Practitioners — United Kingdom (England & Wales) — Lawyers¶
Jurisdictional context¶
The England & Wales family-justice framework around Parental Alienation in legal practice sits on a Children Act 1989 + Family Procedure Rules 2010 (Part 25 expert-evidence regime) foundation, refined through an unbroken Court of Appeal / High Court line: Re A (Children) (Parental Alienation) [2019] EWFC 17, Re S (Parental Alienation: Cult) [2020] EWCA Civ 568, Re H-N and Others (Children) (Domestic Abuse: Finding of Fact Hearings) [2021] EWCA Civ 448, Re C (Parental Alienation: Instruction of Expert) [2023] EWHC 345 (Fam), and culminating in Re Y (Experts and Alienating Behaviour: The Modern Approach) [2026] EWFC 38 (Sir Andrew McFarlane P, 20 February 2026). Re Y is the evaluator-quality apex: McFarlane P set aside findings of alienating behaviour made on the basis of an assessment by Melanie Gill (unregulated; not HCPC; not BPS-chartered) and held that 'permission should not be given for the instruction of an expert psychologist who is neither registered by a relevant statutory body, nor chartered by the BPS' (cross-link case-study:re-y-2026-ewfc-38). The judgment operationalises at the Part 25 instruction stage what the Family Justice Council (FJC) December 2024 Guidance on responding to allegations of alienating behaviour had already laid down at policy level — that 'parental alienation syndrome' has no evidential basis and is considered harmful pseudo-science (FJC 2024 Guidance, footnote 2, citing Sturge & Glaser 2000).
Lawyer regulation runs on twin tracks. Barristers are regulated by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) under the BSB Handbook and Code of Conduct, with practising-certificate and CPD oversight; the Family Bar is organised through the Family Bar Association (FLBA) and the chambers of the family-children silks (notably 4 Paper Buildings (4PB), 1 King's Bench Walk (1KBW), 1 Hare Court, 36 Family, 5 St Andrew's Hill, Garden Court Chambers, St John's Chambers Bristol, and Goldsmith Chambers). Solicitors are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) under the SRA Standards and Regulations, with Resolution (the membership organisation of family-justice solicitors and other family practitioners) operating the leading Code of Practice for constructive family-law practice and the specialist accreditation scheme (DV, child, international child-abduction panels). The Family Procedure Rules Committee, chaired by Mrs Justice Theis DBE, sets the Family Procedure Rules and Practice Directions (notably PD12J on DV/risk assessment in private-law children proceedings and Part 25 on expert evidence); the FJC, also chaired by Theis J, is the statutory advisory body whose December 2024 alienating-behaviour guidance (working group chaired by Jenny Beck KC (Hon)) is the load-bearing institutional artefact below the Re Y line.
The transparency regime is s.97 Children Act 1989 (automatic reporting restrictions on identification of children in children-proceedings) read with the 2009 Practice Direction on transparency and the President's Transparency Reporting Pilot (extended from 2023), meaning case-study cross-links to anonymised judgments (Re Y, Re A, Re S, Re H-N, Re C) are the load-bearing primary sources rather than party-identifying material. Melanie Gill is excluded from /practitioners/therapists/uk on regulatory grounds; this lawyers directory cross-references that exclusion via the Re Y case study. The critique-axis (Proudman, Craig, McCurley, Barnett, Kaganas, Beck KC (Hon)) cross-links the Italian Cassazione 9691/2022 line (rejection of PAS in Italian Family Court) as the cross-jurisdictional analogue.
Structural findings¶
- v1.0 carried 13 named practitioner entries (6 critique / 2 recognition / 5 middle) plus 2 judges in a separate judges[] section plus 1 excluded entry (Karen Woodall — already on the influencers/therapists list). v2.0 collapses practitioners and judges into a single entries[] array under the v2 schema (which has no separate judges field), preserving the judicial role via id-pattern uk.judge-
and an explicit credentials/affiliation marker, for a total of 15 verified entries + 1 excluded. - Re Y (Experts and Alienating Behaviour: The Modern Approach) [2026] EWFC 38 (Sir Andrew McFarlane P, 20 February 2026) is the evaluator-quality apex of the UK PA jurisprudence line — Re A (2019) → Re S (2020) → Re H-N (2021) → Re C (2023) → Re Y (2026). Six entries in this directory either appeared in Re Y (Beck KC (Hon) instructing solicitor, Ageros lead counsel for mother, Delahunty KC + Barnes KC for the child) or authored / shaped the judgment (McFarlane P; Proudman case analysis; Beck KC (Hon) FJC working group whose guidance the judgment operationalises).
