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Fenella Cooil is a children law barrister specialising in complex private law cases, including those involving allegations of parental alienation and intractable hostility to contact cases where a child’s relationship with one parent has broken down in a way that has resisted resolution through the ordinary court process.
She has experience in cases involving domestic abuse, substance misuse, and parents or children suffering with physical and mental health difficulties, issues that frequently underlie or complicate contact and alienation disputes.
She regularly advises and represents parties in internal and international relocation cases, both where a parent seeks to move within England and Wales, and where a move abroad is proposed.
She is a tenacious and persuasive court advocate, and is empathetic, approachable, giving clients pragmatic and sensible advice, a combination that matters directly in cases as emotionally fraught as parental alienation and intractable contact disputes.
Key cases & testimonials
Leicester City Council v AB [2018] EWHC 1960 (Fam)
Consideration of the need for a Care Order in a case with a terminally ill mother who had sought for the children to be cared for by the Local Authority as she was too unwell to care for them.
GB v RNB [2013] EWHC 414 (Fam)
Recognition and registration of Polish Court orders in England and Wales
Fenella is a shining star in cross-examination.Legal 500, 2025
Fenella is an outstanding children’s law barrister. She has a wonderfully warm manner with clients yet ensures that she provides clear and detailed advice. She is accessible and very hardworking. Legal 500, 2023
Fenella is a phenomenal children’s barrister. She is extremely focussed, great at quickly getting into the detail of cases, and brilliant on her feet. Clients feel she really advocates on their behalf and gives sensible and pragmatic advice.Legal 500, 2022
Areas of expertise
Fenella has over a decade of experience in private children cases.
Fenella is regularly instructed to deal with complex cases where one party is alleging domestic abuse and the other is alleging parental alienation.
Fenella has successfully represented parents where malicious allegations of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse have been made against them to prevent contact arrangements with children.
Fenella has successfully represented victims of domestic abuse including coercive control and where legal proceedings have been utilised as a method of ongoing abuse. Such cases often involve consolidation of non-molestation and occupation order proceedings.
Fenella works closely with her lay and professional clients from First Hearing Dispute Resolution Appointments through to Final Hearing to ensure a collaborative approach.
Fenella deals with application for parental orders.