Our family practice group includes a number of barristers who specialise in the law around family creation. We offer advice and representation both to UK based clients and clients based in other jurisdictions regarding the operation of family law in England and Wales.
Our team holds expertise in navigating not only the legal framework applicable to domestic and international parentage in its many forms, but also the particular issues raised by parenthood for donor conceived and adopted children where relationships have broken down. Our barristers have acted in a number of leading cases which have helped to shape and develop the law in relation to family creation and parentage.
Areas of expertise:
- LGBTQ+ families, same sex parents, transgender parents and protection of parenthood. Parents of transgender / LGBTQ+ children. Gender identity and parenthood.
- Declarations of parentage pursuant to s.55A Family Law Act 1986
- Registration of birth including rectification, amendments, deceased parents.
- Parentage: jurisdiction, acquisition and loss through operation of law, adoption, or parental orders. International issues relating to the non-recognition of parentage across borders and limping parentage, financial responsibility.
- Donor conceived children; legal parentage following assisted conception UK and worldwide. Disputes as to the arrangements for donor conceived children. Registration and right to information.
- Parental responsibility – acquisition, loss, limits and duration of parental responsibility, including by way of s.4 and s.12 CA 1989. Restrictions on parental responsibility through section 8 Children Act orders.
- Parenthood and parental responsibility – including legal, biological, social and psychological parenthood, child arrangements orders and persons entitled to apply for them, parental responsibility orders. International recognition of parentage and parental responsibility.
- Surrogacy – domestic and international, legal parentage following surrogacy, parental orders, surrogacy arrangements which have broken down, cases where a parental order is not available.
- Adoption; domestic applications for adoption including step parent adoption, Hague Convention adoptions, recognition of overseas / common law adoptions. Regulations concerning bringing children to the UK for the purposes of adoption. Registration.
- Use and regulation of artificial insemination technology – use and regulation of pre-implantation genetic diagnosis under Para 1ZA HFEA 2008.
- Storage and use of gametes and embryos – including consent, legal use and limits of storage.
36 Family reported cases:
- CP v M & Ors [2025] EWFC 39 – Marisa Allman
- M v F (Parental Responsibility of a non-biological father) [2024] EWFC 377 – Maddie Whelan
- Re S (parentage and jurisdiction) [2024] 1 FLR 830 – Will Tyler KC
- Osborne v Arnold [2023] 1 FLR 549 – Marisa Allman
- Re Z (parental order: a child’s home) [2021] EWHC 29 – Martin Kingerley KC
- R (OTA McConnell) v Registrar General for England and Wales [2020] 2 FLR 366 – Hannah Markham KC, Marisa Allman
- Re A (a child) (surrogacy: s.54 criteria) [2020] EWHC 1426 – Martin Kingerley KC
- M v W [2019] EWHC 648 – Marisa Allman
- PQ v RS (legal parenthood written consent) [2019] EWFC 65 – Martin Kingerley KC
- G (a child) (child arrangements order) [2018] 2 FLR 601 – Marisa Allman
- RQ v PA [2018] EWFC 68 – Martin Kingerley KC
- H (a child) (surrogacy breakdown) [2017] EWCA Civ 1798 – Hannah Markham KC, Marisa Allman
- Y v W (domicile: surrogacy) [2017] EWFC 60 – Hannah Markham KC
- M v F [2017] EWHC 2176 – Martin Kingerley KC
- Z (a child) (surrogacy agreements: child arrangements orders) [2017] EWCA Civ 228 – Marisa Allman
- I (HFEA) [2017] 1 FLR 998 – Marisa Allman
- A (HFEA: Assisted Reproduction: Parent ) [2017] 1 FLR 366 – Martin Kingerley KC
- B (a child) (habitual residence: jurisdiction) [2016] UKSC 4 – Hannah Markham KC
- MG v JF [2016] 1 FLR 424 – Marisa Allman
- X v Y [2016] 1 FLR 544 – Marisa Allman
- JP v LP (Surrogacy arrangement: Wardship) [2015] 1 FLR 307 – Martin Kingerley KC
- G (a child) (same sex relationship: family life declaration) [2014] EWFC 1 – Hannah Markham KC
- E (assisted reproduction: parent) [2013] 2 FLR 257 – Martin Kingerley KC, Marisa Allman
- T v B [2010] 2 FLR 1966 – Marisa Allman