Pump Court Chambers

Alex McHugh

Call: 2019

Instructing Alex McHugh

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If you require help or advice please contact our clerking team.

Call +44 (0)20 7353 0711 or email clerks@pumpcourtchambers.com.

Alex has a mixed practice with an emphasis on family law.

He accepts instructions across private children, financial remedy, and Family Law Act proceedings, as well as in cohabitation claims and committal applications.

Alex also defends clients in the Crown court and maintains a civil litigation practice, largely in property and commercial disputes.

Prior to joining chambers, Alex worked as a paralegal at a Legal 500 leading firm in London, during which time he practiced private family law for three years, as well as crime and civil litigation concurrently for two years. Having worked in law since 2016, Alex has gained a wealth of practical experience. He prides himself on his client-handling skills and his knowledge of what solicitors require from Counsel.

Alex lives in both London and the West Country, meaning he is readily available to accept instructions on both circuits.

In his spare time, Alex enjoys playing for and running his Sunday league football team, cooking, and being involved in local politics.

Legal Services

Alex represents clients at all stages of financial remedy proceedings, including at FDA, FDR, interim application hearings, directions hearings, preliminary issue hearings, and final hearings.

He has a busy and rapidly developing practice, with experience in complex cases involving companies, international asset bases and property portfolios, intervenors, third party disclosure orders, freezing injunctions, applications under section 37 MCA, applications to set aside, and applications to show cause.

Selected Cases

H -v- H

Following forensic cross-examination by Alex at final hearing, the court drew several adverse inferences as to the other side’s finances and found them to be dishonest about the extent of their capital/income. The court dismissed the other side’s application to vary maintenance and awarded Alex’s client significant costs.

B -v- B

Alex obtained freezing injunctions in respect of five pension plans and two bank accounts, as well as six separate third-party disclosure orders. Significant interim costs were awarded to his client and the court was persuaded to accelerate the matter straight to final hearing, dispensing with FDR.

L -v- G

Within extremely acrimonious proceedings, Alex managed to settle at FDR on terms favourable to his client, which also strengthened his client’s position within concurrent Children Act proceedings. The matter involved the sale of a property in an uncooperative jurisdiction, which was an issue that required a creative and pragmatic approach to resolve. Alex’s client also had the option to remain within the family home and received periodical payments for the remainder of the children’s minority by way of a school fees order.

M -v- O

In a case involving a multi-million-pound asset base, Alex narrowed the issues at FDR and drove an agreement for an interim order for sale of the FMH, along with a single joint expert to value the other side’s overseas property portfolio. In doing so, Alex positioned the long-running and litigious case to settle well before final hearing.

Alex has a well-established private children practice and has ample experience at every stage of proceedings. He represents clients at FHDRA, DRA, application hearings, directions hearings, fact-finding hearings, final hearings, and appeal hearings.

Alex has been successful in applications made under Part 25, for section 91(14) orders, for no contact orders, and on appeal. He deploys diplomacy and tact when called for but is equally capable of being robust in cross-examination when necessary.

Selected Cases

B -v- G

This was a serious case involving children with additional needs and allegations of sexual and physical abuse being made against Alex’s client. After careful cross-examination of the other side at fact-finding, however, no findings were made against Alex’s client. At that stage, the client had no contact with any of the children; by the end of proceedings a year later, Alex’s client enjoyed a 50:50 shared care arrangement made by agreement at DRA.

K -v- B

As a result of almost two days of cross-examination by Alex, 17 findings of fact were made against the other parent. Alex represented his client for the best part of two years and obtained a final order of no contact with the other parent, which included a three-year-long section 91(14) order.

G -v- D

In an acrimonious Hague Convention case, Alex obtained favourable contact arrangements for his client living in a European jurisdiction, which included significant leave to remove the child from England & Wales. Alex engaged in considerable correspondence over a number of weeks post-hearing to finalise the order, which culminated in the court finding in his client’s favour in respect of almost every drafting issue.

As an area of law that sits between family and civil, Alex’s experience across both gives him an inherent advantage in cohabitation cases. He combines his knowledge of the CPR and the law with his aptitude for dealing with separating couples.

Alex has a developing practice in cohabitation and co-ownership cases; he accepts instructions at all stages of TLATA and Schedule 1 claims.

Alex has carved out a niche early in his career. His experience across criminal defence and family compliments an area of law that is effectively an overlap of the two. Alex is fully au fait with Part 37/Practice Direction 37A and has experience of every stage of committal proceedings, from directions to pre-trial review, through to trial and sentencing.

Alex accepts instructions from both claimants and defendants and has represented both.

Having practiced property litigation as a paralegal for two years, Alex maintains a steady practice in that area. He also continues to act in contractual and commercial disputes.

Alex regularly appears in the county courts and the Insolvency and Companies List, representing both Claimants and Defendants. He also drafts advice and pleadings and adopts a fastidious approach to his written work.

Selected Cases

LB Newham -v- VAP

In a complicated case involving a claim for unpaid business rates, Alex successfully persuaded the court at trial not to adjourn the hearing due to the Claimant having failed to follow case management directions. The Claimant effectively offered no evidence and, after forthright submissions, Alex’s client was awarded every single penny of their costs.

SGF Ltd

Alex successfully presented a winding-up petition on behalf of a creditor in a case that attracted media attention due to the actions of the Company’s CEO.

Alex defends clients at all stages of proceedings in the Crown court, including at PTPH, FCMH, for mention hearings, pre-trial review hearings, trials, and sentencing hearings.

Alex defends those accused of all offences, including assault, sexual assault, fraud, theft, and breaches of protective orders.

Selected Cases

R -v- T

Having elicited fundamental concessions from all four of the Crown’s witnesses, Alex made a successful application for no case to answer. The case concerned allegations of assault in a domestic setting against multiple defendants. The Crown’s witnesses admitted under cross-examination by Alex that they either could not be sure of their version of events or that his client’s actions amounted to defence of another.

R -v- K

Alex’s client faced one count of breach of a restraining order and was acquitted after a jury trial. The evidence against Alex’s client was prima facie strong but was fatally undermined during cross-examination.

R -v- M

The Crown’s evidence against Alex’s client at PTPH was questionable and, notwithstanding independent witnesses, the complainant was in the process of withdrawing their statement to the police. Alex successfully resisted his client entering a plea and his client, on advice, refused to accept a plea deal from the Crown, instead opting to hold out for the complainant’s withdrawal statement. The Crown later offered no evidence and Alex’s client was rightfully acquitted.

Instructing Alex McHugh

Would you like to know more?

If you require help or advice please contact our clerking team.

Call +44 (0)20 7353 0711 or email clerks@pumpcourtchambers.com.

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