Pump Court Chambers

Tara Lyons

Call: 2005

Tara Lyons
  • Pegasus Scholarship, Inner Temple (2010)
  • Harmsworth Entrance Exhibition Award, Middle Temple (2004)
  • Dr Cooper Law Studentship, Trinity Hall, Cambridge (2004)
  • BVC, Inns of Court School of Law (2005)
  • MA Law, Cambridge University (2004)
  • Family Law Bar Association
  • Western Circuit

Tara enjoys sports and travel.

Instructing Tara Lyons

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.

Tara Lyons is a highly regarded barrister specialising in financial remedies cases, children law and contentious probate and inheritance disputes. She represents a range of litigants and is instructed to appear in courts and tribunals at all levels up to and including the Court of Appeal.  Tara is also an experienced mediator and accepts instructions to act as a judge in private FDRs (whether remotely or in person). She is also the co-host and co-founder of ’The Family Law Podcast’.

Tara is consistently ranked as a leading individual in the Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 directories. The latest editions describe her as “very quick on her feet and straight to the point. She has a very sharp mind and great attention to detail.” Legal 500 2025). She is described as having “excellent soft client skills and is a persuasive advocate with an intelligent and strategic approach to cases.” (2024 directories). Previous editions describe her as “dynamic, bright and cuts to the chase. A formidable and skilled advocate beyond her year of call with a talent for fostering a good working relationship with instructing solicitors. She is professional, dedicated and focused.”,  “She is very good with clients and can identify the issues and outcome sought after at an early stage.” and “Judges cannot ignore the sense and the ingenuity of her submissions.” (2023 directories) “strategically brilliant” “great on her feet and completely unflappable“,  “a clear advocate who is all over the papers and knows all the numbers” and “her attention to detail is exemplary, she is well prepared and manages clients expectations with care and clarity” (2022 directories), “perspicuous and excellent on her feet ” (2021 directories) “a well regarded junior”,  who is “efficient, commercially minded” “knowledgeable and gives clear confident advice” (2020 directories) and “very good with clients and very knowledgeable on the law” (2019)

Tara is known for her sensitive and friendly representation of clients which she combines with a robust and pragmatic approach to the case.  Clients say Tara has  “a sharp legal mind” and describe her as being  “extremely capable on her feet” .

Other testimonials include:

“I cannot recommend Tara Lyons highly enough.  She has represented several clients at final hearing and on each occasion her preparation and advocacy has been second to none.  The results she has achieved for my clients have been exceptional and on every occasion at the very high end of what I could have expected a Judge to award.  This is down to the thoroughness of the preparation, the energy and care she brings to her work, her ability to work well under pressure and Court deadlines, and the fact that Judges really like her.  I particularly appreciate the way she keeps me as her Instructing Solicitor in the loop.  She will always telephone me to discuss the case prior to a hearing and will consult me throughout appropriately.  She has a very good manner with clients who love her.”

“May I please firstly comment on the tenaciousness, attention to detail and professionalism that Ms Lyons has displayed both in respect to us as clients and in her role as our Barrister. She has undertaken our case, which was extremely challenging due to a number of complex issues and has successfully secured a judgement in our favour. Ms Lyons is a credit to both the legal profession and Pump Chambers”

“Tara was very pragmatic in her approach, yet was still compassionate towards my clients who were in a very emotional and difficult situation. Tara was also direct and let my client’s know when they were perhaps not being reasonable in their opinions, she did not try and rush matters, but was a good guide. Over all my client’s goal was to settle on the day, Tara was instrumental in achieving this. I personally appreciated the time she took after the mediation had ended to go over the day with Counsel and myself (we are both junior), and point out what we could have done differently.”

As mediator:

“I just wanted to thank you for your excellent conduct of the mediation  last week and for the sensitive way you dealt with my client. I’m pleased we managed to resolve this one.”

Tara is authorised to accept work on a direct access basis as part of the Public Access Scheme.

Legal Services

Tara has significant experience for her call in matrimonial finance, Trusts of Land disputes and cases concerning financial provision for children under Schedule 1 of the Children Act 1989,  both at first instance and on appeal. She is regularly instructed to deal with complex cases involving business interests, inherited wealth, pensions, third party intervenors and nuptial agreements and trusts. In addition Tara has a developed a significant practice in cases involving an international element, including those concerning foreign assets or cross- jurisdictional issues. Tara also acts in related matters such as variation of orders, applications to set aside orders, freezing injunctions and enforcement. In addition to appearing in cases concerning the validity of nuptial agreements, Tara drafts such agreements and advises on the same. She also acts in contested divorce matters.

Tara has appeared in a number of reported cases including:

Selected Cases

ND v KD [2024] EWFC 188 (B)

Tara Lyons appeared for the wife in this extremely interesting case concerning a nuptial agreement and successfully argued it should not be upheld due to procedural and substantive fairness despite there being full disclosure and both parties represented by lawyers. The court found that the timing of signing the prenuptial agreement and the undue pressure the husband placed on the wife were magnetic factors.

