Maggie Jones is a very experienced family law practitioner. She acts for parents and children in both public and private law cases. She is well known for her tenacity, for working with both vulnerable and difficult clients, and for dealing with complex and messy cases.
FAMILY LAW: CHILDREN'S LAW
Overview
Maggie always fights hard for her clients, and is able to deal with particularly difficult and very vulnerable clients. She works with clients from as early as possible in the proceedings, and very much enjoys working in partnership with solicitors.
In public law proceedings Maggie is well known as an advocate for parents, in both care, wardship and adoption proceedings, but she also acts for children and guardians on a regular basis. Both sympathetic and tough, she is very experienced in dealing with complex cases in which there may be serious allegations of physical and sexual abuse, a long history of neglect and family problems, domestic violence, mental health problems, allegations of radicalisation, or immigration issues.
Maggie is concerned with problems which often arise after proceedings have concluded, for instance where local authorities change or do not adhere to the care plan and post adoption contact.
In private law proceedings Maggie will try and negotiate agreements wherever possible, but recognizes that there are some disputes which cannot be resolved this way. She often gets instructed to deal with particularly complex disputes for parents, including same sex parents, as well as representing guardians appointed pursuant to rule 16.4 in these proceedings.
Notable Cases
Past notable cases can be viewed below. Click here to see a list of recent notable cases.
ZH v HS & Ors (Application to Revoke Adoption Order) [2019] EWHC 2190 (Fam)
Application by a child’s birth mother (ZH) to revoke an adoption order made in 2016 in relation to T, now aged 4.
LB Redbridge v Newport City Council [2004] 2 FLR 226
Designation of Local Authority
Re M [2007] EWCA Civ 1550
Appeal against a 91(14) order prohibiting Mother of child in care from seeking educational assessment of child.
W (Children) [2010] UKSC 12
Children giving evidence in family proceedings.
Re E (A Child) [2013] EWCA Civ 1614
Appeal against placement order on grounds of proportionality in particular failure to consider the support which the local authority could provide for the mother
Re A & B [2013] EWHC 2305 Fam
Private law proceedings between 2 same sex couples in respect of contact
Re B [2013] EWHC 4150 Fam & [2014] EWHC 818 Fam
Care proceedings arising out of dispute between two same sex couples in respect of contact
Re D (Children) [2015] EWCA Civ 703
Appeal against refusal to give leave to oppose the making of an adoption order
Re Y (Children) (Radicalisation) (Finding of Fact 2) [2016] EWHC 3825 (Fam)
Contact Maggie
International Family Law
Overview
Maggie is experienced in dealing with cases where there are difficult immigration issues, often drawing on the expertise of immigration practitioners in Chambers.
She has also developed a practice dealing with adoption proceedings, particularly adoptions with a foreign element, and enjoys working closely with immigration practitioners on some of these cases.
Notable Cases
Haringey LBC v C (2007) 1 FLR 1035
Adoption to secure stability security and identity of child abducted from Kenya and brought to UK to couple who genuinely but incorrectly believed him to be their natural son born as a result of a miracle.
PD v MD (2008) 1 FLR 1475
Declaration that adoptions in India be recognized in UK.
