3PB expands family team with trio recruitment

5th June 2018

3PB Barristers yesterday announced the recruitment of two new family barristers. College Chambers senior matrimonial finance expert Simon LillingtonSimon LillingtonCall: 1981, who specialises in financial remedy cases involving business, trusts and foreign assets, joins 3PB alongside colleague childcare and trusts and maintenance disputes expert Adam LangrishAdam LangrishCall: 2006, who specialises in care proceedings, serious abuse and secure accommodation orders. Both have now started work  at the large national chambers’ Bournemouth office.  Today Birmingham family barrister Stephen AbberleyStephen AbberleyCall: 2000 joins the team.

Simon Lillington (1981 call) headed his former set Matrimonial Finance Team and was trained in London before relocating to Bournemouth. He has specialised in family law since 1998 having initially practiced in civil, company and commercial law. A former Director of Studies in Business as well as the Business Law degree at Bournemouth University, Simon now trains solicitors and lawyer network groups in money on divorce or separation issues, TOLATA and cohabitation disputes. He is a qualified family law mediator and arbitrator, and also frequently represents members of the public at hearings and throughout family dispute cases.  Simon is regularly instructed in large asset or complex cases, his academic background and experience of commercial disputes and businesses has made him frequently used in cases where businesses, farms, trusts, foreign assets and insolvency are involved. Simon is also a well known expert in cohabitation and TOLATA, advising on property disputes and undue influence claims, Schedule 1 Children Act applications and occupation order applications as well as the more intricate applications for financial relief after a foreign divorce and Inheritance Act claim.

Adam Langrish (2006 call) has a busy public law practice and has significant experience of every stage of care proceedings with cases concerning sexual and emotional abuse and non-accidental injury. Adam has also dealt with a number of cases involving the Official Solicitor as well as applications for orders for the secure accommodation of children. Following placements over a twelve-month period with the children’s services legal departments of two local authorities, Adam enjoys a healthy mix of instructions to represent parents, guardians and local authorities. He continues to receive numerous cases on ancillary relief as well as TOLATA and other cohabitation and disputes as well as maintenance disagreements and enforcement of orders.

Stephen Abberley (2000 call) is a leading public law care expert with considerable case work involving sexual abuse, fabricated illness and cross jurisdictional issues, representing local authorities, parents and children in the County Court, High Court and at appellate level. He has particular strength and expertise in cases involving complex medical issues and in those involving vulnerable adults with severe mental health illness or personality disorders. He has vast experience in cases involving poisoning, resuscitation and induced suffocation and shaken baby deaths.

This is the latest in a string of successes and recruits for 3PB’s highly-regarded Family Team, which recently added St Philips barristers Dorian Day and Michael George to the team that now has 4 Silks and 63 Juniors nationally and has seen 3PB act as counsel for the two family cases before the Supreme Court this year, the landmark divorce case of Owens vs Owens and the pending finance test case of Mills vs Mills.

National head of 3PB's Family Team Hamish Dunlop said : “All three barristers are great additions to our specialist family team here and show our depth now in commercial, medical and pension issues affecting family disputes. This is now an exceptional family team with great work, great solicitor clients and great regard by the judiciary.”

Click here to view 3PB's Family team expertise.