A Hospital Trust v P & Ors
Lorraine Cavanagh KC led Lauren Maires for the local authority in a tragic case concerning a two-year old girl. The issue was whether life-sustaining...
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Lauren is a specialist family law barrister and practises in all areas of children law. She joined Chambers as a tenant in October 2023. Lauren has completed the FLBA Advocacy and the Vulnerable course. Lauren has appeared as a speaker on domestic abuse including at the Liverpool Law Society Domestic Abuse Conference 2025 and through seminars held by Chambers to invited guests. Lauren has also recently provided training to instructing solicitors on Non-Molestation Orders and Domestic Abuse Protection Orders (DAPO).
Children (Private and Public Law)
Private Law
In private law proceedings, Lauren is regularly instructed to act for parents, the child, extended family members, and the Local Authority. Lauren undertakes a full range of hearings including FHDRAs, DRAs, directions hearings, fact-finding hearings and final hearings.
She regularly acts in proceedings for child arrangement orders, non-molestation orders, specific issue orders, prohibited steps orders, enforcement applications, special guardianship applications, 16(4) appointments, internal relocation applications and costs applications.
Lauren has conducted matters including:
- hostility
- parental alienation
- mental health concerns
- domestic abuse including coercive and controlling behaviour
- domestic violence
- emotional abuse
- sexual abuse
- drug and alcohol misuse
- criminality and
- improper retention of a child after contact.
Lauren also significant experience in issues involving intractable contact disputes.
Public Law
In public law proceedings, Lauren has acted for the various parties involved and at all stages of proceedings. Lauren frequently acts in complex cases, taking matters through to the fact finding, final hearing or composite final hearing.
Lauren has acted as the Local Authority junior on a complex non-accidental injury case which has culminated in substantial findings of non-accidental injury and dishonesty being made against the parents. Lauren appeared with leading counsel at a multi-week finding of fact for which she played a vital role in the preparation, including a forensic analysis of sizeable bundles of medical evidence, police material, telephone records, a substantial chronology compiling the respective bundles into one document and contribution to both the written opening and written submissions.
Lauren has conducted matters in a range of public law proceedings, including issues of:
- domestic abuse and violence
- emotional abuse
- substance abuse
- mental health concerns
- criminality
- sexual abuse
- non-accidental injury of the child and
- significant neglect.
Lauren has acted for parents seeking the discharge of a care order and seeking leave to oppose the making of an adoption order, as well as the Local Authority in the respective proceedings.
Lauren has experience working with vulnerable clients, clients with learning disabilities, clients with mental health issues, and is adept at working with intermediaries and interpreters. Lauren has completed the FLBA Advocacy and the Vulnerable course.
Lauren is regularly instructed to draft documents such as skeleton arguments, case summaries and threshold documents, often at short notice.
Lauren is friendly and approachable and can quickly build a rapport with her clients, putting them at ease.
Cases
Education
- BTC (Very Competent), BPP Law School 2021
- GDL, BPP Law School 2020
- MChem Chemistry with Medicinal Chemistry, University of St Andrews (2019)
