Private Children Law 2026

HHJ Michelle Corbett MCIarb

Her Honour Judge Corbett was called to the Bar (Inner Temple) in 1987 and elected as a Bencher in 2015. She was appointed a Legal Member of the Family Health Service Appeal Authority Tribunal in 2001, a Recorder in 2007, a Circuit Judge in 2009 and authorised to sit as a High Court Judge in 2011. She was a Family Course Tutor at the Judicial College from 2014 to 2024. She was appointed a Senior Circuit Judge and the Designated Family Judge for West London in 2022.

HH Stephen Wildblood KC

Stephen Wildblood KC, Editor-in-Chief of Family Law Week, was the Designated Family Judge for the Bristol area for ten years before stepping down in November 2023. He practiced at the Family bar for 27 years, the last 8 ½ in silk. Stephen has extensive experience in all areas of family law, with particular expertise in public law children cases, including care proceedings and local authority matters.  He has written in over 20 legal textbooks on issues of family law and often lectures on the full range of family issues. He continues to sit, part-time, in the Family and High Courts.

Mani Singh Basi

Mani Singh Basi is a Barrister at 4PB and Managing Editor of Family Law Week. He is a specialist in international child abduction disputes and has appeared in 80 published judgments, in the High Court or Court of Appeal.. He has won many awards including the 2025 International Family Lawyer of the Year award,  2023 Family Law Junior Barrister of the Year award, the 2024 Legal Aid Barrister of the Year award, the 2024 Legal Personality of the Year winner and the 2022 Legal Commentator of the Year award. He is also an author in respect of books across different topics of family law.

Stuart Taylor-Jones

Stuart Taylor-Jones, the Family Law Week Marketing and Podcast Editor, is the Deputy Senior Clerk at Westgate Chambers. He also sits on the Committee of Resolution (East Sussex).

Stuart is continually recognised in the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners for Client Service at The Bar. It was recently commented that Stuart ‘is impressive’ and ‘is extremely approachable and about building long term relationships’.

In 2024, Stuart and his colleagues at Westgate Chambers won ‘Clerking Team of the Year’ at the LexisNexis Family Law Awards.

Kim Lehal

Kim Lehal is a Partner and Head of the International Children department at RWK Goodman in London. She has been an accredited specialist in International Child Abduction and Children Law by the Law Society Family Law Advanced panel since 2013 and is a highly regarded expert committed to supporting families through complex international legal challenges. She is a specialist acting exclusively in all aspects of international and domestic children law, including international child abduction, relocation proceedings, and complex family disputes.

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Hannah Markham KC

Hannah Markham KC, a barrister at 36 Group is a formidable silk renowned for her role in leading and appellate cases, often those which tackle ground breaking areas of law. Since taking silk Hannah has balanced complex private law cases, international children law cases and appellate work with the most serious of public law (care) cases.

Laura Briggs KC MCIArb

Laura Briggs KC, a barrister at 1 GC | Family Law, specialises in the law as it relates to children. She maintains a practice in public law cases and in disputes between private individuals, including those with an international element. Laura acts in cases involving allegations of sexual abuse, emotional abuse, non-accidental injury, fabricated induced illness and radicalisation.

Aidan Vine KC

Aidan Vine KC, a barrister at Harcourt Chambers,  is a leading silk with a practice that encompasses all aspects of family law including public and private law children’s cases (often with an international element), Court of Protection, conflicts of jurisdiction on divorce, matrimonial finance and cohabitation disputes, and civil litigation arising out of family law (human rights, local authority duties, and negligence).

Mark Jarman KC

Mark Jarman KC, a barrister at 4PB, is a leading advocate in the international movement of children involving jurisdictional issues, relocation, contact, recognition and enforcement. Mark is also regularly instructed in serious, complex private law cases representing HNW individuals and sports stars in cases involving alienation, controlling and coercive behaviour and domestic abuse.

