CORAM CHAMBERS - Key Persons
Dermot provides training to solicitors and local authorities on adoption, fostering, human rights, disputes between local authorities, accommodation under S 20 CA 1989 and other areas of law and practice on request.
Job Titles:
- Junior Assistant Practice Manager
Freya Clarke joined Coram in June 2023 as our new junior clerk and marketing assistant.rnrnHer responsibilities include assisting with telephone enquiries, assisting the more senior clerks in the efficient management of both short and long term diaries and assisting with event planning.rnrnFreya has a background in the hospitality sector so her skills and experience are an added asset chambers' marketing team and chambers as a whole.
Job Titles:
- Administrator
- Door Tenants & Associate Members
Job Titles:
- Partner at Russell - Cooke
Job Titles:
- Junior Clerk and Marketing Assistant
Job Titles:
- Expert
- Head of the Chambers Childcare Group
- Specialist
Elizabeth is a specialist child law silk and sits as a Family Division Deputy High Court Judge. She has an established national reputation for a compassionate, pragmatic, and strategic approach, excellent advocacy, and forensic preparation in complex public law cases. Elizabeth has substantial expertise in acting for all parties in complex care, adoption and wardship proceedings and has a detailed knowledge of the legal and social care issues relating to local authority planning and decision making for children.
Elizabeth is an expert authority in the development of the law relating to surrogacy; she was leading counsel in the recent ground-breaking cases of Re X (A Child) (Surrogacy: Time Limit) [2014] EWHC 3135 (Fam) and Re Z (No 2) (a child) [2016] EWHC 1191 (fam) (which led to the Government's revision of the law prohibiting single people from applying for parental orders).
Elizabeth is the head of the Chambers Childcare Group and a member of Chambers Management Committee.
Elizabeth is Direct Access trained and is therefore happy and able to accept instructions from prospective clients directly.
Maya joined Coram as a tenant in October 2024, after successfully completing her pupilage under the supervision of Victoria Roberts, Tosin Oguntayo and Kieran Pugh.
Meena is a specialist family law practitioner who has worked extensively in public and private law children cases and adoption cases. She has represented in equal measure local authorities, parents, non-parent parties and children both through their guardians and where deemed to be competent, directly.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Family Law Bar Association
- Member of the International Academy of Family Lawyers
Mike has extensive experience in complex financial remedies work, including high net worth cases and where assets are in complex trust or company structures. He was shortlisted by Chambers UK for family law junior of the year in 2020. He advises on and drafts pre-nuptial agreements and other relationship agreements. In 2013 he appeared in the important case of Hamilton on whether an order for the payment of lump sum by instalments could be varied. He is particularly interested in set aside claims, where a party seeks to reopen family law compromises. His book, Compromise in Family Law: Law and Practice, was published in 2016, and has been described as a ‘handy, concise - yet comprehensive and informed - reference book' and making ‘a highly distinctive contribution to family law literature'.
Mike was a member of the Family Procedure Rule Committee from 2014 to 2020.
Mike is a member of the Family Law Bar Association, the Chancery Bar Association, and the Chartered Institute of Arbitration, and of Resolution.
Mike was a member of the FLBA national committee from 2010 to 2013.
Mike is a member of the International Academy of Family Lawyers.
Coram's Shiva Ancliffe and Michael Horton appointed to Queen's Counsel
Pollyanna accepts instructions in all aspects of financial remedies proceedings. Pollyanna has been instructed to advise and represent clients in cases involving a range of issues such as litigation capacity, applications for notice to show cause, set-aside applications under s.37 MCA 1973, enforcement of financial orders, and cases involving intervenors (including advising potential intervenors). During her pupillage, Pollyanna was exposed to, and assisted on, multiple complex and high-value cases.
Pollyanna has been instructed to advise in cases concerning the validity of overseas marriages and divorces, and the validity of religious marriages in England and Wales.
Rukaiya Bhegani joined Coram in February 2020 as Head of Marketing. She is a marketing and business development specialist with over 15 years' experience in the legal sector, both in the UK and in Canada. Her role includes managing the brand, events, PR, marketing strategy and social media strategy.
Sarah Branson is a barrister with a thriving practice in public and private law, specialising in working with children, parents, and local authorities. An exceptional talent, Sarah won the Family Law Awards Junior Barrister of the Year 2018 on her first nomination. She is ranked as a leading junior in both the UK Bar 2023 editions of The Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners.
Clients say ‘Sarah's oral advocacy has to be her primary strength. ..she has an exceptional knowledge of the law and keeps up to date with recent case law developments. She has amazing ability to think on her feet, and her knowledge and experience is evident from talking to her. She is able to explain complex legal concepts and advise clients in a way which enables them to understand the case.'
Straightforward, friendly and approachable, clients trust her. Sarah understands the responsibility she bears in helping people face traumatic family issues in the courts. A qualified mediator, Sarah has excellent negotiation and conciliation skills and has successfully mediated agreements in Iran and Afghanistan.
With experience working on cases in interjurisdictional work, including trafficked children and modern-day slavery, as well as situations where there are concurrent criminal proceedings, Sarah has a particular specialism in acting in cases where one parent has killed another.
Shárin is a specialist private children law practitioner and is ranked as a leading junior in this area. She has considerable experience in cases involving allegations of domestic abuse or alienating behaviours. She often acts in applications concerning extended family members and in proceedings with a cultural or religious element. Shárin has acted in cases concerning serious allegations of abuse and was recently led in proceedings involving allegations of ‘ritualistic' child abuse.
Shárin has a growing international practice. She has acted in proceedings and applications for summary return, international relocation and cases concerning international abduction. She was recently led in an application for the summary return of a child to a Hague Convention country concerning issues of habitual residence, consent, acquiescence, grave risk of harm and the adequacy of any protective measures available.
Sima has a very hands on approach to her cases which she is keen to case manage in partnership with her instructing solicitor throughout the case. She can be relied upon to provide excellent advice promptly and prides herself on efficiently identifying the salient issues in every case. She invariably leads the case discussions proving workable solutions.