Clerking team

Paul Laverty
Paul Laverty

Senior Clerk - Family and Court of Protection

Ryan Barker

Assistant Senior and Matrimonial Finance Clerk

Emma Manning

Matrimonial Finance Clerk

‘Hannah is thorough, well-prepared, and proactive. She is able to grasp complex cases and can give the client the reassurance in her abilities and expertise, and she undertakes high-quality work.’

Legal 500, 2024 (Children and Domestic Violence)

“Recommended Expert”

Legal 500, 2024 (Divorce and Financial Remedy)

Strengths: “Hannah Wood fights tirelessly for her clients; she is a well-organised and robust advocate.”

“Her ability to cross-examine is phenomenal.”

“Her advocacy is a force to be reckoned with.”

Chambers UK Bar, 2024

Hannah specialises in matrimonial finance and private law children cases. She acts in a wide range of challenging financial remedy cases and disputes arising from separations. She regularly acts for high net worth individuals.

Hannah studied Politics at the University of Sheffield, graduating in 2003 with a First Class Honours Degree. She went on to achieve a Distinction in the Graduate Diploma in Law from Nottingham Law School. Having received a Lord Denning Scholarship from Lincoln’s Inn, Hannah took the Bar Vocational Course and joined Chambers in 2007.

Hannah is a former junior international athlete and continues to be involved in the sport as a spectator and participant when time permits.

Hannah was awarded Barrister of the Year at the 2024 Manchester Region Resolution Awards Evening.

Family finance

One of Hannah’s key strengths lies in her negotiation skills and that, coupled with an eye for detail, renders her a strong choice for matrimonial finance matters. She provides settlement advice pre issue and beyond and takes instructions in all hearings including FDAs, FDRs, and contested final hearings. She is approachable with clients and is happy to speak to solicitors on an informal basis throughout the duration of a case.

Hannah regularly receives instructions to advise in respect of the validity of separation agreements, the merits of appealing final orders and the merits of applications to set aside final orders. She has considerable experience in both advising on and representing at MPS and LSPO application hearings.

Her written advocacy skills have been praised for their ability to be both concise yet thorough and ultimately highly persuasive.

Recent Cases

H v H (2021)

Private FDR hearing in a complex farming case, involving family trusts and capital assets of over £2.5 million.

G v G (2020)

Final Hearing in which the SJE had valued the Husband’s shareholding at over £3 million. The arguments centred on liquidity and the term of the maintenance order.

B v B (2019)

Final Hearing in which the Husband was contending for a significant departure from equality on the basis of his inherited wealth.  His argument was rejected by the Court after lengthy cross-examination.

Children (Public and Private law)

Private Law

Hannah is regularly instructed in complex Child Arrangements Order applications involving allegations of domestic violence and sexual abuse.

She also has extensive experience in cases where there are allegations and/or evidence of a parent’s implacable hostility towards the other parent.

Hannah spent a number of years at the Criminal Bar before transferring to Family Practice. Her wealth of advocacy experience in Crown and Magistrates’ Courts is invaluable in contested hearings where she excels at the cross-examination of witnesses. Hannah has considerable experience of dealing with finding of fact hearings in domestic abuse cases.  She has recently been instructed in a finding of fact hearing involving allegations of rape and attempted murder.

Hannah is also instructed in enforcement applications, appeals and both internal and international re-location cases.

Lay and professional clients find her approachable and highly skilled in both conference and court hearings alike.

Recent Cases

D v D (2022)

Hannah represented the Mother in a lengthy finding of fact hearing in which findings were made of physical, emotional and financial abuse. The case raised issues in respect of coplex cultural dynamics.

K v K (2022)

Contested final hearing in a case involving allegations of parental alienation and the instruction of Independent Social Workers.

ADR

Hannah is a Resolution trained mediator, offering solicitor led mediation services within Chambers for clients considering Alternative Dispute Resolution.

Private FDR

As a Resolution trained Mediator and expert matrimonial finance barrister, Hannah is well placed to chair and represent clients at Private FDR hearings, ensuring the appropriate outcome will be reached while avoiding the expense and delay of the court process.