Lucy Reed
Call 2002 (Lincoln Inn)
Qualifications Bar Vocational Course, Inns of Court School of Law (2002), PGDip Law/CPE City University (2001), MRes Humanities & Cultural Studies, Birkbeck, University of London (1998) BA(Hons) Exon English Studies (1997)
Professional Memberships Family Law Bar Association, Human Rights Lawyers Association.
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Areas of Practice
Family
Lucy has practiced in family law throughout her professional career. Her practice now spans all areas of family law with a particular emphasis on children work. In public law children cases she acts for parents, children and local authorities. Lucy has experience of handling cases in cases involving non-accidental injury, mental health or learning difficulties, substance abuse and addiction, sexual abuse and domestic violence.
Lucy also has experience of child abduction work (including Hague Convention, the inherent jurisdiction and related s8 proceedings, for example obtaining the necessary passport and injunctive orders from the High Court to prevent the re-abduction of children from this jurisdiction upon their return pursuant to the making of Hague orders for return in the receiving country, and subsequently successfully resisting the abducting parents’ application for leave to permanently remove the children back to that country (Australia) and of children work with an international element such as s8 proceedings where issues of jurisdiction / habitual or ordinary residence arise, and both private and public law cases where there are immigration issues relating to one or both parents (or the child). She also has experience of international adoption work.
Her practice also encompasses financial matters and Pt IV Family Law Act injunctive work.
Additionally, Lucy has some experience of acting for parents at SENDIST and Child Support Tribunals and retains an interest in education law since undertaking a considerable amount of work in this field as a pupil.
Lucy strives to combine a direct style of advocacy with thoroughness and tenacity. Lucy prides herself on an ability to communicate with clients, placing an emphasis on putting anxious clients at ease and ensuring that they are given realistic expectations of what will happen in their case.
Direct Access
Lucy is qualified to undertake Direct Access work in appropriate cases, for further information, please visit our Direct Access page.
Recommendations
Legal 500 2011
- Lucy Reed has an “impressive ability to get to the crux of a complicated and messy dispute”.
Seminars
Lucy has given seminars on the following topics:
- Family Procedure Rules 2010 – Preparing for Change Seminar
- Family Proceedings In The Public Eye
- Contact: Hard Cases – Bad Law?
- Children Act Case Law
- Spousal Maintenance post Miller and McFarlane
- Ancillary Relief – Costs
Publications
- Falling on Deaf Ears (Solicitors Journal, 27 June 2011)
- Ignore the warnings about legal aid changes and risk meltdown in courts (Guardian, 23 June 2011)
- Section 91(14) Orders – A Never Ending Story? (Family Law Week, June 2011)
- Family Courts without a lawyer – a Handbook for Litigants in Person Bath Publishing, May 2011
- The Family Procedure Rules 2010, Busy Solicitors’ Digest, (Lawtel doc nos AB0000744, AB0000745, AB0000746)
- Publication of Information in Children Matters – Children Schools & Families Act 2010 [2010] Fam Law 708
- Placement, Assessment & Adoption Overseas after A (A child) [2009] EWCA Civ 41, Family Law Week
- North v North: Revisiting Periodical Payments [Aug 07] Family Law Week
- McKenzie Friends in Family Proceedings [2005] Fam Law 820
- The Draft Mental Incapacity Bill [2003] Fam Law 771
Podcasts
- Contact Enforcement: The New Provisions (Family Law Week 2009)
Lucy has also contributed articles to in-house publications at her previous chambers dealing with (for example) Bankruptcy in Ancillary Relief Proceedings, and Interim Care Orders in Private Law Proceedings.
Other
In 2010 Lucy was awarded a scholarship by the Alexander Maxwell Law Scholarship Trust in respect of her publication Family Courts without a lawyer – a Handbook for Litigants in Person.
Her recent article dealing with the CSFA was extensively quoted and commended by Munby LJ when he delivered the 2010 Hershman Levy Memorial Lecture.
In March 2011 Lucy was named one of The Times’ best legal bloggers for her Pink Tape family law blog. In May 2011 The Guardian described Lucy as “one of the best legal bloggers for style and content”.. Lucy also contributes to the Family Law Week Blog.
Lucy has been actively involved since 2009 with the Family Law Bar Association, attending meetings at the House of Lords, Children’s Commissioner and the Family Justice Review Panel in respect of legal aid and family justice reform. She is a member of the Family Law Bar Association National Committee.
