Hilary Lennox

Hilary Lennox

Year of Call: 2008
Email Address: [email protected]
Telephone: 020 7583 8055

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Clerks Details

  • Clerk Name: Robert Leonard
  • Clerk Telephone: 01202 249898
  • Clerk Email: [email protected]

Overview

Hilary Lennox is a highly-experienced  family barrister called to the Bar in Ireland in 2008, Northern Ireland in 2013 and England & Wales in 2013. She has also gained legal experience in the United States, having worked in a law firm in New York and with the Innocence Project in Wisconsin. Hilary has a busy practice across all three jurisdictions and advises on the full range of family law. In Ireland alone, Hilary advises on all aspects of family law, acting for local authorities, government agencies and private clients.

She specialises in family law and international human rights, including international child abduction and child relocation cases under the Hague Convention and those involving non-Hague countries. Hilary is ranked as a leading junior for Family (children and domestic abuse) in the latest, 2026 Legal 500 guide.

Hilary speaks French, Spanish and Irish and, outside work, is a ski instructor (BASI) and plays tennis for both the UK and Irish Bar.

Publications

  • Speaking on TV, Al Jazeera; Human Rights abuses suffered by 5th President of Egypt Morsi, January 2021.
  • Article, Financial Times “Courts test their online future” virtual hearings, April 23, 2020.
  • Article “Rape as a Tool of War” Solicitors Journal, July 2017
  • Lecture YRes national, Weightmans Manchester, “Maintenance Unmarried parents” June 2017
  • Article, The Times, “Victims of Rape in Conflict Zones should not be stigmatised” June 2017
  • Webinar “New Divorce bill”, February 2017
  • Seminar Target Jobs Law National Pupillage Fair. October 2016
  • Radio Interview – The Brief – Legal Affairs Show – Near FM 90.3FM – February 2014. Andrew Robinson BL and Patrick Leonard BL. on the European Court of Human Rights’ Irish landmark case of Louise O’Keeffe.
  • Article – The Bar Review (Roundhall) Journal of the Bar of Ireland – Volume 18 – Issue 6 – December 2012. “The Innocence Project Summer 2012”.
  • Article – The Irish Times – 26th November 2012. “When the Law is a matter of Life and Death” This was an interview by Pamela Newenham journalist of the Irish Times to discuss myself and 2 other barristers’ experiences with the different Innocence Projects in the USA.
  • Radio Interview – The Spin – Spin FM 103.8FM Radio – Novemeber 2012. “Lunchtime show with Jonathan and Clare” Radio on DNA evidence in criminal trials.
  • Article – The Law Society of Ireland Gazette – Cover Story November 2012 edition. “Shaken Baby Syndrome Science or Myth?” The American Criminal Justice System has been using forensic science and techniques to successfully convict people, which has never been scientifically validated. Is Shaken Baby Syndrome a science or myth based on the triad of symptoms alone?
  • Radio interview – The Brief – Legal Affairs Show – Near FM 90.3FM – 29th November 2012. “The Brief with Andrew Robinson BL and Patrick Leonard BL” Radio DNA applications in US Courts.
  • Article – The Law Society of Ireland Gazette – July 2011 edition. “Breaking up is hard to do” On 1st January 2011, the clock began to tick for cohabiting couples in Ireland to acquire rights from one another as a result of the commencement of the Civil Partnership and Cohabitants Act 2010.
  • Article – The Family Law Journal – Trinity edition 2011. “Grandparents’ Rights in Ireland” This article focuses upon the legal issues surrounding grandparents rights in Ireland.

Lectures/Training 

Hilary regularly delivers CPD lectures to international law firms and speaks at various conferences and seminars internationally. She delivered a family law course over three months to lawyers from six international law firms in London, in collaboration with University House, for their family law and domestic violence clinic. The firms were Shearman & Sterling LLP, Skadden Arps LLP, Reed Smith, Ropes & Gray LLP, Travers Smith and Gibson Dunn.

She also regularly arrange seminars for chambers and delivers webinar training for solicitors on recent family law issues including Weightmans/ Yresolution in Manchester and Nockhold Solicitors in London.

 

 

Expertise

  • Family
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    International Family

    Child Abduction

    Hilary Lennox is regularly instructed in international child abduction (Hague and non-Hague), child relocation, international jurisdictional and contact issues, forced marriage and FGM before the High Court.

