Kirsty Richards, practising from the company’s Barnet office, specialises in representing parents and children in children care proceedings, including sexual abuse cases and non-accidental injury. She is a member of the Law Society Children Panel and recognised by the Law Society as a specialist Child Care lawyer.
In addition to Kirsty RichardsKirsty Richards, Children Panel Members Sarah Jopling, Frances Clare (Tooting office) , Michelle Bird (Harrow office) and Misbah Ali (Lewisham office) have all been appointed as Directors of Family & Childcare. They are joined by Kathy Walker as new Director of Family & Childcare in the company’s new office in Croydon.
Duncan Lewis’ family and childcare team has been recognised as a leading practice by Legal 500 UK 2014 and currently has 39 Law Society accredited Children Panel Members. The department specialises in all aspects of family and private children law matters, with a particular family specialism in representing victims of domestic abuse and assisting in financial matrimonial matters relating to the breakdown of a marriage/relationship. The company holds a broad practice representing parents, family members and children through their children’s guardian in all children public law proceedings and are regularly appointed by Guardians to represent babies and young children in cases involving severe non-accidental injuries, fictitious illnesses and allegations of sexual abuse. The company’s childcare specialists have conduct in high profile international child abduction cases and regularly practice in inherent jurisdiction/forum disputes, international relocation cases, cross border care proceedings and wardship proceedings for the return of children taken out of the jurisdiction.