Three senior family barristers join 3PB team

7th January 2019

3 Paper Buildings (3PB Barristers) – the large national barristers’ chambers - are delighted to announce that, in their latest three recruits for their 70-strong family team, matrimonial finance barrister Elaine Strachan is returning to 3PB and will work alongside new recruit senior family barrister Andrew Neaves who has just joined from St Philips - and former solicitor Sarah Tierney – who was deputy head of the family team at Birmingham solicitors Glaisyers.

Andrew Neaves, who has 40 years experience as a barrister, specialises exclusively in the law relating to children with a focus on more complex public law cases – often involving medical evidence - in the Family Court, High Court and Court of Appeal. Co-author of “Family Law and the Human Rights Act 1998’ published by Jordans, Andrew was the Head of the Health and Welfare Court of Protection team at his former chambers and regularly undertakes work in the Court of Protection and related cases under the inherent jurisdiction of the High Court. Andrew also undertakes judicial review work in which the issues are related to his family practice and to his work in the Court of Protection.

Sarah Tierney, who completed a shortened-pupillage with 3PB, qualified as a solicitor in 1999 and was a solicitor-advocate before becoming a barrister. Sarah practises exclusively in children law and has considerable experience in public law proceedings. A member of the Children’s Panel since 2005, Sarah has throughout her career undertaken significant advocacy on behalf of parents and children.  She is a highly sought out barrister to act for children, parents and other family members in particularly complex care, adoption and secure accommodation proceedings.

Elaine Strachan, with over 20 years' experience, returns after five months working with Hedges Law as their in-house counsel during 2018, supporting this Oxford-based solicitors’ highly-rated Family Law team. This has been a hugely positive experience through which Elaine gained unparalleled insight into the role of and challenges facing the 'other branch’ of the legal profession’. Elaine is a specialist practitioner in matrimonial finance, with substantial experience in complex high-net-worth financial remedy cases involving inherited wealth, corporate assets, family trusts, global issues and freezing orders. She is also an expert in variation of maintenance and prenuptial agreements.

Specialist Birmingham-based family QC Vanessa Meachin said: “We welcome Andrew and Sarah to the team and Elaine’s return to 3PB. All will be great additions to our family, matrimonial finance and specialist children teams across the UK.”