Dr Bianca Jackson

Dr Bianca Jackson is a family law barrister at Coram Chambers. She undertakes both private and public children work, and is the head of chambers’ Alternative Families Practice Group. Bianca has a particular expertise in surrogacy and assisted reproduction, and has been involved in some of the most cutting edge cases in this field of law, including the recent case of A and B v C and D [2026] EWHC 972 (Fam).

Jessica Lee

Jessica Lee, is a specialist children law barrister at 1GC | Family Law. Jessica has extensive experience in international child abduction and cross-border contact cases. She appears in the High Court in complex proceedings involving Hague and non-Hague convention countries, wardship, and applications under the inherent jurisdiction. Jessica is also instructed on surrogacy and international adoption cases.

Ruth Cabeza

Ruth Cabeza is a self employed barrister at Harcourt Family law.  Her practice focuses on complex litigation involving children, often where there are international issues involved.  Ruth is an expert in modern family law and has appeared in several landmark cases involving surrogacy and adoption and was lead author of Surrogacy: Law Practice and Policy published by Lexis Nexis in 2018.

Sarah Williams

Sarah Williams is a Partner in the Family team and Head of Children at Forsters. Sarah brings extensive experience across a wide range of family law matters, with a particular focus on children and modern family law. Sarah is renowned for her expertise in matters involving serious welfare considerations such as domestic abuse, coercive, controlling and alienating behaviours, vulnerable individuals, high-conflict disputes, recognition of and enforcement of foreign orders, protective injunctive relief, international abduction

Helen Blackburn

Helen Blackburn is a Partner at The International Family Law Group LLP.  She specialises in family law concerning children and has a particular expertise in child abduction law and other cases concerning children with an international dimension or involving the cross-border movement of children.

Natalie Sutherland

Natalie Sutherland is a Partner at The International Family Law Group LLP and one of the UK’s leading specialists in modern family law. She advises clients on UK and international surrogacy arrangements, legal parentage, known donor and platonic co-parenting agreements, embryo storage, posthumous conception, and family building for LGBTQ+ and solo parents. She is also experienced in complex international divorce, financial remedy proceedings, children disputes and jurisdictional matters.

Annmarie Carvalho

AnnMarie Carvalho is the CEO, founder and Director of Training of The Carvalho Consultancy, a consultancy providing services to the legal profession and beyond. Before training to become a therapist and founding TCC in 2018, AnnMarie spent over a decade as a family law solicitor and mediator at Farrer & Co

Anarkali Musgrave MCIArb

Anarkali Musgrave practices at Coram Chambers, where she specialises in private children law. She has particular expertise in complex, high-conflict, and high-value disputes. Her practice focuses on representing parents and children, often in high-net-worth or reputation-sensitive cases, where strategic planning, discretion and emotional intelligence are paramount.

Srishti Suresh

Srishti Suresh is a specialist children law practitioner at Coram Chambers. She is sought after for her approachable manner, no-nonsense advice, and commitment to de-escalating conflict and reaching a sustainable conclusion. She has an eye for detail, and is particularly experienced with vulnerable clients and cases involving complex cultural considerations.

Ravi Kaur Mahey

Ravi Kaur Mahey is a highly experienced Solicitor-Advocate at Cartwright King specialising in all aspects of children law, with a practice that spans both national and international cross-jurisdictional matters.  Ranked in Chambers and Partners, she is known for her strategic insight, creative approach to complex litigation, and fearless advocacy. She has been described as the “doyenne of everything in relation to forced marriage and FGM,” reflecting her depth of expertise in some of the most sensitive and high-profile areas of practice.

Hannah Nielsen

Hannah Nielsen is a barrister with a broad family practice at 7BR. She holds a particular interest in private law children and international family law. Hannah has extensive experience of multi-day fact findings and final hearings involving serious allegations of abuse and cross-examination of experts.

Charlene Henderson

Charlene Henderson practices from 7BR in all aspects of private and public children’s work, in addition to welfare matters in the Court of Protection. She has particular experience in dealing with complex cases involving serious allegations of physical and sexual abuse and alienating behaviours. In 2025, she was nominated for the Family Law Junior of the Year award.