Please see below the full list of Members and Staff at Chartlands Chambers. All Barristers at Chartlands Chambers are governed by the Code of Conduct. To access further information about an individual, including work specialisms, please click on the relevant profile.
Date of call to the Bar: July 1982
Inn: Inner Temple
Qualifications: LLB (Hons)
Status within Chambers: Joint Head of Chambers, Full member of Chambers, Pupil Mistress
Areas of Practice:
Child Law, in particular Care Proceedings, acting for Parents, Guardians, and Local Authorities. Also, other Public and Private Family Law work including jurisdiction and abduction cases, residence, contact. Also has a special interest in representing those with learning difficulties/mental health issues.
Membership of organisations:
DATE OF CALL TO THE BAR: JANUARY 1993
Inn: Gray’s Inn
Qualifications: LLB (Hons)
Status within Chambers: Joint Head of Chambers, Full member of Chambers, Pupil Supervisor
Areas of Practice:
Joy is a specialist children practitioner She has particular expertise in complex children matters encompassing both private and public law proceedings. She is regularly involved in cases concerning non-accidental injury, sexual abuse, physical and emotional abuse of children acting for all parties.
Membership of organisations:
Founding Trustee of KidsAid, a charity dedicated to delivering therapy to children who have suffered trauma through abuse, neglect, bereavement or other crises
Date of call to the Bar: November 1988
Inn: Middle Temple
Qualifications: LLB
Status within Chambers: Full member of Chambers
Areas of Practice:
All areas Child Family Law. Public Law Children work including advising and representing local authorities, Guardians, and parents in Care and Adoption proceedings. Private Law children work including issues of residence, contact, jurisdiction and other specific issues. He maintains a strong practice covering the Northampton, Coventry, and West Midlands regions, and is a popular figure with many solicitors.
Date of call to the Bar: January 1991
Inn: Middle Temple
Qualifications: LLB
Status within Chambers: Full member of Chambers, Member of the Management Committee and Pupil Supervisor
Areas of Practice:
Paul appears before all levels of judiciary and undertakes work in all areas of Family Law. Those areas include:
Direct Public Access
Registered with the Bar Council to conduct Public Access work, whereby instruction in Family cases can be taken from lay clients directly without the need for a solicitor*.
*subject to terms and conditions. See also Public Access Work page.
Membership of organisations:
Date of call to the Bar: October 1996
Inn: Lincoln’s Inn
Qualifications: LLB (Hons), BVC
Status within Chambers: Full member of Chambers
Areas of Practice:
Immigration and Asylum work, including advising and representing appellants and sponsors at all Court levels. Preparing written advice and grounds of appeal, attending Refugee convention and Human Rights appeals, entry clearance, student visa, and other appeals. Also, pre-hearing reviews and bail applications. Available to attend Court centres nationally, and to prepare urgent grounds of appeal.
Civil Law practice includes Personal Injury, Contract, Debt Dispute, Road Traffic Cases. Work includes advising, attending conferences, and hearings at all court levels.
Direct Public Access
Registered with the Bar Council to conduct Public Access work, whereby instruction in Immigration and Asylum cases can be taken from lay clients directly without the need for a solicitor*.
*subject to terms and conditions. See also Public Access Work page.
Membership of organisations:
Date of call to the Bar: July 2006
Inn: Lincoln’s Inn
Qualifications: LLB (Law and Politics), LLM (Human Rights Law), Post Graduate Dip. in Professional Legal Skills
Scholarships: Scholarship from University of Nottingham. Attended Public International Law Course at the Hague Academy of International Law in 2005.
Status within Chambers: Pupil Supervisor, Member of the Management Committee, Equal Opportunities Officer
Areas of Practice:
Family Law
Waqas appears before all levels of Judiciary and undertakes work in all areas of family law, but with a particular focus on Financial Remedy and Private Law.
He also represents clients in Public Law and Domestic Violence Proceedings. Waqas is regularly instructed in financial remedy cases involving pre/post-nuptial agreements, foreign assets and joinder of interveners. Waqas regularly represents clients on a public access basis.
In terms of his private and public law practice, Waqas has represented clients in complex cases including those involving Forced Marriage Protection Orders, Female Genital Mutilation, applications under Schedule 1 of the Children Act 1989, Removal from the Jurisdiction to Non-Hague Convention Countries and Private Adoptions.