- Sam (Samantha) King KC is at 4 Paper Buildings (4PB), not 1 King's Bench Walk (1KBW) as misstated in the originating brief — this correction is preserved from v1.0 and re-verified against the 4PB chambers profile and her co-authorship of A Practical Guide to Parental Alienation in Private and Public Law Children Cases (Law Brief Publishing, 2022) with Frankie Shama (also 4PB). The 4PB family-children silks team is the dominant single-chambers concentration on the UK PA bar (King KC, Ageros, Delahunty KC, Barnes KC, Shama all appear in this directory; 4 of the 5 were on Re Y).
- The English critique-camp at the Bar is anchored institutionally — Bar Standards Board + Solicitors Regulation Authority + Family Bar Association + Resolution + Family Justice Council — rather than being individual-celebrity-dominant. Individual entries (Proudman, Beck KC (Hon), Barnett, Kaganas, McCurley) carry weight because they sit at the intersection of named-case advocacy, institutional policymaking (FJC working group, Resolution DV National Committee), and published doctrinal critique. The recognition camp at the Bar is narrow (King KC + Shama, both 4PB) and explicitly text-based — A Practical Guide to Parental Alienation (Law Brief Publishing, 2022) is the only KC-authored UK practitioner manual on PA.
- Two judicial entries are preserved with id pattern uk.judge-
: Sir Andrew McFarlane (President of the Family Division — 'McFarlane P') as Authority on case-study:re-y-2026-ewfc-38 (he wrote it), and Mrs Justice Theis DBE (Chair, Family Procedure Rules Committee and Family Justice Council) as institutional architect of the December 2024 FJC alienating-behaviour guidance. Both carry stance forensic-evaluator-adjacent (procedural-reform / middle) and are flagged 'do not solicit' under judicial-conduct rules. - Cross-jurisdictional reference axis: the critique-axis entries (Proudman, Craig, McCurley, Barnett, Kaganas, Beck KC (Hon)) link case-study:cassazione-9691-2022-italy as the Italian analogue for judicial rejection of PAS as scientifically grounded construct. The recognition-axis entries (King KC, Shama) and middle-axis advocacy entries (Phillimore, Scotland, Reed KC, Ageros, Delahunty KC, Barnes KC) link case-study:re-y-2026-ewfc-38 in their respective representative capacities.
Recognition camp¶
Sam (Samantha) King KC¶
Barrister (Bar of England & Wales; Year of Call 1990; Year of Silk 2018); Master of the Bench, Middle Temple (2019); BSB-regulated London · England · 4 Paper Buildings (4PB), London
Stance: Only KC-authored UK practitioner manual on PA — co-author with Frankie Shama of A Practical Guide to Parental Alienation in Private and Public Law Children Cases (Law Brief Publishing, 2022). Recognition-camp counterpart to Joshi's ABA book (US). Regular instructions in Children Act 1989 private- and public-law alienation cases. Stance is recognition grounded in published practitioner-manual authorship and silk-level instruction record.
Publications: - A Practical Guide to Parental Alienation in Private and Public Law Children Cases (co-author Frankie Shama) (2022) — Law Brief Publishing — https://www.lawbriefpublishing.com/product/parentalalienation/
Verification: - https://www.4pb.com/barristers/sam-king/ - https://www.barcouncil.org.uk/ - https://www.barstandardsboard.org.uk/
Contact: clerks@4pb.com ; +44 (0)20 7427 5200
Notes: PRESERVED CORRECTION FROM v1.0: Original brief placed her at 1 King's Bench Walk (1KBW); correct chambers is 4 Paper Buildings (4PB). Re-verified via 4PB chambers profile and Law Brief Publishing co-author byline. Year of Call 1990 / Year of Silk 2018 verified via 4PB profile.
See also: jurisdiction:england-and-wales, case-study:re-y-2026-ewfc-38, practitioner:uk.shama-frankie, practitioner:uk.ageros-justin, practitioner:uk.delahunty-jo-kc
ID: uk.king-sam-kc-4pb
Frankie Shama¶
Barrister (Bar of England & Wales; year of call not publicly enumerated); BSB-regulated London · England · 4 Paper Buildings (4PB), London
Stance: Co-author with Sam King KC of A Practical Guide to Parental Alienation in Private and Public Law Children Cases (Law Brief Publishing, 2022). Junior counterpart to King KC; entry point to the next-generation recognition bar at 4PB. Stance is recognition by co-authorship and instructed-junior caseload in private-children-law PA cases at 4PB.
