Emine Mehmet

I am a Director of Family and Childcare at Duncan Lewis Solicitors and I supervise a large team comprising of child panel members, solicitors, trainees and caseworkers at our Dalston branch in East London and our Barnet branch in North London.

I qualified as a Solicitor in 2003 and became a Law Society accredited children law panel member in 2011. I am recommended as a specialist for my London Family work by the independent legal directory, The Legal 500 UK and I am ranked in Chambers and Partners UK. My case load comprises of a broad range of privately and publicly funded (legal aid) family and childcare matters including:

• Care proceedings acting for children, whether through their guardians or direct, and parents;
• Private law children disputes;
• Domestic abuse matters.

I am committed to assisting the most vulnerable and ensuring access to justice. I am Head of the firm’s Pro bono Committee which has received a number of national industry awards in recognition for its excellent work. I have personally won the coveted Jordan’s Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year at the 2016 Family Law Awards. Further, I was commended in the category, Best Contribution by an Individual at the 2017 LawWorks Pro Bono Awards. I run not only a pro bono drop in service at our Dalston branch, but within the team we also have a number of outreach surgeries and partnerships which I have established.

• Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice (LPC)- College of Law
• BA Hons Degree - Nene University College (University of Northampton)

• Duncan Lewis Solicitors: 2011-present
• Director at Pollecoff Solicitors: 2005-2011
• Fahri Jacob Solicitors: 2003-2005
• Qualified as a solicitor in 2003

• "Emine Mehmet has been assisting the University of East London’s Legal Advice Clinic and its Romford Autism Hub Legal Advice Clinic since 2017. Emine has been immensely supportive and encouraging of our services. Emine’s contributions have been invaluable to us and the wider community, and she has often assisted us where we have had urgent sensitive cases." - Nicola Antoniou, University of East London’s Legal Advice Clinic


• "I was immediately impressed with her intelligence and the speed of her understanding of our complicated family situation. She concluded our first session pointing out the aspect which most concerned her, which, when the case concluded, was the deciding factor." - Client, Tony: July 2017.


• "The Romford Autism Hub Legal Advice Clinic was established to give access to legal advice and services as it was recognised that families or individuals affected by Autism may not always have the opportunity to access such services. Duncan Lewis Solicitors joined the partnership in September 2017 and since that time have been providing invaluable assistance by providing free legal advice to the clients at the Hub, alongside University of East London's law students. We have advised many clients, making a real difference. We have identified a need for emergency housing advice on a number of occasions, where quite often clients have nowhere left to turn. Duncan Lewis have provided emergency legal advice in such instances and UEL’s law students have assisted clients in an emergency housing application...we have helped vulnerable clients in ensuring they gain access to public funding when they would not have otherwise known of their eligibility; gain allocation to the housing register and secure a plan for SEN matters. We have undergone extensive training about matters relating to people diagnosed with autism and have been able to deliver a service that takes all needs into account at the Hub...We are grateful to the solicitors at Duncan Lewis that provide their free time to this service."

• Finalist for the 'Partner of the Year' award at the Family Law Awards 2021
• Ranked 'Up and Coming' in Chambers and Partners UK 2021 - 2022 editions - Children: Public Law Matters, London
• Recommended Lawyer - The Legal 500, 2022 - 2021 editions
• Best Contribution by an Individual: Emine Mehmet - Commended, LawWorks Pro Bono Awards 2017
• Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year: Emine Mehmet - Winner, Family Law Awards 2016

Supreme Court

• T (A Child) (Appellant) [2021] UKSC 35 On appeal from: [2018] EWCA Civ 2136 - Solicitor with conduct in this case heard in the UKSC in October 2020

Court of Appeal

• Re T (A Child) 2018 EWCA Civ 2136 - Solicitor with Conduct in this appeal from the High Court where I acted for a child relating to the use of Deprivation of Liberty Orders. This is a leading case in this area of law.

