Alia Lewis

I am a Director and award winning Child Care Law Solicitor. I supervise a friendly and dedicated team of solicitors, trainees and caseworkers. Together we strive to provide an excellent and supportive service to our clients at what is probably the most stressful time in their lives. I am passionate about protecting the rights of autistic children and parents within the family justice system, alongside those with other neurodivergent conditions and hidden disabilities and have established a specialist Autism and ADHD team within our Child Care department.

My expertise extends to all aspects of family law relating to children and in particular public law (care) cases where social services are involved, deprivation of liberty and secure accommodation. I am a member of the Law Society's Children Law Accreditation Scheme, which qualifies me to legally represent children. I have acted for children of all ages and I am experienced in conducting visits to children including those who are neurodivergent, non-verbal and pre-verbal. My son is autistic and due to his language delay, I developed personal experience of using PECS, communication boards, visual timetables, social stories and basic Makaton. I have a good understanding of the types of sensory and other challenges neurodivergent children (and adults) can experience and I make adjustments to my practice in order to ensure visits are as stress free as possible for the child or young person concerned.

My public law cases have involved a wide range of issues including physical, sexual and emotional abuse, neglect, FII, non-accidental injury, addiction, domestic abuse and mental illness.

I am a Next Generation Partner and Recommended Lawyer in The Legal 500 where I am described as "incredibly thorough and always on top of the case." I am an experienced advocate and undertake the majority of my own hearings in order to provide continuity of representation to my clients.

I place great importance on educating myself, my team and others in relation to neurodivergence and, in particular, autism. I have gained a Level 2 qualification in Understanding Autism, which compliments the invaluable knowledge and experience I have gained from parenting my own autistic child. My goal is to provide the best quality representation and access to justice for neurodivergent children and their families and to ensure that all professionals working with such families are educated about autism and other hidden disabilities. In furtherance of this aim, I am working hard to achieve much needed reform of the family justice system and campaign for compulsory training, best practice guidance and systemic change. I am a co-founder of Family Law Advice for the Neurodivergent Community (FLANC) and in 2023 I won the Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year Award for Children's Rights in recognition of my ongoing work.

• View Alia Lewis’s "Deprivation of Liberty Applications" profile
• View Alia Lewis’s "Autism/ADHD in Family and Children Law" profile

• Legal Practice Course (LPC) - Inns of Court School of Law
• LLB Honours 2:1 - Middlesex University

• Duncan Lewis Solicitors (2012 - Present)
• T V Edwards Solicitors LLP (2002 - 2012)
• Admitted as a Solicitor (2006)

• "Alia is adept at acting for children in public law care cases."- Legal 500 UK, 2023


• "Alia Lewis provides excellent legal advice. She is organised and helpful and responds promptly to queries." - Legal 500 UK, 2023


• "Although I had already a fantastically positive experience of Duncan Lewis with regards the related housing issue, I can confirm that when looking for someone who could help [with my family matter], it was a very easy decision to approach yourself due to your Bio setting out absolutely everything one could possibly look for. The legal 500 awards, and legal aid lawyer of the year for childrens rights make such an immediate impact...You have all gone so far beyond anything that could be hoped for...I just wanted to use this email as an opportunity to express some of what I cannot express more fully as I don’t have the words for it. I really do not know what the future would look like for [my child and I] had I not found your details...there is no-one else I would rather have fighting for whats best for [my child]." - Testimonial of an autistic parent of an autistic child


• "She is a powerful and important voice for change in the way the justice system understands neurodiversity." - Caroline Croft, Family Law Barrister, Coram Chambers

• Next Generation Partner - The Legal 500, (2024 - 2021)
• Recommended Lawyer - The Legal 500, (2024 - 2021)
• Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year for Children's Rights, (2023)
• Director of the Year, London - Duncan Lewis Anniversary Awards, (2018)

• Member of the Law Society's Children Law Accreditation Scheme
• Member of Association of Lawyers for Children
• NAGALRO
• Understanding Autism Level 2
• Co-founder of Family Law Advice for the Neurodivergent Community (FLANC)

• FLANC wins Innovation Award at the Resolution Awards 2024 (20 September 2024)
• In the Press: Autistic Mother and Daughter Sue Birmingham City Council for Negligence in Care Proceedings (5 September 2024)
• Duncan Lewis’ London Family Team Named as a Finalist at the Family Law Awards (29 August 2024)
• FLANC Named as Finalists for Three Resolution Awards (12 July 2024)
• Family Law Advice for the Neurodivergent Community celebrates its first conference at Slaughter & May (26 April 2024)
• Happening Tomorrow: Family Law Advice for the Neurodivergent Community to Host its First Conference at Slaughter & May. (23 April 2024)
• Duncan Lewis represents child in a contested adoption application: Prospective Adopters v London Borough of Ealing & Ors [2023] EWFC 294 (10 April 2024)
• Law Gazette shines a spotlight on Alia Lewis’ campaign with other family lawyers to improve Family Justice System for Neurodivergent Community (8 April 2024)
• Family Law Advice for the Neurodivergent Community to Host its First Conference at Slaughter & May (19 March 2024)
• Launch of Duncan Lewis’ Specialist Autism & ADHD Family and Child Care team featured in Today’s Family Lawyer (18 March 2024)
• Duncan Lewis Family Law Director Alia Lewis Heads Specialist Family and Child Care Law Team for Neurodivergent Clients (6 March 2024)
• Neurodivergent Families Face Faking Illness Claims When Raising Complaints, Study Shows (19 December 2023)
• Duncan Lewis Solicitors Highly Commended at the Family Law Awards 2023 (15 September 2023)
• Duncan Lewis director Alia Lewis wins Children’s Rights Award at the LALYs 2023 (13 July 2023)
• The Family Justice System and Autism – Room for Improvement (29 March 2023)
• The Results are in: Duncan Lewis Solicitors Triumphs in The Legal 500 2023 (29 September 2022)
• The Sarah Everard Inquiry must be an unfettered Public Inquiry into Police Misconduct (15 October 2021)
• The Legal 500 2022 Success (30 September 2021)
• Huge success for Duncan Lewis Solicitors in The Legal 500 2020 which sees five lawyers listed in the ‘Next Generation Partners’ list (30 September 2019)
• The Domestic Abuse Draft Bill Offers Wider Protection to Victims of Abuse (30 January 2019)
• Director of Childcare, Alia Lewis advises on the BBC soap opera, ‘Doctors’ (24 July 2018)
• Children put forward for adoption on the rise – what this means (29 June 2018)