Publications: - A Practical Guide to Parental Alienation in Private and Public Law Children Cases (co-author Sam King KC) (2022) — Law Brief Publishing — https://www.lawbriefpublishing.com/product/parentalalienation/
Verification: - https://www.4pb.com/barristers/frankie-shama/ - https://www.barstandardsboard.org.uk/
Contact: clerks@4pb.com ; +44 (0)20 7427 5200
Notes: Profile page returned 403 on direct fetch; verified via Law Brief Publishing co-author byline and 4PB barrister index. Year of call not publicly enumerated.
See also: jurisdiction:england-and-wales, case-study:re-y-2026-ewfc-38, practitioner:uk.king-sam-kc-4pb
ID: uk.shama-frankie
Critique camp¶
Dr Charlotte Proudman¶
Barrister (Bar of England & Wales); PhD; Founder/Co-Director Right to Equality; Founder Proudmans (Nov 2025) London · England · Goldsmith Chambers (London); Right to Equality; Proudmans (London + Cambridge)
Stance: Most public UK critique-camp barrister. Co-led the campaign that secured the October 2023 government commitment to repeal the s.1(2A) Children Act 1989 parental-involvement presumption. Authored the Right to Equality case analysis of Re Y (Experts and Alienating Behaviour: The Modern Approach) [2026] EWFC 38; book He Said, She Said: Truth, Trauma and the Struggle for Justice in the Family Court (Penguin / Counsel magazine). Stance is doctrinal-critique grounded in DV-survivor representation in joined appeals (Re H-N) and successful PA-finding appeals (Re GB).
Publications: - Re Y (Experts and Alienating Behaviour: The Modern Approach) [2026] EWFC 28 (Fam) — case analysis (2026) — Right to Equality — https://righttoequality.org/re-y-experts-and-alienating-behaviour-the-modern-approach-2026-ewfc-28-fam/ - He Said, She Said: Truth, Trauma and the Struggle for Justice in the Family Court (2025) — Penguin / Counsel magazine — https://www.counselmagazine.co.uk/articles/he-said-she-said - Re GB (Part 25 Application: Parental Alienation) [2023] EWFC 150 — successful appeal for mother (2023) — EWFC / Goldsmith Chambers — https://www.goldsmithchambers.com/dr-charlotte-proudman-successfully-represents-mother-on-appeal-in-re-gb-part-25-application-parental-alienation-2023-ewfc-150/
Verification: - https://www.goldsmithchambers.com/our-people/dr-charlotte-proudman/ - https://righttoequality.org/ - https://www.barcouncil.org.uk/
Contact: clerks@goldsmithchambers.com ; contact form at https://righttoequality.org/
Notes: Goldsmith Chambers profile verified; Right to Equality founder role public; year of call not publicly enumerated on chambers PDF profile; Proudmans firm site not publicly confirmed live as of writing. BSB practising certificate inferred from chambers listing.
See also: jurisdiction:england-and-wales, case-study:re-y-2026-ewfc-38, case-study:cassazione-9691-2022-italy, practitioner:uk.barnett-adrienne, practitioner:uk.craig-olive
ID: uk.proudman-charlotte
Olive Craig¶
Senior Legal Officer (specific roll/Bar enumeration not publicly confirmed beyond 'senior legal officer') London · England · Rights of Women (national charity; free legal-advice helpline for women)
Stance: Co-signatory of the Right to Equality / Rights of Women joint letter to the President of the Family Division calling for urgent review of cases involving transfer-of-residence based on unregulated-expert PA findings (post-Re C [2023] EWHC 345 and Re Y [2026] EWFC 38). Collaborator on the Brunel / Rights of Women PA research project (Adrienne Barnett PI). Stance is structural-critique grounded in front-line DV-survivor legal-advice work.
Publications: - Right to Equality / Rights of Women joint letter to the President of the Family Division (2025) — Right to Equality — https://righttoequality.org/letter-to-the-president-of-the-family-division-ministry-of-justice/ - Psychologists' alarming views on domestic abuse put spotlight on family court experts — quoted source (2025) — The Bureau of Investigative Journalism — https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025-01-30/psychologists-alarming-views-on-domestic-abuse-put-spotlight-on-family-court-experts - Brunel / Rights of Women Domestic Abuse, Parental Alienation and the Family Courts research project (collaborator) (2025) — British Academy / Leverhulme (Barnett PI)
Verification: - https://rightsofwomen.org.uk/about-us/ - https://www.sra.org.uk/
Contact: advice@row.org.uk ; legalofficer@row.org.uk
Notes: Original brief placed her at Garden Court Chambers; primary-source check places her at Rights of Women. SRA roll status not publicly confirmed beyond 'senior legal officer'.
