SILK PROFILE
Elizabeth Isaacs KC

Elizabeth Isaacs KC

UK Bar 2026

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Ranked in 1 practice area

About

Provided by St Ives Chambers

Practice Areas

Public Law Children, Private Law Children, Alternative Dispute Resolution

Career

Elizabeth is a specialist child law silk, recorder and Bencher of Lincoln’s Inn. She is a qualified Children’s Arbitrator registered with the Institute of Family Law Arbitrators. She is also a Trustee of the Donor Conception Network.

Elizabeth has a national reputation for a strategic and collaborative approach, excellent advocacy, forensic preparation and is highly regarded for her compassionate style with clients.

Particular interests in public law include child death, serious physical injury, sexual and emotional abuse, fabricated and induced illness (FII), toxicology and poisoning, judicial review, human rights issues, disclosure, public interest immunity (PII) issues, LGBT and Modern Families parenting.

In private law Elizabeth is an expert authority in the development of surrogacy law; she was leading counsel in the groundbreaking cases of Re X (A Child) (Surrogacy: Time Limit) [2014] EWHC 3135 (Fam) and Re Z (A Child) (No 2) [2016] EWHC 1191 (Fam) which led directly to the change in law permitting single people to apply for parental orders. Particular interests include LGBT and Modern Families, surrogacy and fertility law, parental alienation, habitual residence, relocation, disputes about education, religion and medical issues.

Professional Memberships

Family Law Bar Association, LGBT Family Law Institute UK & Ireland, Member of Chartered Institute of Arbitrators

Publications

Family Court Practice - contributing editor; Challenging and Defending Local Authority Childcare Decisions: A Practical Guide (2013) (co-author); Social Work Decision Making: A Guide for Child Care Lawyers (2nd ed 2012) (co-author).

Chambers Review

Provided by Chambers

UK Bar

Family: Children - Midlands (Bar)

Band 1
Band 1

Individual Editorial

Elizabeth Isaacs KC is an impressive silk with an excellent reputation in complex care proceedings, which is reinforced by her former career in child protection social work. She is regularly instructed in cases involving death, fabricated illness or serious injury, and also handles the more intricate aspects of private law such as surrogacy and same-sex parenting issues.

Strengths

Provided by Chambers

  • She is thorough in her presentation, has extensive knowledge and is a tenacious advocate for her client.

    Family: ChildrenUK Bar
  • She is a powerhouse of a silk. She is a tactical opponent and she gets the absolute best results she can for each and every client.

    Family: ChildrenUK Bar
  • She is excellent. A fearless advocate, forensically unrivalled and very successful in her written and oral advocacy.

    Family: ChildrenUK Bar

Ranked Barristers at St Ives Chambers (25)

All Circuits

  • Profile image of Andrew Day
    Andrew Day

    Family/Matrimonial: Non-Court Dispute Resolution

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Midlands (Bar)

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