Family News

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...

June Venters KC and Rachel Temple successful in landmark High Court case for father facing domestic abuse allegations

11th December 2025

3PB family law silk June Venters KC, leading 3PB family barrister Rachel Temple (pictured here, left to right), successfully acted for the father in the High Court case of  Re E (A Child) (Complex Fact-Finding: Allegations of Domestic Abuse and Alienating Behaviours) [2025] EWFC 422. This is the accompanying case to that reported earlier in the Court of Appeal of The Father, Mother, E a child (by his Children’s Guardian) and Aimee Dover Case No:...

June Venters KC and Rachel Temple successful in Court of Appeal permission hearing on witnesses in family courts

2nd December 2025

3PB family law silk June Venters KC, leading 3PB family barrister Rachel Temple (pictured here, left to right), successfully acted for the father in the Court of Appeal case of The Father, Mother, E a child (by his Children’s Guardian) and Aimee Dover Case No: CA-2025-001859. This judgment clarifies the scope of judicial criticism against any individual witness, whether a lay person or a professional, within family court proceedings. The case follows earlier children proceedings...

November Family Law Newsletter - Out Now !

7th November 2025

Welcome to the latest and final newsletter for 2025. It comes hot off the press of some fantastic results for Chambers in the legal directories with record results for the family team. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those who gave up their valuable time to provide the feedback, it is very much appreciated.
I hope you have enjoyed our newsletter this year. We thank you for following us in 2025 and we will be back with more updates, articles and innovative ideas in the new year! Please do get in touch if you would like to get involved.

Emma Harman joins Circuit Bench

24th October 2025

3PB are delighted to announce that one of its 90-strong specialist family barristers, Emma Harman, has been appointed to the Circuit Bench. Her Honour Judge (HHJ) Harman will sit in Portsmouth and Southampton Courts, hearing Family cases. Called to the bar in 2003, Emma was appointed a Deputy District Judge in 2022 and a Recorder in 2023, authorised to hear family law cases on the Western Circuit. With over 20 years’ experience in family law,...

Imogen Robins to present MBL webinar on Pet Custody in Divorce and Separation

23rd October 2025

As pets become cherished family members rather than mere possessions, disputes over their custody can be emotionally charged during divorce or separation. 3PB’s family law barrister Imogen Robins will present on Monday 3 November at 2:30pm a 90 minute webinar for MBL focused on navigating this difficult issue. During this interactive webinar, Imogen will Explain the legal status of pets in England and Wales Analyse case law - a deep dive Compare international comparative law...

3PB breaks through the 100 rankings ceiling in Chambers and Partners 2026 edition

16th October 2025

3PB Barristers (3 Paper Buildings) have been awarded a record number of individual rankings in the 2026 edition of Chambers and Partners, reaching a total of 104 (96 last year) achieved by 86 of its barristers. The national set has doubled its number of individual rankings in 5 years (52 in 2021) and is rewarded with accolades in 22 areas of law across the London Bar as well as in the North Eastern, South Eastern,...