Notable Cases:
Direct Public Access
Registered with the Bar Council to conduct Public Access work, whereby instruction in family cases can be taken from lay clients directly without the need for a solicitor*.
*subject to terms and conditions. See also Public Access Work page.
Membership of Organisations: Member of Family Law Bar Association
Languages: Urdu, Punjabi and Mirpuri
Other: Waqas received a certificate from the University of Wolverhampton in 2015 for his contribution to the Student Mentoring Programme and continues to mentor students on an ad hoc basis.
Waqas is an Associate Lecturer and teaches the family law module on the law degree. He has been teaching since September 2020.
Date of Call to the Bar: July 2007
Inn: Middle Temple
Qualifications: LLB (Hons) – University of Nottingham (2.1), BVC – Nottingham Law School (VC, Outstanding in Family Law)
Scholarships: Scholarship from University of Nottingham. Awarded Chrystal McMillan prize by the Middle Temple for achieving within top 5% of Nottingham Law School students on the BVC.
Status within Chambers: Door tenant (please contact Clerks regarding availability)
Areas of Practice: All areas of Family Law, including Children Act (residence, contact, specific issue, prohibited steps), Domestic Violence, Public Law, Ancillary Relief and Trusts of Land.
Civil Law, including Personal Injury, RTA, Contract and Debt.
Memberships: Family Law Bar Association.
Previous Employment: Prior to pupillage worked for the CPS in the witness care department. Also worked as a County Court Advocate on the Midland, North Eastern and Northern Circuits handling small claims, summary judgment, infant settlement, mortgage possession, bankruptcy, return of goods and order for sale hearings, as well as case management conferences.
Personal Information: Interests include theatre, tennis, travelling and yoga.
Other: Carried out pro bono work alongside my studies at University and Law School.
Date of Call to the Bar: July 2007
Inn: Middle Temple
Qualifications: LLB (Hons) (2:1)
Status within Chambers: Full member of Chambers
Areas of Practice: All areas of Family Law including Children Act, Public Law Act, Domestic Violence, Ancillary Relief, Trusts of Land actions. Civil work including Personal Injury, Road Traffic cases, Contract and Debt dispute.
Memberships: Midland Circuit
Date of Call to the Bar: July 2012
Inn: Gray’s Inn
Qualifications: Masters in Law (LLM), LLB Law
Status within Chambers: Full member of Chambers, Chambers Librarian
Areas of Practice: All areas of Child Law – both Public and Private Law (including local authority). Proceedings – working for Guardians, family members and local authorities, Private Law Child arrangements and Specific Issues). Financial Provision cases within Family Law. Domestic Violence cases (including Injunctions and Occupation Orders). Civil Law work including Road Traffic matters and related Personal Injury. Other Small Claims work including Debt Dispute.
Previous Employment: includes LPC Law – County Court advocate on the Midland Circuit.
Date of call to the Bar: November 2016
Inn: Inner Temple
Qualifications: LLB(Hons), BPTC
Status within chambers: Full member of Chambers
Areas of practice
Family Law:
Charlotte undertakes work in all areas of family law including Public Law, Private Law, Financial Remedy and Family Law Act matters. Charlotte welcomes instructions from any party to proceedings including parents, Local Authorities and Guardians and is able to represent clients at every stage in proceedings.
Charlotte is able to take instructions on the following matters:
Background
Prior to undertaking her pupillage at Chartlands Chambers, Charlotte worked in China as a paralegal in the Civil department dealing with high value dispute cases in The High Court of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Charlotte has several years’ experience as a County Court Advocate and in Civil Litigation as a case handler in personal injury and clinical negligence claims.
Notable cases
M v F (Finding of Fact Hearing: Coercive and Controlling behaviour), Re [2024] EWFC 65 (B)
Date of call to the Bar: November 1983
Inn: Middle Temple
Qualifications: MA (Oxon) Dip Law
Status within Chambers: Door Tenant
Areas of Practice:
Family and Civil Law Practice. Family work includes Care Proceedings and Financial Provision including Ancillary Relief, Separation, and Trusts of Land Disputes. Civil work includes Professional Negligence, Property Disputes, Contract, Personal Injury, and Public Interest Immunity work. Also regularly conducts High Court Judicial Review cases.