See also: jurisdiction:england-and-wales, case-study:re-y-2026-ewfc-38, case-study:cassazione-9691-2022-italy, practitioner:uk.proudman-charlotte, practitioner:uk.barnett-adrienne
ID: uk.craig-olive
Cris McCurley¶
Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England & Wales (SRA-regulated); Solicitor Advocate; Resolution-accredited specialist Newcastle upon Tyne · England · Ben Hoare Bell LLP (Newcastle upon Tyne) — Partner, Head of International Family Law; Resolution Domestic Violence National Committee (since 2009); SHERA Research Group
Stance: Only named solicitor on Resolution's Domestic Violence National Committee with 30+ years of frontline DV / PA-counter litigation in the North East. Resolution-accredited specialist in international child abduction, DV, forced marriage, FGM and honour-based violence. Manages Resolution's specialist forced-marriage and honour-based-violence panel. Position is institutional-critique grounded in DV-survivor representation and Resolution Code of Practice constructive-family-law practice.
Publications: - Profile: Cris McCurley (2024) — Law Society Gazette — https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/people/profile-cris-mccurley/5046090.fullarticle - Resolution Review interview (2023) — Resolution — https://resolution.org.uk/the-review-catches-up-with-cris-mccurley/ - SHERA Research Group profile and publications (2024) — SHERA Research Group — https://www.shera-research.com/team/cris-mccurley
Verification: - https://www.benhoarebell.co.uk/staffmember/cris-mccurley/ - https://resolution.org.uk/ - https://www.sra.org.uk/
Contact: cris.mccurley@benhoarebell.co.uk ; switchboard 0191 275 7060
Notes: SRA solicitor + Solicitor Advocate status verified via Law Society Gazette profile and firm page; Resolution DV National Committee membership verified via Resolution news.
See also: jurisdiction:england-and-wales, case-study:re-y-2026-ewfc-38, case-study:cassazione-9691-2022-italy, practitioner:uk.craig-olive
ID: uk.mccurley-cris
Dr Adrienne Barnett¶
Reader in Law (PhD); Bar of England & Wales (called 1981; 30+ years independent practice; now academic / non-practising) Uxbridge · England · Brunel Law School, Brunel University London; Co-Director Right to Equality; Cafcass Research Advisory Committee; SHERA co-founder; Hague Mothers UK lead
Stance: Single most-cited UK legal academic on PA-as-courtroom-rhetorical-device weaponised against DV-survivor mothers. Barnett (2020) 'A genealogy of hostility: parental alienation in England and Wales' JSWFL 42(1) is the canonical entry point to the UK critique-camp legal literature. BA/Leverhulme-funded action research 'Domestic Abuse, Parental Alienation and the Family Courts' (Brunel/Rights of Women, 2022-2025) is the empirical anchor of the contemporary critique position. UK academic counterpart to Joan Meier (US).
Publications: - A genealogy of hostility: parental alienation in England and Wales (2020) — Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law 42(1):18-29 — https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09649069.2020.1701921 - Experiences of Parental Alienation Interventions (2021) — Challenging Parental Alienation (Routledge) - Domestic Abuse, Parental Alienation and the Family Courts (BA/Leverhulme action research) (2025) — Brunel / Rights of Women (2022-2025) — https://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/30736 - Child Sexual Abuse and Family Court Proceedings (2025) — Family Law (Jan 2025)
Verification: - https://www.brunel.ac.uk/people/adrienne-barnett - https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09649069.2020.1701921
Contact: adrienne.barnett@brunel.ac.uk
Notes: Originally listed in the US brief as 'Adrienne Adams, MD' — that was a misidentification of Barnett. Brunel Law School affiliation verified; Bar of England & Wales call-year 1981 verified via Brunel profile.
See also: jurisdiction:england-and-wales, case-study:re-y-2026-ewfc-38, case-study:cassazione-9691-2022-italy, practitioner:uk.kaganas-felicity, practitioner:uk.proudman-charlotte
ID: uk.barnett-adrienne
Professor Felicity Kaganas¶
Professor of Law; academic; non-practising (Bar/roll status not publicly confirmed) Uxbridge · England · Brunel Law School, Brunel University London
Stance: Doyenne of UK feminist family-law scholarship. Statutory-presumption critique (Kaganas 2018 'Parental Involvement: A Discretionary Presumption', Legal Studies) is the precise legal-theoretical underpinning of the October 2023 government commitment to repeal s.1(2A) Children Act 1989. 2024 JSWFL Festschrift in her honour marks her status as the doctrinal anchor of the UK critique camp. Long-running PA/DV collaboration with Adrienne Barnett.
