Julie is a member of the Family Team.

Prior to being called to the Bar Julie gained significant experience as a solicitor representing several local authorities over a period of eleven years. This includes five years as a Senior Solicitor and In-House Advocate for Manchester Local Authority who have a shared legal service for Manchester, Salford and Rochdale. She therefore has a depth of knowledge regarding local authority policies and procedures.

Before she became a solicitor for the local authority, Julie gained extensive experience in all aspects of family law within private practice in the North West. This included complex children act matters and cases involving difficult contact and residence disputes (child arrangements), divorce, ancillary relief, applications to remove children from the Jurisdiction, private law and public law children matters representing parents and grandparents and Family Law Act 1996 cases.

She also has experience in lengthier fact finding hearings (including one which ran for 15 days and one for 23 days), composite finding of fact / final hearings, contested final hearings, appeals and hearings with additional complexities in front of all tribunals from Magistrates to High Court Judges. She welcomes instructions from all parties.

Julie has particular expertise in cases involving the following but not limited to:

• Physical / Sexual abuse, Inflicted injury, Domestic abuse, Severe emotional abuse, Chronic neglect;
• Secure Accommodation. Deprivation of Liberty;
• Honour based violence. Forced Marriage. Female Genital Mutilation cases;
• Transgender, Gender Dysphoria;
• Leave to oppose adoption / Revocation of placement orders applications / Discharge of care order application / Applications for contact with children in care
• Wardship cases;
• Fabricated or induced illness;
• Cases with a Jurisdictional element or an international element including Brussells II (revised) or Hague Convention;
• Child death and/or serious injury cases;
• Cases involving Organised crime groups including Child Criminal Exploitation;
• Inquests - cases where the deceased child or young person has been under the care or responsibility of children’s (social) services;

Julie has a reputation for being hard working, thoroughly prepared and concise in her analysis of the facts and legal issues. Her approach is always fair, balanced, professional, calm and measured whilst being friendly and approachable. Given her prior professional experience she has an understanding of the pressures solicitors work under and in line with the ethos of Cobden House Chambers is always happy to discuss cases with solicitors before or after hearings by telephone or email including on an informal basis prior to instruction.

Julie is a longstanding committee member and Treasurer for Child Concern, a registered charity in Manchester working to further and improve knowledge and practice in the law relating to children. She is committed to and responsible for organising seminars and conferences to meet that aim.