News

We are pleased to announce that prominent international family law solicitor, Helen Newman, has joined Duncan Lewis Solicitors as a supervisor in the family department. Helen joins Duncan Lewis after over 30 years working as a director and partner at Pritchard Joyce & Hinds. Based primarily in our Tonbridge office in Kent, Helen specialises in all international family matters.

With over 40 years’ experience of working in the legal sector, Helen has a wealth of knowledge in all areas of family law and is particularly renowned for her work involving international child abduction matters, having had a case heard in the Court of Justice of the European Union.

In addition to her work concerning international child abduction, Helen has significant experience handling a number of complex cross border and children law matters including relocation, wardship, care proceedings and children cases with an international aspect.

A French speaker, Helen uses her language skills to assist clients from French speaking countries in international matters, including her aforementioned Court of Justice of the European Union case, now known as the Mercredi case.

Helen is one of the longest serving solicitors on the child abduction accredited solicitors’ referral list; International Child Abduction and Contact Unit (ICACU), and is a founding member of the Child Abduction Lawyers’ Association (CALA).

Helen’s expertise in international family law is widely recognised by her peers. She was a guest speaker at The Conference on the Child Removal Proceedings in the Council of Europe, and at the International Family Law Conference at the Barreau de Paris in October 2014.

Helen will also work closely with family and child care director Adeeba Naseem who is based our Harrow office.

Our family and child care departments continue to be recognised by The Legal 500, described in the 2019 edition as an ‘excellent firm with talented and experienced staff’. The family department handles a wide range of matters including parental rights and duties, children and child care matters, matrimony and divorce, finance and property and international family law matters including international abduction and adoption.

Many of our family and child care solicitors have achieved the Law Society’s Family Law Advanced accreditation and Children Law accreditation, setting them apart from other firms. Our specialism is highlighted by the fact that we are one of only a small number of firms in the UK that are on the Lord Chancellor’s Child Abduction & Contact Panel.

To contact a member of our family department, call 033 3772 0409.