Publications: - Parental Involvement: A Discretionary Presumption (2018) — Legal Studies - When is 'the end of the road' reached? Observing the presumption of parental involvement through systems theory (2024) — Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law — https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09649069.2024.2414620 - Contact disputes: Narrative constructions of 'good' parents (with Sclater) (2004) — Feminist Legal Studies
Verification: - https://www.brunel.ac.uk/people/felicity-kaganas - https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09649069.2024.2414620
Contact: felicity.kaganas@brunel.ac.uk
Notes: Brunel Law School profile verified; Bar/roll status not publicly confirmed beyond academic role. Email follows Brunel directory convention.
See also: jurisdiction:england-and-wales, case-study:re-y-2026-ewfc-38, case-study:cassazione-9691-2022-italy, practitioner:uk.barnett-adrienne
ID: uk.kaganas-felicity
Jenny Beck KC (Hon)¶
Solicitor of England & Wales (SRA-regulated); Honorary King's Counsel (KC Hon), 2021 London · England · Beck Fitzgerald (London) — founding partner / Director; Chair Family Justice Council working group on alienating-behaviour guidance (December 2024); Chair Nuffield Family Justice Observatory board; Co-chair Legal Aid Practitioners Group
Stance: Highest-leverage UK contact on this directory. Instructing solicitor for the mother (with Georgiana Farnell) in Re Y (Experts and Alienating Behaviour: The Modern Approach) [2026] EWFC 38, instructing Justin Ageros of 4PB. Chair of the FJC working group that produced the December 2024 alienating-behaviour guidance — the institutional artefact Re Y operationalises. Stance is institutional-critique grounded in both named-case advocacy and FJC policy chairmanship.
Publications: - Family Justice Council Guidance on responding to allegations of alienating behaviour (working group chair) (2024) — Family Justice Council / Judiciary of England & Wales — https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Family-Justice-Council-Guidance-on-responding-to-allegations-of-alienating-behaviour-2024-1-1.pdf - Re Y (Experts and Alienating Behaviour: The Modern Approach) [2026] EWFC 38 — instructing solicitor for mother (2026) — EWFC — https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Re-Y-judgment-final-version.pdf - Re H-N, Re T, Re H and Re B-B (joined appeals) [2021] EWCA Civ 448 (2021) — Court of Appeal
Verification: - https://beckfitzgerald.co.uk/jenny-beck/ - https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Family-Justice-Council-Guidance-on-responding-to-allegations-of-alienating-behaviour-2024-1-1.pdf - https://www.sra.org.uk/
Contact: Jenny.Beck@beckfitzgerald.co.uk ; office 020 3866 5721
Notes: SRA solicitor status verified via firm profile; KC Hon (2021) verified via judiciary.uk announcement; FJC working group chairmanship verified via FJC guidance front matter.
See also: jurisdiction:england-and-wales, case-study:re-y-2026-ewfc-38, case-study:cassazione-9691-2022-italy, practitioner:uk.ageros-justin, practitioner:uk.judge-mcfarlane-andrew-p
ID: uk.beck-jenny-kc-hon
Middle / methodological camp¶
Sarah Phillimore¶
Barrister (Bar of England & Wales; called 1994); BSB-regulated Bristol · England · St John's Chambers (Bristol); Author, childprotectionresource.online
Stance: Writes for both fathers'-rights and child-protection audiences — bridge-builder; opens Families Need Fathers / Resolution simultaneously. Podcast 'From parental alienation to alienating behaviours' (St John's Chambers) explicitly reframes the recognition / critique vocabulary. Position is procedural-middle rather than pure recognition because her published work is about vocabulary reframing rather than diagnostic endorsement.
Publications: - From Parental Alienation to Alienating Behaviours (podcast) (2024) — St John's Chambers — https://www.stjohnschambers.co.uk/podcast/from-parental-alienation-to-alienating-behaviours - Families Need Fathers commentary on indirect contact (2019) — Family Law journal (May 2019) - Child Protection Resource (blog / author) (2015) — childprotectionresource.online
Verification: - https://www.stjohnschambers.co.uk/profile/sarah-phillimore - https://www.barstandardsboard.org.uk/
Contact: clerks@stjohnschambers.co.uk
Notes: Year of call 1994 verified via St John's Chambers profile. Stance positioned 'middle' rather than pure recognition because her published work is explicitly about reframing vocabulary.
