Clerking team

Tim Booth
Tim Booth

Senior Clerk Sheffield

Suzanne Heron

Lead Clerk, Family and Court of Protection

Jayne Harper

Family and Court of Protection Clerk

Helen is a Family Law specialist. Helen’s practice is primarily focused on Children Act cases, both public and private law.

Helen studied Law at the University of Manchester and completed the Bar Course at BPP Law School, London. Helen secured pupillage at St Mary’s Family Law Chambers in Nottingham and was offered tenancy in 2009. She practiced on the Midlands Circuit before moving her practice to her home in Sheffield. She joined St John’s Buildings in May 2014.

Follow Helen on Twitter: @HelenDaveySJB

Children (Public and Private law)

Helen regularly represents local authorities in public law proceedings and advises on issues such as designation and jurisdiction. Helen also represents parents, children and grandparents in both public and private law Children Act cases involving issues including non-accidental injury, sexual abuse, international jurisdiction and parental alienation. Helen’s friendly and sensitive manner means that she is often instructed to represent very vulnerable clients including victims of domestic violence and parents with learning difficulties. She also has a particular interest in cases involving linked criminal and care proceedings and private law cases involving same sex parents and surrogacy.

Helen gives seminars and training to local solicitors and within chambers. Recently this has included: “An overview of the law in relation to surrogacy” and “An overview of hair strand drug and alcohol testing in public law proceedings”.

Cases

E (A Child: Contact) [HC 180 (Fam) (29 January 2015)

Helen represented the Father in a non-traditional family case in which the mother is a homosexual female and the father is a heterosexual male. They met via a website where both were looking for someone with whom to parent a child. E was eventually conceived by artificial insemination, but following the breakdown of the parents’ friendship, the Father filed an application for contact, parental responsibility and a declaration of parentage.

Click here to read Helen’s summary of the case.

Click here to read the full judgment.

A Local Authority v A

Helen represented a local authority in care proceedings relating to parents who had suffered trauma in refugee camps following escape from international conflict. The children were eventually rehabilitated to the parents’ care after successful completion of EMDR therapy.

A Local Authority v B

Helen represented a mother in care proceedings involving opiate ingestion by the subject child and differing drug test results from different testing companies.

A Local Authority v O

Helen represented a local authority and successfully pursued findings of non-accidental injury in a case of shaken baby.

A Local Authority v S

Helen represented two children in a seven-day care final hearing involving a Mother who presented with symptoms of Factious or Induced Illness. Various medical experts gave evidence during the course of the hearing regarding multiple presentations of the children by their Mother at hospital alleging physical symptoms and sexual abuse.

A Local Authority v F and S

Helen represented a Mother with a diagnosis of schizophrenia in care and placement proceedings relating to her new born baby. This case involved two differing expert opinions relating to the Mother’s capacity to conduct litigation and challenge of these opinions in cross-examination.

Memberships

  • Family Law Bar Association
  • North Eastern Circuit