Cambridge Family Law Practice

How would you describe your role at Cambridge Family Law Practice?

I’m the newest partner; I joined the firm in January 2022. I like to think that I’ve brought a fresh perspective to an already excellent firm.

I do a broad mix of family related finance work and cases involving children. I have quite of quite a lot of experience in dealing with nuptial agreements, both pre- and post-nuptial.

Looking back across your career, do any cases stand out as especially memorable or meaningful?

I think securing my first parental orders for the intended parents in a surrogacy case in the High Court – that was a highlight. This was a couple where the wife wasn’t able to carry a pregnancy. They’d used their gametes but engaged a surrogate in the States. They’d then come back to their home in England, but they hadn’t understood that you needed to secure a parental order over here to have their rights as parents recognised. So, we went through that process with them. Obviously, surrogacy and parental orders is at the forefront of family law news these days, but a few years ago it wasn’t quite as well known.

One of my longest running clients – this was quite a few years ago – needed help with both finance and children matters and I supported her through a lot of litigation. There were reasonably big, quite complex assets relating to the husband’s business dealings and contingent assets. A final order was made at a final hearing in relation to finances. It was a favourable outcome for my client and then the husband appealed. This prolonged the uncertainty for my client. However, the husband lost the appeal in the High Court. That was definitely a highlight after everything the wife had been through, litigating both finances and children matters. The husband was ordered to pay all of our costs paid in relation to the appeal.

I think I’d also say representing two grandparents trying to secure contact with their grandchildren following a breakdown in the relationship between them and their own daughter. Their daughter was seemingly – and very sadly – the victim of controlling and coercive behaviour at the hands of her new partner, but, unfortunately, she wasn’t recognising that. She had severed contact between her children and her parents but we managed to re-open the lines of communication. Time with the grandparents was in the best interests of the children, providing stability and security for them during a very difficult time at home.

You qualified in 2011. Could you give a summary of your career since then?

I trained and qualified at East Anglian regional firm, Tees Law. I was there for four years post-qualification, during which time I was promoted to Associate.

I wanted some experience in the city, so I moved there in 2015 and joined Irwin Mitchell in their London office. Whilst with the firm, I spent six months on secondment to their Leeds office and quite soon after that, in 2018, I was promoted to Senior Associate.

Following my subsequent return from my first maternity leave, I led the South Coast family team during the Pandemic. I went on my second maternity leave and then when I came back from that I left to join CFLP in January 2022.

Finally, what are you interests outside work?

I’ve got two young children, both under five, so a lot of my time and energy goes into them.

I do love to travel. I’ve just got back from a weekend enjoying food and drink with my friends in Paris, which was a real treat. I try to fit those little treat trips in around the kids and work.

I try to keep fit and am a big fan of yoga and similar. I did a year abroad as part of my degree, and I try and keep that up by reading for pleasure in French. My spoken French isn’t that great anymore but I’m maintaining my reading comprehension to reasonably high standard.