See also: jurisdiction:england-and-wales, case-study:re-y-2026-ewfc-38, practitioner:uk.reed-lucy-kc
ID: uk.phillimore-sarah
Maria Scotland¶
Barrister (Bar of England & Wales; called 1995); Qualified arbitrator and mediator; BSB-regulated London · England · 5 St Andrew's Hill (5SAH), London — Joint Head of Family Team, Deputy Head of Chambers
Stance: Rare UK barrister with arbitrator/mediator dual hat — opens ADR-route PA work. Successful appeal for applicant mother in Re T (A Child) (s.9(6) Children Act 1989 orders: Exceptional Circumstances: Parental Alienation) [2024] EWHC 59 (Fam); successful appeal preventing publication of named-parent High Court PA judgment (mother as appellant). Position is procedural-middle (Family Procedure Rules / ADR) grounded in successful-mother-appellant practice.
Publications: - High Court confirms the importance of a young person's wishes and feelings when considering if a child arrangements order should be made beyond the age of 16 (2024) — 5SAH Knowledge Hub — https://www.5sah.co.uk/knowledge-hub/articles/2024-04-24/high-court-confirms-the-importance-of-a-young-persons-wishes-and-feelings-when-considering-if-a-child-arrangements-order-should-be-made-beyond-the-age-of-16 - Re T (A Child) (s.9(6) Children Act 1989 orders: Exceptional Circumstances: Parental Alienation) [2024] EWHC 59 (Fam) — successful appeal for applicant mother (2024) — EWHC (Fam)
Verification: - https://www.5sah.co.uk/barristers/maria-scotland - https://www.barstandardsboard.org.uk/
Contact: clerks@5sah.co.uk ; +44 (0)20 7332 5400
Notes: Original brief placed her at '36 Family'; primary-source check confirms 5 St Andrew's Hill (5SAH). Year of call 1995 verified via 5SAH profile.
See also: jurisdiction:england-and-wales, case-study:re-y-2026-ewfc-38, practitioner:uk.phillimore-sarah
ID: uk.scotland-maria
Lucy Reed KC¶
Barrister (Bar of England & Wales; King's Counsel — year of call / year of silk not publicly enumerated at fetched chambers URL); BSB-regulated Bristol · England · St John's Chambers (Bristol); Chair, The Transparency Project
Stance: Chair of the only UK charity built around family-court transparency — the body whose stated mission AntiAlienate's published case-studies most directly support. Co-author Transparency in the Family Courts (Bloomsbury Professional, 2nd ed.); author The Family Court Without a Lawyer (4th ed., Bath Publishing, 2022); Pink Tape blog since 2007; regular Radio 4 Today Programme contributor. Position is procedural-middle grounded in transparency / FPR reform rather than substantive PA-position.
Publications: - Transparency in the Family Courts: Publicity and Privacy in Practice (co-author) (2023) — Bloomsbury Professional (2nd ed.) - The Family Court Without a Lawyer: A Handbook for Litigants in Person (4th ed.) (2022) — Bath Publishing - My transparency journey (2023) — Counsel magazine — https://www.counselmagazine.co.uk/articles/my-transparency-journey-lucy-reed - Pink Tape (blog) (2007) — pinktape.co.uk
Verification: - https://www.stjohnschambers.co.uk/profile/lucy-reed-kc - https://transparencyproject.org.uk/ - https://www.barstandardsboard.org.uk/
Contact: clerks@stjohnschambers.co.uk
Notes: Direct profile fetch returned 403; verified via Counsel magazine, St John's Chambers news pages, Transparency Project. Year of call / silk not publicly enumerated at fetched URL.
See also: jurisdiction:england-and-wales, case-study:re-y-2026-ewfc-38, practitioner:uk.phillimore-sarah
ID: uk.reed-lucy-kc
Justin Ageros¶
Barrister (Bar of England & Wales; 30+ years' call; specific year not publicly enumerated); BSB-regulated London · England · 4 Paper Buildings (4PB), London
Stance: Counsel of record on the 2026 set-aside that re-set UK PA jurisprudence — lead counsel for applicant mother in Re Y (Experts and Alienating Behaviour: The Modern Approach) [2026] EWFC 38, instructed by Jenny Beck KC (Hon) and Georgiana Farnell. Earlier set-aside of PA findings on similar grounds in O v C [2025] EWFC 334. Position is procedural-middle (evaluator-quality / Part 25 expert-instruction reform) by the most current and concrete named-judgment route available.
Publications: - Re Y (Experts and Alienating Behaviour: The Modern Approach) [2026] EWFC 38 — lead counsel for applicant mother (2026) — EWFC — https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Re-Y-judgment-final-version.pdf - O v C [2025] EWFC 334 — earlier set-aside of PA findings (2025) — EWFC — https://www.4pb.com/news/justin-ageros-successfully-argues-in-the-high-court-for-the-setting-aside-of-five-year-old-parental-alienation-findings/
Verification: - https://www.4pb.com/barristers/justin-ageros/ - https://www.barstandardsboard.org.uk/
Contact: clerks@4pb.com ; +44 (0)20 7427 5200
Notes: 4PB chambers profile verified; year of call not publicly enumerated. Re Y instruction record verified via 4PB news and judiciary.uk judgment.
