Samantha is an experienced family law practitioner that has specialised in children law work both private and public. She provides frank and sensitive advice empowering clients to make informed decisions throughout her involvement with the case to secure the best and most effective result. She will go above and beyond to provide exceptional service for her clients. Regarded as a tenacious and persuasive advocate who is focused on the relevant issues in the case.

Work undertaken:-

·      Private law children (children and modern families)

·      Public law children (care and adoption)

·      Deprivation of Liberty cases

·      Direct Access cases for children law work within the Midlands

Samantha will represent Local Authorities, parents, guardians and other interested parties/intervenors.

Key cases & testimonials

Re (Care Planning) [2024] EWFC 155 (B)

C (A Child), Re (Adoption by Foster Carers) [2024] EWFC 87

WNC v KA v ors [2024] EWHC 79 (Fam)

Re W-A (Children: Foreign Conviction) [2022] EWCA Civ 1118

A Local Authority v M & Ors [2022] EWHC 2127 (Fam)

Re (Care Planning)[2022] EWCA Civ 1118

C (Child: Involvement in Jehovah’s Witness Religion) [2017] EWFC B29 (9 May 2017)

T (A Child: Fact Finding) [2014] EWFC B115

NCC v L & Anor [2014] EWHC 4828 (Fam)

 

 

Samantha is knowledgeable about her area of practice, extremely hard working and is able to bring focus to the issues in the case and how to best achieve client objectives, working well as a part of a team.Legal 500, 2026
Ms Dunn is a confident and capable advocate; skilful with the focused nature of her cross-examination questions and submissions.Circuit Judge commendation, August 2025
Samantha is very knowledgeable in her practice area and has specific expertise in complex care proceedings. She is a safe pair of hands and goes over and above to check evidence and is always well prepared for hearings. She is a strong advocate and ensures she fights for her client in a professional way.Legal 500, 2025
Sam is an incredible advocate.Legal 500 2024
Ms Dunn acts with integrity and care from the start of an instruction to the end, she is hard working and reliable. She puts clients at ease and has strong advocacy skills.Solicitor 2023
Samantha is a tenacious advocate but focusses on the relevant issues to assist the judiciary with resolving the proceedings fairly.Circuit Judge 2023

Areas of expertise

Samantha has a great deal of experience representing children, parents and other interested parties in the most intractable private law family disputes. She has a strong reputation for her pragmatic approach to cases advising clients before during and following the conclusion of proceedings (if enforcement applications are required).

Her private law children practice incorporates all aspects of children law including:

  • Fact finding hearings (domestic abuse / sexual abuse / honour-based violence / emotional abuse / neglect and parental alienation allegations)
  • Parental responsibility disputes including specific issue and prohibited steps applications (schooling / religion / health treatment / travel disputes)
  • child arrangement issues (lives with / spends time with)
  • relocation applications
  • Family Law Act applications (including injunction and occupation order applications).

She is an experienced advocate adept at cross examining expert and lay witnesses to distil the central welfare issues in the case. Samantha is forensic in her preparation with meticulous attention to detail.

Samantha will often accept instructions on a Direct Access basis.

Samantha has a wealth of experience within care proceedings and will regularly accept instructions for the most complex of cases. She has a strong reputation for being solution-focused for the benefit of her clients. Samantha accepts instructions from local authorities, parents, guardians and children, and other intervened parties. She appears at all Court levels.

Samantha is regularly instructed on cases that involve the following issues:-

  • Serious non accidental injuries (fractures, baby shakes, infant death and bruising)
  • Sexual abuse (including interfamilial abuse and rape)
  • Fabricated or induced illnesses
  • Female Genital Mutilation
  • Child Trafficking
  • Deprivation of Liberty matters
  • Chronic neglect, emotional and psychological abuse
  • Drugs and alcohol abuse (regularly instructed for FDAC)
  • Neuro diversity/learning difficulties
  • Parental Alienation.

She has a calming manner and a well-rounded grasp of the law which puts her clients at ease.

Further information

LLB (Hons) Law – First Class – University of Derby 2007

Very Competent Bar Vocational Course – University of Nottingham 2008

Wellbeing Representative for the Midlands Circuit EDSM 2023

Family Law Bar Association (FLBA)

Middle Temple

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