Madeleine Whelan

Madeleine is a family barrister specialising in all areas of children law. Maddie has broad experience in public, private, international and ‘non-traditional’ children law cases. Her practice includes acting in cases involving complex fact-findings of sexual abuse or catastrophic physical injury, as well as those involving family creation and the legal recognition or termination of parenthood. Maddie has experience in cases involving cross-border disputes, relocation, adoption and complex safeguarding matters; she has built a particularly strong reputation in cases involving psychological, sexual or physical harm to children. Maddie is committed to the publicly funded bar and accepts instructions in all areas of children law; she is a regular contributor to the Family Law Journal and Family Law Week and previously hosted a successful fortnightly podcast on current family law issues.

Maddie was called to the bar 2017 and became a tenant in 2018

Host of fortnightly family law podcast ‘Professionally Embarrassing’ which was nominated for Family Law Commentator of the Year at the Family Law Awards 2021 and 2022

FLBA

Association of Lawyers for Children

Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn

Languages

Madeleine spent a year living in Madrid as an undergraduate and thus is competent in written and verbal Spanish.

Education

Downing College, University of Cambridge (MA, Law) 2012 – 2016

Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Erasmus) 2014 – 2015

BPP University Law School (BPTC) 2016 – 2017