See also: jurisdiction:england-and-wales, case-study:re-y-2026-ewfc-38, practitioner:uk.beck-jenny-kc-hon, practitioner:uk.delahunty-jo-kc, practitioner:uk.judge-mcfarlane-andrew-p
ID: uk.ageros-justin
Jo Delahunty KC¶
Barrister (Bar of England & Wales); King's Counsel; Professor (Gresham College emerita); BSB-regulated London · England · 4 Paper Buildings (4PB), London
Stance: Senior children silk who specifically advanced the 'child's voice unheard' argument in Re Y — opens the child-representation / Cafcass-reform conversation. Led Chris Barnes KC for the child Dylan in Re Y (Experts and Alienating Behaviour: The Modern Approach) [2026] EWFC 38, instructed by Peggy Ray (Goodman Ray). Multiple Court of Appeal serious-injury, sexual-assault, radicalisation and abuse children cases. Position is procedural-middle grounded in child-representation.
Publications: - Re Y (Experts and Alienating Behaviour: The Modern Approach) [2026] EWFC 38 — leading Chris Barnes KC for the child (2026) — EWFC — https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Re-Y-judgment-final-version.pdf - Family courts: Gill vindicated — quoted senior silk (2026) — The Bureau of Investigative Journalism — https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2026-02-13/family-courts-gill-vindicated
Verification: - https://www.4pb.com/barristers/jo-delahunty/ - https://www.barstandardsboard.org.uk/
Contact: clerks@4pb.com ; +44 (0)20 7427 5200
Notes: 4PB chambers profile and Re Y judgment verified.
See also: jurisdiction:england-and-wales, case-study:re-y-2026-ewfc-38, practitioner:uk.barnes-chris-kc, practitioner:uk.ageros-justin, practitioner:uk.judge-mcfarlane-andrew-p
ID: uk.delahunty-jo-kc
Chris Barnes KC¶
Barrister (Bar of England & Wales); King's Counsel; BSB-regulated London · England · 4 Paper Buildings (4PB), London
Stance: Completes the 4PB three-silk team for the child in Re Y (Experts and Alienating Behaviour: The Modern Approach) [2026] EWFC 38 — junior silk to Jo Delahunty KC for the child. Useful as a junior-silk follow-on contact. Position is procedural-middle by named-judgment representation rather than published doctrinal position.
Publications: - Re Y (Experts and Alienating Behaviour: The Modern Approach) [2026] EWFC 38 — junior silk to Jo Delahunty KC for the child (2026) — EWFC — https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Re-Y-judgment-final-version.pdf
Verification: - https://www.4pb.com/barristers/chris-barnes/ - https://www.barstandardsboard.org.uk/
Contact: clerks@4pb.com ; +44 (0)20 7427 5200
Notes: 4PB chambers profile and Re Y judgment verified.
See also: jurisdiction:england-and-wales, case-study:re-y-2026-ewfc-38, practitioner:uk.delahunty-jo-kc, practitioner:uk.judge-mcfarlane-andrew-p
ID: uk.barnes-chris-kc
The Rt Hon Sir Andrew McFarlane (McFarlane P)¶
President of the Family Division, High Court of Justice of England & Wales; judicial role — do not solicit London · England · Family Division, High Court of Justice of England & Wales (President of the Family Division — 'McFarlane P')
Stance: Author of the spine of UK PA jurisprudence — Re C ('Parental Alienation'; Instruction of Expert) [2023] EWHC 345 (Fam) and Re Y (Experts and Alienating Behaviour: The Modern Approach) [2026] EWFC 38 (the evaluator-quality apex). Stance is procedural-reform / middle: in Re Y he set aside findings of alienating behaviour made on the basis of Melanie Gill's unregulated PA-evaluation and held that 'permission should not be given for the instruction of an expert psychologist who is neither registered by a relevant statutory body, nor chartered by the BPS.' Cite him in every UK-facing AntiAlienate document. Authority on case-study:re-y-2026-ewfc-38 — he wrote it.
