Year of Call
2016Areas of practice
Children law (private), Family finances, International family law, Mediation
“Our client was very happy with Sophie’s advice, guidance and representation at yesterday’s Hearing...Sophie had to pick up this case at very short notice and there was a lot involved. She did a great job and we shall certainly instruct her in the future. ”
Instructing Solicitor
Biography
Sophie specialises in family law appearing at all levels of the Family Court and High Court. Sophie’s practice focuses on matrimonial finance and private law children.
She is an able advocate and negotiator, combining legal expertise with an empathetic approach to client care. Sophie understands the importance of providing robust and considered advice when required.
Sophie has particular experience representing vulnerable clients, including victims of domestic abuse and people with mental health and substance misuse issues and special educational needs. She is currently acting in a case where three parties are profoundly deaf, and is able to work with intermediaries and interpreters.
Sophie ensures that she builds a rapport with clients by providing confident, clear and comprehensible advice, ensuring that they understand and are able to participate fully in the court proceedings. She instils confidence in her clients that they are being listened to during what is often a crisis point in their lives. A recent client said that "She was very pleased with Sophie as Counsel. She said a few times that she was really pleased she had her as she felt listened to and felt like she was easy to talk to. She said that she would like her to continuing representing her."
Sophie is an Accredited Mediator and is on the Government Legal Department’s Attorney General’s Junior Junior Panel of counsel.
Family finances
Sophie frequently represents clients in matrimonial finance proceedings and financial dispute resolution following relationship breakdown. She represents clients at all stages of their case - from First Appointments to FDRs to Final Hearings (if the matter does not settle at the FDR). Sophie adopts a forensic approach to Ancillary Relief applications and has been involved in cases concerning complex non-disclosure issues.
She is highly commended for her astute attention to detail and her robust approach, both in negotiations and during hearings. She advises clients on issues such as financial disclosure and assists clients in preparing for paper only hearings.
Children law (private)
Sophie is experienced at representing clients in private law children proceedings. Sophie is regularly instructed in serious and complex cases concerning parental alienation, mental health and substance misuse issues, and allegations of harm against the parents and the children.
She works closely with her instructing solicitors and the parents to develop a case strategy.
Sophie accepts instructions for:
- Emergency ex-parte applications
- First Hearing Dispute Resolution Appointments
- Fact-Finding hearings
- Dispute Resolution Appointments
- Final Hearings
- Enforcement applications
- Written Advice between hearings
Sophie’s mediation training lends itself to knowing when it is more appropriate and productive to negotiate and settle matters, rather than unnecessarily fight in court.
International family law
Sophie represents clients in child abduction cases within and out of this jurisdiction. She accepts without notice and short notice instructions. She has successfully opposed applications under the 1980 Hague Convention in the High Court, and has a growing practice in international child abduction cases.
For example, Sophie appeared in the Family Division of the High Court in an urgent child abduction matter - S v B [2021] before Mr Justice Poole. The mother unlawfully removed their child from the father’s care. Sophie represented the Applicant father at an urgent out of hours ex parte hearing, and successfully obtained a Tipstaff collection order. The Tipstaff located the child several hundred miles away from home with the mother, collected the child and returned them to their father's care. Sophie subsequently represented the father at the return date hearing before Mr Justice Cohen where the child abduction proceedings concluded.
Instruct
To instruct Sophie please contact Jay Dorton or Stephen Bush.
Education
- LL.B.(Hons) University of Bristol
Memberships
- AG's Junior Junior Panel Counsel
Prizes
- Jules Thorn (Major) Scolarship, Middle Temple
- BPP Advocacy Prize
Languages
- Spanish
Notable Cases
O v D (2022): Advising and representing a client at an FDR in which there were issues of ongoing spousal maintenance and how that overlapped with maintenance for a child in tertiary education. Sophie earned especial praise from the client for picking up the brief at a late stage but being fully prepared and achieving a good result for the client.
A v P: Acting in a case where there is a paternity dispute involving identical twins which means that the usual process of DNA testing is particularly complex.