PS v CS [2023] EWFC 323 (B)

Tara Lyons acted for the Father in this schedule 1 case. The case provided a useful example of the court’s approach to schedule 1 applications in a modest asset but high income situation.

E v E

Tara Lyons was led by Samantha Hillas KC in this case where the central issue was the treatment of the Husband’s significant bonuses and whether they should be considered marital or non- marital.

P v P (2022)

Tara represented the Husband in a case involving forgery and material non-disclosure and secured a favourable settlement.

P v P (2021)

Tara acted for the Husband at arbitration in this financial remedies case involving a large property portfolio, inherited assets, company assets and non-disclosure and achieved a very favourable settlement.

S v T (2020)

Tara successfully represented the Father in a claim by Mother under schedule 1 of the Children Act. The case involved assets of c£5 million

P v M (2019)

Tara obtained a rare hadkinson order requiring the husband to pay outstanding sums before he could bring his variation claim.

D v D (2019)

I successfully represented the husband in a multi million pound case involving serious conduct issues, complex company and tax issues lasting 5 days.

B v B (2018)

Tara successfully represented the Wife in achieving a 70% costs order in Financial remedies proceedings in which significant adverse findings were made against the Husband.

L v S (2017)

Tara achieved an excellent settlement for a wife in a case involving a prenuptial agreement and complex foreign jurisdictional issues.

DJ v DJ (2016)

Tara successfully secured an order that all the disclosed assets in financial remedies proceedings be transferred to the wife where the husband had materially non-disclosed.

N v N (2015)

Tara successfully represented the wife in financial remedies proceedings where the Judge made a finding that over £150,000 should be “added in” on account of monies spent by the husband on gambling.

P v P (2015)

Tara successfully represented a wife in contested divorce proceedings.

R v R (2015)

Tara successfully represented a policeman in financial remedies proceedings brought after 15 years of separation achieving a clean break.

Tara is regularly instructed in a range of complex private law disputes including those concerning allegations of serious physical or sexual abuse, parties with personality disorders or addiction and applications for removal from the jurisdiction. Tara shows great empathy and sensitivity towards her client and is equally skilled at advancing her client’s case through negotiation outside the court as through her advocacy in court.

Selected Cases

Re A (a Child) [2018] EWCA Civ 904

Tara appeared in the Court of Appeal on a case involving costs orders in children act appeals.

A v A (2017)

Tara acted for the Father in successfully defending a school fees order application.

A v A (2016)

Tara obtained a living arrangements order, prohibited steps order, passport order and port alert in High Court proceedings brought by the father against the mother in circumstances where she was threatening to remove the child to Oman.

Tara regularly receives instructions in claims concerning the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975, contentious probate matters, disputes about validity of wills and administration issues. She represents a range of litigants including children at mediation and at court in both the County and High Court. Tara appears in the Court of Protection in cases concerning its property and affairs jurisdiction and the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

Tara frequently speaks at the Pump Court Inheritance and Vulnerable Adult team seminars on a range of issues and contributes to a range of specialist publications.

Selected Cases

In the estate of BAS

High Court successfully obtained orders for summary judgement and strike out in a claim for breach of trust by a beneficiary of the deceased’s estate made over 50 years after the deceased’s death.

In the estate of FS

Tara successfully advised a cohabitee in an Inheritance Act claim and secured an extremely generous settlement on her behalf.

Tara appears in the Court of Protection in cases concerning its property and affairs jurisdiction and the Mental Capacity Act 2005. She regularly receives instructions in claims concerning the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975, contentious probate matters, disputes about validity of wills and administration issues.

“A very knowledgable, calm and reassuring approach, to a difficult situation, that produced a successful outcome.” Feedback given by Counsel at a recent mediation.

Tara is an accomplished barrister and an accredited mediator who combines a gentle and engaging manner with an incisive and analytical approach to the dispute at hand. She is praised for her grasp of complex factual and legal issues as well as her understanding of the parties’ underlying needs and motivations enabling her to facilitate a resolution. As a barrister Tara specialises in family financial remedies claims, claims involving the Inheritance Act 1975 and the Trust of Land and Appointments of Trustees Act 1996, contentious probate, proprietary dispute and a range of commercial and contract disputes. She mediates in a range of disputes which extend beyond these core practice areas.

  • Pegasus Scholarship, Inner Temple (2010)
  • Harmsworth Entrance Exhibition Award, Middle Temple (2004)
  • Dr Cooper Law Studentship, Trinity Hall, Cambridge (2004)
  • BVC, Inns of Court School of Law (2005)
  • MA Law, Cambridge University (2004)
  • Family Law Bar Association
  • Western Circuit

Tara enjoys sports and travel.

Instructing Tara Lyons

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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