Publications: - Re Y (Experts and Alienating Behaviour: The Modern Approach) [2026] EWFC 38 — author (2026) — EWFC — https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Re-Y-judgment-final-version.pdf - Re C ('Parental Alienation'; Instruction of Expert) [2023] EWHC 345 (Fam) — author (2023) — EWHC (Fam) — https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Fam/2023/345.html - Re H-N and Others (Children) [2021] EWCA Civ 448 — DV finding-of-fact framework (presiding) (2021) — EWCA Civ
Verification: - https://www.judiciary.uk/guidance-and-resources/president-of-the-family-division-the-rt-hon-sir-andrew-mcfarlane/ - https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2026-02-27/dont-use-unregulated-psychologists-top-judge-rules
Contact: Judicial — do not solicit. Institutional route via Judicial Office, Royal Courts of Justice.
Notes: Judicial entry preserved with id pattern uk.judge-
See also: jurisdiction:england-and-wales, case-study:re-y-2026-ewfc-38, practitioner:uk.judge-theis-lucy, practitioner:uk.beck-jenny-kc-hon, practitioner:uk.ageros-justin
ID: uk.judge-mcfarlane-andrew-p
The Hon Dame Lucy Theis DBE (Mrs Justice Theis)¶
High Court Judge, Family Division; Chair Family Procedure Rules Committee; Chair Family Justice Council; judicial role — do not solicit London · England · High Court of Justice, Family Division; Chair Family Procedure Rules Committee; Chair Family Justice Council
Stance: FJC + Family Procedure Rules Committee Chair — her structural role is why the December 2024 alienating-behaviour guidance exists (working group chaired by Jenny Beck KC (Hon)). Stance is procedural-reform / middle by institutional architecture rather than named-judgment authorship at the McFarlane P Re C / Re Y level. Judicial entry — do not solicit.
Publications: - Family Justice Council Guidance on responding to allegations of alienating behaviour (Chair, FJC) (2024) — Family Justice Council / Judiciary of England & Wales — https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Family-Justice-Council-Guidance-on-responding-to-allegations-of-alienating-behaviour-2024-1-1.pdf - Family Procedure Rules and Practice Directions (Chair, FPRC) (2024) — Family Procedure Rules Committee
Verification: - https://www.judiciary.uk/guidance-and-resources/mrs-justice-theis/ - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy_Theis
Contact: Judicial — do not solicit. Institutional route via Judicial Office, Royal Courts of Justice.
Notes: Judicial entry preserved with id pattern uk.judge-
See also: jurisdiction:england-and-wales, case-study:re-y-2026-ewfc-38, practitioner:uk.judge-mcfarlane-andrew-p, practitioner:uk.beck-jenny-kc-hon
ID: uk.judge-theis-lucy
Institutional anchors¶
No5 Chambers¶
Multi-disciplinary set of barristers' chambers with offices in London + Birmingham + Bristol + Leicester + Manchester; specialisms including family law (private + public children + finance + international family); SRA-recognised set London + Birmingham (multi-site) · England (UK-wide practice) · No5 Chambers — multi-disciplinary barristers set
Stance: Institutional cross-reference: No5 Chambers is a multi-disciplinary English barristers set with a significant family-law practice including private-law children proceedings. Cross-linked from practitioners/lawyers/asia.json (in.luthra-geeta + in.malhotra-anil entries) for the international-family-law collaboration register where Indian senior counsel collaborate with English family chambers on cross-border PA-adjacent matters (Hague Convention return cases, Brussels IIa/IIb, NRI custody). No5 Chambers does not carry a chambers-level PA-construct position statement; individual practitioners engage PA matters under English Children Act 1989 + post-Re Y [2026] EWFC 38 evaluator-quality framework. Institutional entry cross-link rather than individual-practitioner entry.
Verification: - https://www.no5.com/
Contact: Vía no5.com
Notes: No5 Chambers is an established English barristers set with multi-site operations. Cross-link from asia.json lawyer entries (in.luthra-geeta + in.malhotra-anil) for international family-law collaboration register. No PA-construct chambers-level position located.
See also: jurisdiction:england-and-wales, jurisdiction:united-kingdom, case-study:re-y-2026-ewfc-38
ID: uk.no5-chambers
Excluded (with documented reason)¶
- Karen Woodall — Category fit: psychotherapist (lead therapist, Family Separation Clinic, London) — not bar/roll-admitted as a lawyer; not BSB-regulated barrister; not SRA-regulated solicitor; not Resolution-accredited. Already on /practitioners/therapists/uk (uk-ews.woodall-karen) and on the influencers list. Preserved from v1.0 excluded[] for category-fit reasons only; underlying regulatory issues (BACP 2015 sanction; unregulated relative to Re Y [2026] EWFC 38 expert-instruction bar) are documented in the therapists directory.
- Primary source: https://www.familyseparationclinic.com/about-1/karen-woodall/
Licensed CC BY 4.0 — AntiAlienate Knowledge. Source of truth is the sibling .json; this .md is rendered. Do not hand-edit.