St Albans Chambers has an experienced family team who practice principally on the South Eastern circuit.

Our Barristers regularly act for local authorities, parents, grandparents, children and children’s guardians.

A complete service is offered – with particular emphasis on providing an expert and client friendly approach to people involved in such emotive litigation.

All members of the team are members of the Family Law Bar Association.

Private Law

Our members handle all aspects of private law proceedings whether involving child contact and residence or domestic abuse cases between partners. Barristers have experience in applications by Grandparents and other relatives for the full range of s.8 Orders.

Public Law

In public law children proceedings, barristers are happy to represent any party – parents, children, and local authorities.

Ancillary Relief

Chambers specialises in ancillary relief and can deal with small and high value cases. We can assist with company and share valuations, as well as advising on pension sharing.

Actions involving co-habitees, resulting and constructive trusts, proprietary estoppel as well as contested Inheritance Act Claims can be advised upon.

Private FDR’s

Due to the increased encouragement from the Court for parties to engage in Private FDRs (Financial Dispute Resolution hearings), financial remedy specialists in our team offer a service designed to meet the growing need for a non-court-based resolution service for family finance cases.

The FDR is a key stage of the financial proceedings and one at which the vast majority of cases settle. This method of resolution offers clients an affordable, responsive and quality route to settlement. The FDR is a rapid, flexible and responsive tool that adapts to the particular circumstances of each case.

On the day of the private FDR the barrister involved will provide both parties with a non-binding indication as to the most likely outcome should their dispute(s) proceed to court. An agreed bundle of relevant documents is sent to the barrister in advance of the private FDR hearing. An indication may be given on one or more issues and on one or more occasions during the day.  The clients attend the FDR with their respective lawyers and are provided with their own rooms during the day.

Reasons to choose a Private FDR rather than a court based FDR

• Cost: the parties split the cost of the FDR session between them.
• Focus: the private FDR is tailored to the circumstances of each case and the nature of the dispute. The case will be the absolute priority of the private FDR judge. He / she will have had plenty of time to read into and thoroughly / understand the issues.
• Time: the private FDR is scheduled for the day, on a date to suit the parties not one fixed by the court, faster than a court listing, and the time pressures of court attendance are removed.
• Quality: all papers will be read in advance and the parties can be assured of a fully-informed private FDR.
• Flexibility: the private FDR can respond to the nuances of the particular dispute and the direction and pace of negotiations on the day.
• Privacy: a private FDR is just that: private. No-one other than the parties, their lawyers and the chosen judge need know when or where the hearing is taking place.

Our clerks can arrange Private FDRs in Chambers itself or at a location to suit the parties. FDRs can also be held as an alternative to, or at any stage of Court proceedings.

Please contact our clerks should you be interested in using this service.