She is an intelligent, highly regarded advocate who provides realistic advice to clients. Lucy leads the courtroom without being overbearing and is well respected nationally. Lucy is formidable in dealing with complex children public law cases.
Areas of expertise
Lucy is a children law specialist and has practised in family law throughout her professional career. Her practice spans all areas of children work.
In public law children cases she acts for parents, children, local authorities and extended family and the media. Lucy’s caseload involves cases featuring suspected non-accidental injury, sexual abuse, neglect and domestic abuse, where there are parental mental health, learning disability or capacity issues, concerns around substance abuse and addiction, and involving children with disabilities and complex medical needs. Lucy’s instructions also encompass complex private law matters, including high conflict intractable private law disputes, and cases involving serious allegations of DA or CCB.
Lucy’s practice includes matters with international aspects, and complex adoption order applications. In addition, Lucy is experienced in cases involving issues relating to reporting restrictions, media applications or publicity.
Notable cases
Re C (Adoption – Procedural Irregularities) [2023] EWFC 70 – represented the mother in complex adoption proceedings involving a large number of procedural irregularities and a dispute about post-adoption contact.
Griffiths v Tickle [2021] EWCA Civ 1882 – acted for applicant journalist who wished to report the contents of a fact finding judgment delivered in the course of Children Act 1989 proceedings, and to identify the parents, where the court had made serious findings of abuse by the father (a former MP and minister) against the mother (a current MP). Lucy secured the approval for publication of the judgment from Lieven J at first instance, and successfully defended the father’s subsequent appeal to the Court of Appeal.
X & Anor v M [2022] EWFC 168 – represented the proposed adopters of 18 year old young person, successfully applying to dispense with service upon the birth mother and securing adoption orders notwithstanding technical defects in the application.
BT & GT (Children: twins – adoption) [2018] EWFC 76 – acted for the prospective adopters of a boy placed for adoption apart from his twin, following egregious failures in local authority decision making and multiple systemic failures in record keeping, and in the care planning for the twins. Adoption orders made, with extensive support plan and HRA damages claim agreed and approved by the court.
Children & Modern Families
Undertakes all children work.
Care Proceedings
Lucy’s main area of practice is public law and adoption proceedings
International
Lucy’s practice encompasses cases involving a range of international elements.