Notable cases and other information:
Seminars for law professionals conducted throughout the country.
Membership of organisations:
Date of call to the Bar: January 1993
Inn: Gray’s Inn
Qualifications: B.A. (Hons.)
Status within Chambers: Door tenant (No current availability)
Areas of Practice:
All areas of Child Law including Care Proceedings, Jurisdiction cases, Residence, Contact, and other applications.
Also a member of the Queensland (Australia) Family Bar for the past ten years, bringing a wealth of experience from his practice in both countries.
Membership of organisations:
Member of the Australian Bar
Date of call to the Bar: October 2013
Inn: Middle Temple
Qualifications: LLB Hons
Status within Chambers: Full Member of Chambers
Gemma qualified as a solicitor in 2005 and a solicitor advocate in 2007 before transferring to the Bar in 2013. Gemma is a member of Middle Temple, Family Law Bar Association and the South-Eastern Circuit.
Gemma is a highly experienced trial advocate with a wide range of experience offering an enthusiastic approach in all she does and meticulous case preparation. She has extensive experience representing young and vulnerable clients with learning difficulties, mental health conditions and addictions.
Gemma has completed advocates gateway and the FLBA vulnerable witness training which is accredited by the Bar Council. Her areas of practice are public law children and private law children.
Her work
Public Law proceedings representing Local Authorities, parents, children, other family members, Special Guardians, competent children and other intervening parties including child minders and grandparents.
Public Law Children: care and adoption proceedings including complex cases involving non-accidental injury, fabricated or induced illness, sexual abuse, neglect, drug and alcohol misuse, mental health issues and cases involving proposed international placements. Gemma has appeared in cases in all tiers of Court up to the Court of Appeal.
Private Law proceedings: child arrangement disputes including intractable contact disputes.
Despite the restrictions on public funding in her areas of law, Gemma welcomes legal aid instructions. Gemma accepts instructions from members of the public, insurers and fellow professionals as well as traditional referrals from solicitors.
Gemma is direct access qualified.
Degree: BPC at the University of Law (Birmingham) (Very Competent), LLM at the University of Law (Birmingham) (Distinction), LLB (Hons) Staffordshire University (First Class)
Year of call: 2023
Inn: Gray’s Inn
Status within Chambers: Second-six Pupil
Profile:
Throughout Martha’s BPC studies she worked at the Local Authority in Northamptonshire for several years, in various roles in the social care sector, most recently as a Childcare Paralegal. Martha gained a valuable insight into public law in practice, including cases involving, non-accidental injuries, neglect, drug and alcohol misuse and mental health.
Alongside her BPC studies and employment, she undertook an LLM in a pro bono clinic with Women’s Aid offering advice and presenting guidance on family law issues such as Child Arrangement Orders and the Public Law Outline.
During her LLB, Martha spent time providing pro bono legal advice to the military at the MOD , to prison officers at HMP Service and the general public covering a wide range of family and civil matters such as noise disputes, child arrangements and divorce.
In her first-six months of pupillage, Martha has gained experience in a variety of family proceedings, including both Public and Private Children law, Financial Remedy and Domestic Abuse injunctions. Martha has also drawn up draft court documents for a range of court hearings and carried out research, including advising on appeal and international children matters. Martha will undertake civil small claims matters.
Interests:
Outside of work, Martha is an avid keeper of 10 Call ducks that love to spend most of their time keeping her company and uprooting the plants in the garden. When she is not in the garden, you can find her out and about horse riding or painting portraits of people and animals.
Status within Chambers: Door Tenant
Position: Business Manager/Administration Assistant
E-mail: businessmanager@chartlands-chambers.co.uk
Maureen joined Chartlands in October 2021 after working in private practice as a Family Solicitor for over 30 years.
Position: Clerk to Chambers
E-mail: clerks@chartlands-chambers.co.uk
Anneka joins Chartlands and the world of the Bar, after several years working at local solicitor firms, and brings a wealth of legal knowledge and experience to our practice.
Position: Clerk to Chambers
E-mail: clerks@chartlands-chambers.co.uk
Gillian has a legal background and joined Chartlands in June 2020.
