Clerking team

Gail Whelan

Family Clerk

David Harrald

Family Clerk

Elisa Clement

Family Clerk

‘Recommended Expert’

Legal 500, 2024

Ginny is an experienced family barrister, dealing exclusively with proceedings relating to children. Living in the Lake District, she practises primarily in Cumbria, but is available for work throughout the North West.

Children (Public and Private law)

Ginny is regularly instructed on behalf of local authorities, parents and children in public law proceedings, including complex cases involving serious injuries, abusive head trauma, fabricated and induced illness and allegations of sexual abuse. Her practice frequently brings her before judges of the High Court Family Division and she is comfortable and confident in managing difficult cases alone or as junior counsel.

Her extensive experience in applications for deprivation of liberty means Ginny is often called upon by local authorities to provide advice and representation at urgent hearings. Ginny has also represented children and parents in these proceedings and has a detailed and up to date knowledge of the law.

Ginny is particularly experienced in representing teenagers, whether as parents or subject children, and individuals with mental health difficulties. Her compassionate but realistic approach allows Ginny to build an excellent working relationship with clients.

In addition to her public law practice, Ginny appears in complex private law proceedings including cases with elements of parental alienation, those requiring findings of fact and cases where there is a potential for public law proceedings to be issued.

Ginny has completed vulnerable witness advocacy training and now provides this training to others, making her an excellent choice where children or vulnerable adults will be required to give evidence.

Notable Cases

A Local Authority v L & Ors [2023] EWFC 7

Re G (Child Post-Mortem Report: Delays) [2022] EWFC 55

Cumbria County Council v AT & Ors [2020] EWHC 3107 (Fam)

Cumbria County Council v T (Discharge of Interveners) (Rev 1) [2020] EWFC 58

X (A Child: No 2) [2017] EWHC 1585 (Fam)

Memberships

  • Family Law Bar Association
  • Association of Lawyers for Children

Education

  • BA (Hons) Jurisprudence – University of Oxford 2008
  • Bar Vocational Course – Manchester Metropolitan University 2010
  • LLM (Child Law) – University of Northumbria 2013
  • Vulnerable Witness Advocacy Training