Ranked in 1 Practice Areas
3

Band 3

Family: Children

London (Bar)

5 Years Ranked

About

Provided by Tom Wilson

UK Bar

Practice Areas

Tom’s practice encompasses all areas of the law relating to children, including public and private law proceedings, adoption, child abduction, and cases concerning donor-conceived children. He regularly appears in complex or groundbreaking cases, including those with international elements, and has been instructed at all levels of court, including the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.

Tom was shortlisted for the Bar Pro Bono Award in 2016, Young Family Law Barrister of the Year in 2017 and as Junior Barrister of the Year in 2020.

Children (public law):

Tom acts in care, adoption and other public law proceedings, representing parents, children, relatives, local authorities and the Official Solicitor.

He is regularly instructed in complex cases, including those involving non-accidental injury, child death, sexual abuse and radicalisation. Tom has particular expertise representing young people in applications for secure accommodation and deprivation of liberty orders, both directly and through a Guardian.

Tom is also regularly instructed in both domestic and international adoption proceedings. He has appeared in both the Family Court and High Court on behalf of birth parents, adoptive parents and children.

Children (private law):

Tom acts for parents, children and other relatives across all private law matters concerning children. He has a wealth of experience in child arrangements disputes, including those involving complex issues such as implacable hostility and allegations of serious physical, sexual and emotional abuse. Many of Tom’s cases have an international element, including international child abduction, and applications for permanent or temporary leave to remove.

Modern families & surrogacy:

Tom regularly acts in complex private and public law disputes concerning donor-conceived children, surrogacy arrangements and children from atypical family structures.

He has appeared in the High Court and Court of Appeal in a number of such cases, including applications for parental orders, declarations of parentage, and private law disputes arising out of surrogacy arrangements.

Tom has also appeared in a number of cases arising from administrative errors on the part of fertility clinics. He appeared in Cases K, L and O before the President, and has successfully represented parents in a judicial review claim arising from the incorrect registration of a child’s birth in such circumstances.

Judicial review & administrative law:

Tom has experience advising Local Authorities and parents in relation to judicial review claims relating to children. He appeared in the first successful judicial review of a decision by a local Registrar not to register the birth of children born by IVF, in a case where there had been administrative errors on the part of the fertility clinic.

International family law:

Tom’s work frequently involves consideration of international issues. He has appeared in such cases at all levels of court, up to and including the Court of Appeal without a leader. He regularly acts for parents in matters involving international child abduction, international adoption, permanent leave to remove and temporary leave to remove to non-Hague countries.

Tom also has experience of cases involving the cross-over between family law and immigration law. He appeared in the High Court in one of the first cases concerning the power of the court to order a child’s return to a country from which they have been granted asylum.

Domestic violence & injunctions:

Tom regularly appears in matters involving allegations of domestic violence, both where children are involved and where injunctions are sought. He has experience representing those seeking, or responding to, non-molestation and occupation orders, forced marriage protection orders, and injunctions under the inherent jurisdiction.

Career

LLB, First Class (hons), Durham University

BPTC, Very Competent, Kaplan Law School

Wilfred Getz Scholar, Gray’s Inn

Anne Goddard Scholar, Gray’s Inn

Professional Memberships

Family Law Bar Association

Association of Lawyers for Children

Resolution

Bar Pro Bono Unit

Gray’s Inn

Publications

Tom writes and lectures on a range of family law issues. He has published articles in Family Law and Family Law Week. He is an author of the Family Breakdown section of Butterworths Civil Court Precedents and of the book ‘Applications under Schedule 1 to the Children Act 1989’.

Tom provides seminars and training on a range of family law matters. He regularly speaks on matters concerning surrogacy and donor-conceived children.

Tom has commented on a number of family law developments for Lexis Nexis and regularly provides case summaries for Family Law Week.

Work Highlights

Re AZ (A Child) (Recusal) [2022] EWCA Civ 911

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum v Her Royal Highness Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein [2022] EWFC 16

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum v Her Royal Highness Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein [2021] EWHC 3480 (Fam)

G (Adoption; Notice Under s35 ACA 2002; Revocation of Placement Order) [2021] EWFC 93

AX v BX & Ors (Revocation of Adoption Order) [2021] EWHC 1121 (Fam) (23 April 2021)

H-N And Others (Children) (Domestic Abuse: Finding of Fact Hearings) (Rev 2) [2021] EWCA Civ 448 (30 March 2021)

Newman v Southampton City Council & Ors [2021] EWCA Civ 437 (25 March 2021)

Z v X (Declaration of Parentage) [2020] EWFC 67

Prospective Adopters v Sheffield City Council [2020] EWCA Civ 1591

Re C (A Child: Parental Order & Child Arrangements Order) [2020] EWHC 2141 (Fam)

Re C (A Child: Parental Order & Child Arrangements Order) [2020] EWHC 2474 (Fam)

R v P (Children: Similar Fact Evidence) [2020] EWCA Civ 1088

R (Leave to Oppose The Making of an Adoption Order), Re [2020] EWFC 97

Re X (Revocations of Testamentary Guardianship) [2020] EWFC 33

Re Al M (Assurances and Waiver) [2020] EWHC 67 (Fam)

Re Al M (Publication) [2020] EWHC 122 (Fam)

Re Al M (Children) [2020] EWCA Civ 283

Re Al M (Fact Finding) [2019] EWHC 3415 (Fam)

PQ v RS and Others (Legal Parenthood: Written Consent) [2019] EWFC 65

LR v A Local Authority & Ors (Application to Terminate Appointment of Guardian) [2019] EWFC 49

A Local Authority v M & Ors (Placement Order) [2019] EWFC 50

ZH v HS & Ors (Application to Revoke Adoption Order) [2019] EWHC 2190 (Fam)

Poole Borough Council v GN (through his Litigation Friend ‘the Official Solicitor) & Anor [2019] UKSC 25

Re ST (A Child) (Surrogacy: Iran) [2018] EWHC 3439.

AB v CD [2018] EWHC 1590 (Fam)

In the Matter of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 (Case K) [2017] EWHC 50 (Fam)

In the Matter of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 (Case K) (No.2) [2017] EWHC 783 (Fam)

F v M & Others (Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants intervening) [2017] EWHC 949 (Fam)

Re H (A Child: Surrogacy Breakdown) [2017] EWCA Civ 1798

Re TG (A Child: Future Care Arrangements) [2017] EWFC 85

Re K (A Child) [2016] EWCA Civ 931

In the Matter of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 (Case O) [2016] EWHC 2273 (Fam)

In the Matter of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 (Case L) [2016] EWHC 2266 (Fam)

A v A [2015] EWHC 3397 (Fam)

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