience dealing with range of Mental Health issues particularly for local authority clients and she has been making regular appearances in cases involving the Court of Protection. Tracey also has vast experience of conducting cases before the Mental Health Review Tribunal and his happy to advise at an early stage on any matters pertaining to this Tribunal.
Graeme Harrison and Mark Chaloner have an interest in a wide range of topics involving issues of Mental Health and Adult Capacity and are keen to develop their practices further in this area.
Zosia Keniston has dealt with cases involving the management of the affiars and interests of those who suffer from mental health problems and is expanding her practice into this area, particularly into gaining further experience in Court of Protection and Mental Health Review Tribunal work.
Emma Southern is available to conduct cases on all aspects concerning mental health including safeguarding the welfare of vulnerable people including issues of consent, detention under the Mental Health Act 1983 and 2007 and capacity under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Court of Proctection 2007 Rules.Emma is also available to provide advice and advocacy in the Mental Health Review Tribunal.
SEMINARS AND TRAINING
The Family Team are accredited CPD trainers and regularly conduct seminars on topical subjects.