PracticeMaggie started life at the Bar as a specialist housing practitioner, drawing on her knowledge of the housing world. She started doing family work during her pupillage and found that she enjoyed the work a great deal. Her family practice developed to the point where it took over from her housing practice. However, her housing practice had covered the full range of cases, including homelessness, possession, disrepair, illegal eviction, and service charges, and she is experienced in dealing with applications for judicial review. This breadth of experience often proves useful within her family practice. In public law proceedings Maggie is well known as an advocate for parents, but she also acts for children and guardians on a regular basis. She gets on well with clients and is able to be both sympathetic and tough with them. She likes taking on difficult cases and always fights hard for her clients. She has a reputation of being able to deal with particularly difficult clients. She believes that it is very important to work with clients from as early as possible in the proceedings, and very much enjoys working in partnership with solicitors. She is experienced in dealing with a wide range of cases, including cases where there are allegations of physical and sexual abuse, cases involving long histories of domestic violence and neglect and cases where the client has mental health problems, and with very complex cases. She is also experienced in dealing with cases where there are difficult immigration issues, often drawing on the expertise of immigration practitioners in Chambers. Maggie is concerned with problems which often arise after care proceedings have finished and the family court no longer has any role, for instance where local authorities change or do not adhere to the care plan. She is interested in issues such as post-adoption contact, the difficulties that children encounter within the care system and on leaving care, and in many aspects of children's rights. She has a judicial review practice dealing with a variety of issues concerning children and families. Maggie has also developed a practice dealing with adoption proceedings, particularly adoptions with a foreign element, and enjoys working closely with immigration practitioners on some of these cases. In private law proceedings Maggie will try and negotiate agreements wherever possible, but recognizes that there are some disputes which cannot be resolved this way, and often gets instructed to deal with particularly complex disputes for parents, as well as representing guardians appointed pursuant to rule 9.5 in these proceedings. Maggie was named as a leading junior in Chambers and Partners Directory 2008. She was described as "Thorough and committed , with a nice manner with lay clients." In the 2009 directory she is described as having a practice regularly representing parents, children and guardians. "A woman of principle," she is described as a "passionate barrister who always goes the extra mile for her clients." Others praise her skills in the courtroom: "She can win cases that appear otherwise lost." BackgroundMaggie started her working life as an economist, doing research for regional organizations in the North East and working in industry and local government. She then worked for the National federation of Housing Associations before moving to work at the sharp end of housing for six years, developing co-operative housing in the East End of London. Notable casesAylward v Fawaz [1996] 29 HLR 408 CA (notice operating break clause in tenancy agreement|)
R v Camden LBC ex p Aranda [1996] 28 HLR 672 QBD and [1997] 30 HLR 76 CA (homelessness, intentionality, applicant returning from abroad following marriage breakdown)
Gray v Taylor [1998] 1 WLR 1093 CA (status of occupant of almshouse)
LB Redbridge v Newport City Council [2004] (designated local authority)
Haringey LBC v C [2007] 1 FLR 1035 (adoption to secure stability security and identity of child abducted from Kenya and brought to UK to couple who genuinely but incorrectly believed him to be their natural son born as a result of a miracle)
Re M [2008] 2 FLR 404 CA (Mother applying for further assessment of educational needs of son in care of LA)
PD v MD [2008] 1 FLR 1475 (Declaration that adoptions in India be recognized in UK)
Other activitiesShe is a former chair of Hackney Community Law Centre and has previously served as a committee member of several community based housing associations and on the national council of the National Federation of Housing Associations. She has done some teaching and a great deal of public speaking. She enjoys being involved in seminars, whether as a speaker or facilitating workshops. She has always been very involved in chambers and particularly in the acquisition and development of 57-60 Lincolns Inn Fields. SocietiesFamily Law Bar Association
(Last Updated: September 2009)
|
