Julie has been practising family law for over 20 years and was previously based in London. She is a qualified Family Law Arbitrator (for both children and financial matters), Barrister and a Mediator (non practising).
Julie is heavily involved in the Family Arbitration Scheme. She was co-author of the paper proposing the extension of the scheme to children’s matters and leads seminars to legal professionals as well as the judiciary. She writes regularly for legal periodicals about the developments in the scheme and is an ardent supporter of non-court dispute resolution.
Julie is well known as an author writing regularly for Family Law and Family Law Week, and she is also the author of the Secure Accommodation Handbook published by Jordans with a foreward by McFarlane P.
Non-Court Dispute Resolution
Julie qualified as an Arbitrator in 2014. She is keen, where appropriate, to encourage litigants and potential litigants to investigate this method of dispute resolution because of the benefits of speed and convenience as well as the significant savings in costs.
Children (Private Law)
Julie is instructed on behalf of parents, children and extended family members. Her cases include difficult issues such as implacable hostility, parental alienation, coercive control, shared care arrangements, domestic and international relocation, special guardianship and fact finding hearings. She has a particular interest in contact between children and their grandparents having two published articles on the topic.
Julie is a calming presence for clients and gives clear advice. Her preparation is meticulous.
Financial Remedies
Julie advises and represents parties at all stages of financial remedy disputes including enforcement.
Children (Public Law)
Julie is instructed in serious cases on behalf of local authorities, parents, children and intervenors. In 2021 she was lead counsel in a 25 days fact finding hearing revolving around FII (factitious and induced illness), and she regularly appears in cases involving allegations of unexplained injury, sexual abuse and neglect including medical neglect.
Selected cases
- H v E [2021] successfully represented mother on an application to remove a child to an international location. Complex cultural issues involved.
- A local authority v P [2021] leading counsel for the mother in a case of FII. Successfully defended the mother against allegations of joint enterprise in causing life changing injuries to a baby.
- A v A [2017] successfully represented grandfather on his application for contact in a case of parental alienation
- A local authority v G [2017] successfully represented the local authority where findings sought of multi-generational sexual, physical and emotional abuse. Complex case requiring forensic analysis of multiple sources of evidence. All findings made.
