Sarah Phillimore
Call 1994
Qualifications University College, London
Professional Memberships Family Law Bar Association, Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association, Association of Lawyers for Children
Awards J A C Thomas Bar Scholarship (UCL), Lincoln’s Inn Shelford Major Scholarship, Lincoln’s Inn Hardwicke Scholarship
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Background
Sarah began to specialise in family law at the Bar in 1999 after working as a lecturer at the City University in land law and trusts and as a lawyer with the Law Commission.
Areas of Practice
Children
Sarah has extensive experience in Public Law proceedings appearing at all court levels for Parents, Guardians, Interveners and Local Authorities. She also deals with all other Children Act work with and has experience of cases with jurisdictional issues and Hague Convention matters.
Sarah has experience in the field of Judicial Review; her most recent case involved a successful application for a declaration that a Local Authority had acted unlawfully in removing foster children from their carer without consulting him.
She has also gained experience in the field of asylum and immigration law after representing clients at the Immigration Tribunal from 2003-5 which has given her an increased appreciation of the application of the ECHR in domestic law, notably Articles 6 and 8.
Sarah spent a sabbatical year in Perth Western Australia in 2008 where she worked as a paralegal with a specialist family law firm and gained experience of the ‘Australian model’ of presumed shared care of children after relationship breakdown.
Family Finance
Sarah also regularly deals with mid to high net worth Ancillary Relief matters, ToLATA and Schedule 1 Children Act matters and is always happy to provide written opinions in all types of work.
Reported Cases
- Local Authority: R (Bewry) v Norfolk County Council [2010] EWHC 2545 (Admin)
(Queen’s Bench Division (Administrative Court); Holman J; 6 October 2010) A local authority case in which the court considered to what degree a foster carer needs to be consulted before it removes the child in their care. - Re A (Care Proceedings: Asylum Seekers) [2003] 2 FLR 921 FD
Care – Immigration – Family subject to removal directions. Father implied he might kill himself and children. Assessments found no real risk to children. Parents supporting continuation of care proceedings – whether proceedings to continue. - Re B (Disclosure to Other Parties) [2001] 2 FLR 1017
Disclosure – Care proceedings relating to four children. Father of one of the children seeking disclosure of all documents filed in court proceedings. European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.