• Law Society's Children Panel member

• Reading
• Travelling

• Duncan Lewis Solicitors shortlisted at the LawWorks Pro Bono Awards 2021 (9 November 2021)
• Duncan Lewis Solicitors Chambers and Partners 2022 Rankings (21 October 2021)
• In the matter of T (A Child) (Appellant) [2021] UKSC 35 On appeal from: [2018] EWCA Civ 2136 (6 September 2021)
• Duncan Lewis Solicitors shortlisted at the 2021 Family Law Awards (6 September 2021)
• Re H (Interim Care: Scottish Residential Placement) (9 December 2020)
• Duncan Lewis Solicitors receive Pro Bono Award from Royal Holloway's Legal Advice Centre (8 December 2020)
• Duncan Lewis Solicitors Chambers and Partners 2021 Rankings (22 October 2020)
• Want to divorce but can't afford a lawyer? Here's 12 ways to reduce, defer or pay your legal fees if you have little or no money (This is Money) (6 March 2020)
• Emine Mehmet to launch pro bono clinic for vulnerable women in partnership with University of East London’s Legal Advice Centre and Councillor Shah’s Conversation Café (22 January 2020)
• Pro Bono Week 2019: Duncan Lewis Solicitors initiatives (4 November 2019)
• A day in the life of…Emine Mehmet (LexisNexis) (28 May 2019)
• Duncan Lewis reported case cited in Children Commissioner’s report (22 May 2019)
• Duncan Lewis Solicitors’ Emine Mehmet contributes to new book ‘101 Questions Answered About Separating with Children’ for separating parents (30 January 2019)
• Activists urge jail for controlling partners (Eastern Eye) (7 January 2019)
• Local charity offering free legal advice for people with autism (Time 107.5FM) (26 October 2018)
• Re T (A Child) (Secure Accommodation Order) [2018] EWCA Civ 2136 (15 October 2018)
• Domestic Abuse Survivors and Children found Sleeping Rough (19 July 2018)
• Call for Cross-Examination Reform: Family Courts failing to protect victims of domestic abuse (27 June 2018)
• The deprivation of liberty of a transgender child: A Local Authority v T (No.2) [2018] EWHC 816 (Fam) (2 May 2018)
• Proposals for Domestic Abuse Perpetrators to be Electronically Tagged (17 April 2018)
• Duncan Lewis Solicitors’ Free Weekly Advice Clinic continues to provide legal support in Dalston East London (14 March 2018)
• RLS-Athens legal advice clinic supported by Duncan Lewis Solicitors shortlisted for LexisNexis Pro Bono Award alongside Duncan Lewis Pro Bono Committee (24 January 2018)
• Duncan Lewis Solicitors Enjoys Success at the LawWorks Pro Bono Awards 2017 (6 December 2017)
• Duncan Lewis shortlisted for LawWorks 2017 Annual Pro Bono Awards (6 November 2017)
• Duncan Lewis collaborates with the University of East London at Romford Autism Hub (27 September 2017)
• 16 Days of Action Against Domestic Violence: Children Living in a Home with Domestic Violence (7 December 2016)
• Duncan Lewis Solicitors shortlisted for three awards at this year’s Law Works Annual Pro Bono Awards (5 December 2016)
• What is Domestic Abuse? (25 November 2016)
• Duncan Lewis’ Family & Child Care Director Emine Mehmet receives 2016 Family Law Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year award (24 November 2016)
• University of Lincoln’s Report Reveals Domestic Violence Abuses Against South Asian 'Disposable Women' (10 October 2016)
• Duncan Lewis Solicitors Awarded the LawWorks Pro Bono Best Contribution by a Firm London Head Office 2015 Award (25 November 2015)
• Family Law Director Emine Mehmet on the scrapping of the time limit for legal aid in domestic violence cases (10 July 2015)
• The Appointment of 5 New Directors to the Board (10 September 2012)
• Legal 500 Firm Duncan Lewis welcomes leading lawyers, Emine Mehmet and Kelly Rogers to its Family/Child Care & Housing Departments respectively (16 January 2012)