Family News

Rethinking Pension Sharing in Needs Cases – Luke Nelson writes for the Financial Remedies Journal

18th March 2026

Luke Nelson, 3PB Barristers' (3 Paper Buildings) financial remedies and TOLATA specialist and Private FDR evaluator, has written an article for the spring edition of the Financial Remedies Journal. Titled ‘Needs Must as the Devil Drives: An Analysis of Pension Sharing in Needs Cases’, the article analyses the Pension Advisory Group reports (both first and second edition) as well as the leading HHJ Hess judgments. It considers how the court approaches pension sharing in needs-based...

Nathalie Bull acts in reported case on the recognition of unregistered religious marriages

17th March 2026

In MA v WK [2025] EWFC 499, the Family Court (Cusworth J) considered whether Nikkah ceremonies conducted in England but not compliant with the statutory formalities of the Marriage Act 1949 could become valid marriages through subsequent registration in Pakistan. The applications were brought under s.55(1) of the Family Law Act 1986 seeking declarations as to marital status. Background Three applicants had each participated in Islamic Nikkah ceremonies in England that did not comply with the formal...

Amy Beddis to speak at Birketts' home ownership disputes seminar

16th March 2026

3PB's joint Head of Family Finance Amy Beddis will be speaking at Birketts' home ownership disputes seminar and networking event. The seminar, hosted by Birketts' Lucia Mills, will cover TOLATA updates on recent cases, proprietary estoppel and intervenor claims. Amy will be joined on the panel by Alex Troup KC from St John's Chambers and Natasha Dzameh from Selborne Chambers. To find out more, please click here. For more information, please contact Ian Charlton on...

David Beatson Launches Pro Bono Legal Clinic in Partnership with SARSAS

11th March 2026

3PB Barristers’ (3 Paper Buildings) family barrister, David Beatson, has recently established a new initiative in collaboration with SARSAS (Somerset and Avon Rape and Sexual Abuse Support). The project involves running an ad hoc legal clinic that provides specialist family law advice to SARSAS clients on a pro bono basis. Through this partnership, the clinic aims to assist individuals being supported by SARSAS by offering accessible legal guidance and assistance where it may otherwise be difficult to...

Five 3PB Birmingham barristers listed in Doyle's Guide

4th March 2026

Five members of 3PB Barristers’ (3 Paper Buildings) Family Law team have been listed in this year’s Doyle's Guide of the leading Birmingham family law barristers, announced today, 4 March 2026. The list highlights the leading family law barristers practising within Birmingham and the Midlands and is collated through recommendations from solicitors and peers for expertise and abilities within family law. 3PB’s Head of Chambers Elizabeth McGrath KC and Head of Family Vanessa Meachin KC...

Mark Calway in the Court of Appeal in a foster care or adoption placement case

9th February 2026

3PB Barristers' (3 Paper Buildings) specialist family law barrister Mark Calway has acted in the Court of Appeal case of Re S (Foster Care or Placement for Adoption) before Justices Lewison, Lewis and Cobb. Mark represented S, a young girl aged 4 years and 8 months, who had been placed in the care of foster parents due to her mother and close family’s inability to look after her. This case concerned an appeal by the...

Dorian Day, Samantha Smith, and Kara Cann in the Supreme Court

4th February 2026

X and Y (Children: Adoption Order: Setting Aside) UKSC/2025/0039 is being heard in the Supreme Court today. The case, which revolves around whether a court has jurisdiction to set aside a valid adoption order other than by way of appeal, features 3PB family barristers Dorian Day and Samantha Smith for the applicants, led by Nick Goodwin KC and instructed by Emily Boardman at Boardman, Hawkins & Osborne LLP; and Kara Cann for one of the...

Sara Lewis KC joins 3PB

27th January 2026

3PB Barristers (3 Paper Buildings) is delighted to welcome Sara Lewis KC as a new member of chambers and its 90-strong Family Law Group, which now boasts seven KC's. Sara was called to the Bar in 1996, took silk in 2021 and joins 3PB today from her former chambers, where she was its last of Head of Chambers until the beginning of 2026. Ranked as a Leading Silk by Legal 500 since she became a...

Rachel Bale appears as guest on ‘Get Legally Speaking’ podcast

26th January 2026

3PB Barristers (3 Paper Buildings) specialist Property, Chancery and Matrimonial Finance Barrister Rachel Bale appears as guest on ‘Get Legally Speaking’ podcast discussing Cohabitation and TOLATA issues. Hosted by Hatti Suvari, in this episode Rachel gives some no-nonsense, jargon-free advice about what one can expect when involved in a cohabitation dispute, as well as tips to avoid common mistakes. Rachel and Hatti explore how courts decide property ownership, what evidence matters and how you can...

Four new family law arbitrators at 3PB

19th January 2026

3PB are delighted to announce that four family law barristers - Elaine Strachan, Peter Wilkinson, Davinia Riley and Oliver Thorne (pictured here, anti-clockwise from bottom left) - have qualified as family law arbitrators under the Financial Remedy Scheme. The quartet become members of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (MCIArb) and are now members of the specialist panel of family law arbitrators, managed by Resolution on behalf of the Institute of Family Law Arbitrators (“IFLA”). Elaine...

Imogen Robins ranked in ‘Top 10 Barristers’ in TBD Marketing’s list of Linkedin Influencers

15th January 2026

Imogen Robins from 3PB Barristers (3 Paper Buildings) has secured a spot in the Top 10 Barristers in the latest Legal LinkedInfluencers rankings for Q4 2025, published by TBD Marketing Ltd. She achieved a total power score of 5,267, placing her among the most influential barristers on LinkedIn in the UK legal sector. The LinkedInfluencers report celebrates those whose LinkedIn activity demonstrates outstanding engagement and influence across the profession. It uses a bespoke scoring methodology...

3PB Family welcomes Syra Flaxman-Ali

8th January 2026

3PB Barristers (3 Paper Buildings) is delighted to welcome family law barrister Syra Flaxman-Ali as a new member of the national chambers, who will practise from their London offices in the Inner Temple. Syra covers all areas of family law, notably public and private law children cases, injunctions and matrimonial finance disputes. A busy family law junior, Syra joins 3PB from College Chambers, and is a specialist in working with vulnerable clients and those making allegations...