Year of Call
2019Areas of practice
“Barrister was amazing, thank you.”
Biography
Maia is a barrister in our family team who specialises in public children law, Court of Protection work, deprivation of liberty applications and financial remedy proceedings.
Maia has experience across a wide range of family law cases representing parents, children through their Guardians, and interveners. She is confident, empathetic and communicates well. Solicitors, interpreters and clients have praised her ability to build a trusting relationship with lay clients. She has received feedback such as: "Just a belated thank you for your work in including this case in which communicating with the client was not easy but you seem to have done remarkably well with her at court," and commenting that it is no surprise that she is in demand as "you have a really great manner with clients".
Maia is able to establish a rapport with her clients, a particularly important skill when working with vulnerable clients. She has experience of dealing with clients who do not speak English, who have drug and alcohol addictions, mental health difficulties or who are struggling to understand or engage in proceedings for other reasons.
Prior to transferring to the Bar, Maia worked as a doctor for the NHS and specialised as a surgeon. Her medical background means that she is particularly good at complex non-accidental injury cases and also Court of Protection cases that have medical issues. She is instructed by NHS Trusts who appreciate her working knowledge of hospitals and how they work.
Children law (public)
Maia acts for parents, children through their Guardians and interveners in public law cases. She accepts instructions for all hearings up to and including Final Hearings.
Maia is adept at working with vulnerable clients, whether that be because of learning difficulties, domestic abuse or substance misuse. She was complemented by the court in how she represented a mother who was particularly vulnerable; the mother had learning difficulties and was facing care and placement orders for her tenth child after having the previous nine children placed for adoption.
Her medical background provides Maia with an advantage when it comes to non-accidental injury (NAI) cases. Reading medical notes and expert reports is second nature to her, and she immediately understands the significance of the allegations being made. In a recent trial, Maia was described as "fearless" in her cross-examination of one of the medical experts. When it comes to NAI cases, she is able to go head-to-head with practitioners who are far more senior in call years. She has acted in numerous NAI fact-finding hearings, the most complex of which was a 12-day trial for a 6-week old baby who had 19 fractures. Maia provided particular assistance to the Kings Counsel leading the case on the medical issues.
Maia is also an experienced appellate advocate and has successfully appealed three cases - two in the County Court and one in the High Court where she was successful on five of the six grounds of appeal.
Court of Protection
Maia accepts instructions in Court of Protection from family members and NHS Trusts. As a doctor, she had to determine whether patients had capacity and is therefore very familiar with the concept of capacity and the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Given her medical background, she is well placed in cases where there are medical issues.
Maia is proactively extending her practice in this area. Recent feedback from an instructing solicitor was: "the clients are very happy with the outcome and impressed with your approach".
Deprivation of Liberty
Deprivation of liberty hearings are heard in the High Court. Maia has represented the child through the Guardian and NHS Trusts in deprivation of liberty applications.
Her medical background allows her to understand the concerns of NHS Trusts who are often embroiled in such proceedings when appropriate placements are not able to be found and the child in question is brought to the hospital.
Family finances
Maia has undertaken First Appointments, Financial Dispute Resolution hearings and final hearings in finance cases. She has often successfully negotiated settlements at FDR hearings, but does not advise her clients to agree to settlement at any cost and is happy to progress to a final hearing if the settlement on offer is unsuitable.
Maia excelled at mathematics during her school career and achieved double mathematics at A-level. This aptitude for numbers alongside her meticulous preparation has helped in financial remedy work; she has often added to the questionnaires and identified possible further lines of questioning. For example, in a recent 3 day final hearing, she dealt with the complex issue of family loans and whether these should be repaid from the sale of the former matrimonial home or whether, as one party alleged, they were fraudulent.
Maia has acted for several clients who have had their spouses acting as litigants-in-persons acting in a manner to purposefully delay proceedings and increase their legal costs. She has been successful in enforcement applications against these spouses and also in obtaining costs for her clients.
Instruct
To instruct Maia, please contact Jay Dorton.
Education
- Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS), King’s College London
- Bachelor of Sciences, Physiology (BSc) King’s College London
- Member of Royal College of Surgeons (MRCS)
- GDL, City University
- BPTC, BPP Law School
Memberships
- Family Law Bar Association
Prizes
- BPP Advocacy Award
Notable Cases
LA v M (care case): Represented a mother in a 6-day final hearing where her 10th child was subject to applications for Care and Placement Orders (the mother's previous 9 children having already been removed from her care). Although the court ultimately made the orders requested, the Judge complimented Maia for providing the mother with ‘excellent representation’ and ‘having made every point that was available to her’. The mother thanked Maia for having been the first person who she felt had fairly represented her.
LA v K (care case): Participated in long running care proceedings, identifying that her client (a parent) had not been afforded a fair hearing previously because of the failure of the court and Local Authority to book suitable interpreters and persuading the court that further time should be afforded to the parents to make the necessary changes to their parenting to allow the children to return to their care.
FG v LG v TK: Successfully appealed a private law children case where Magistrates had determined that a fact finding hearing would examine only three out of twenty-three allegations of domestic abuse. Having represented the client at the re-hearing, it was determined that twelve out of the twenty-three allegations would be heard and that the re-listed case would be heard by a District Judge.
K v L: Successfully appealed a case management decision made by Magistrates at a PTR that witness statements should be excluded and allegations not dealt with at a fact finding hearing. The matter was listed for a re-hearing by a District Judge with all allegations being dealt with and all witness statements included.
JO v AN (finance): Acted for a Wife where the Husband was a litigant in person and was purposefully delaying proceedings. Successfully enforced previous orders which the Husband had failed to comply, and obtained a costs order against the Husband.