Child Abduction

Our experience in this area includes:

• Applications for summary return under the Hague Convention 1980.
• Enforcement of foreign orders under Brussels IIA.
• Preventing abduction by way of orders such as emergency injunctions and port alerts.
• Applications under the inherent jurisdiction and / or the parens patriae jurisdiction.
• Abductions within the United Kingdom and British Overseas Territories.
• Abductions within England and Wales.
• Forum disputes.
• Applications for permission to remove children to another jurisdiction.

Our team contains experienced advocates in this complex and fast-moving area of law and benefits from our strong technical expertise in the related fields of public and private law children proceedings, wardship proceedings, adoption applications, forced marriage cases and cases involving vulnerable or trafficked children.

As well as experienced barristers, our team also features a Deputy High Court Judge, Recorders and Deputy District Judges. Several of our team members have also worked in house for local authorities dealing with children private law and related child abduction issues.

Leslie Samuels KC MCIArb

Call: 1989 / Silk: 2011

Penny Howe KC

Call: 1991 / Silk: 2017

Julie Mackenzie

Call: 1978

Martin Blount

Call: 1982

Polly Thompson

Call: 1990

Jayne Harrill

Call: 1990

Leonorah Smith

Call: 1993

Andrew Grime

Call: 1997

Andrew Bond

Call: 1999

Naznin Islam

Call: 2000

Stuart McGhee

Call: 2000

Caroline Hartley MCIArb

Call: 2002

Jennifer Lee

Call: 2007

Hilary Lennox

Call: 2008

Jennifer Swan

Call: 2009

Nicholas Williamson

Call: 2009

Naima Asif

Call: 2012

Cordelia Williams

Call: 2014

Shona Love

Call: 2017 | 2022 (Ireland) | 2025 (USA - New York)

Joseph Sworder

Call: 2025 / Admitted as a Solicitor: 2016