    Hilary has served on the executive committee for the Child Abduction Lawyers Association (CALA) for the past 5 years.

    Cases

    Manchester City Council v D [2021] EWHC 1191 (Fam)

    IJ V S - RCJ – Forced Marriage application return order, FMPO and FGMPO (Instructed by Met Police)

    2018 SH v DS - Child abduction Ireland, representing mother

    2018 MU v NR - Child abduction Ireland

    IJ V KP - RCJ - Forced Marriage application Somalia

    ZM v MB - Contempt of court proceedings – Irish clients, Financial Remedy Enforcement

    TB v EZ - RCJ – Family Division - Libya, Child abduction, Contempt of Court, attracted a lot of media attention

    WB v JDL - RCJ, Child abduction, South Africa

    NHD v ND - Child abduction, India, represented father. Children were allowed to stay in India with father

    VHJ v ASS - International relocation Tanzania

    Children 

    Hilary represents local authorities and provides advice involving care and placement proceedings, Article 15 Brussels II revised transfers of international families most recently in the Czech Republic, Germany, Poland and Ireland. She represents parents, guardians, intervenors as well as the Met Police in cases involving children who have suffered long term neglect and sexual abuse.

    Cases

    NCC v RS & CS - Acute Life Threatening Episode (ALTE) representing father
    LBKC v RR & NR - Non Accidental Injury representing mother (instructed by Dawson Cornwell)
    Kent CC v SA & Ors - (Acting for LA) seeking to locate children in Czech Republic, seeking port alerts on UK Borders and instruction of CFAB
    Luton BC V AF & Ors - RCJ – (ISIS case, Syria, Instructed by Bindmans LLP)
    LBTH v (Acting for LA) - S.20 secure accommodation in Scotland
    Kent CC V K & Ors - S.9 JUDGE (GERMANY) seeking to place children in Germany

    Hilary also receives instructions and lectures in Schedule 1 Children Act maintenance applications for unmarried parents.

    Cases

    JE v LE - relocation to Sweden
    TP v CN - appointment of guardian
    SES v SS - Final hearing

    Matrimonial Finance

    Hilary acts for a wide range of matrimonial financial clients in particular high net-worth as well as modest clients with complex financial arrangements. Some cases involve large property portfolios in several countries including USA, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Turkey, Portugal and India.

    Cases

    HPR v PRR - Assets in India
    W v W - Final hearing assets in Ireland
    AT v RT - Final hearing
    MJM v JM - Final hearing representing member of Nigerian government with assets in Nigeria.

  • Administrative and Public Law
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    International Human Rights Law

    Hilary Lennox has an in depth knowledge of human rights abuses in many countries. In her capacity as a Human Rights lawyer in Ireland, Hilary represented clients in complex and extensive litigation relating to victims of child abuse in Irish Reformatory and Industrial Schools operated by the Catholic Church. She conducted cases before the High Court in Ireland representing men who were abused as children in these institutions.

    Most recently she was involved in the investigation and victim reporting of 500 women survivors resident in the Magdalen Laundries. She personally dealt with 20 women whom received compensation in the sum of €100,000 euros each. She is currently instructed in two cases where day pupils were subjected to child abuse in state schools and are now suing the Irish government.

    The Joint-Head of the International Team at her former chambers, Hilary has also worked in a law firm in New York and also with the Innocence Project in Wisconsin.

    Hilary was selected by the Bar Council of Ireland out of 80 applicants to work with the Innocence Project, USA led by Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld. The Innocence Project is a non-profit legal organisation that is committed to exonerating wrongly convicted people primarily but not exclusively through the use of post conviction DNA testing. She worked on several cases including drafting a direct appeal to the State of Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV and drafting post conviction motions in murder and arson cases.

     

  • Court of Protection
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    Hilary successfully represented the family of a client (22) in the Court of Protection. He was seriously injured and left in a permanent vegetative state arising from an accident on a Russian Oligarch’s yacht in the Mediterranean. His family as well as solicitors were court appointed deputies in both financial and property affairs and personal welfare. She is also involved in the ongoing international personal injury claim. Media here.

  • Recommendations

    ‘Hilary is tenacious and thorough.’
    Legal 500 UK Bar 2026/Children and Domestic Violence/London Bar

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