St John’s Chambers is one of the leading sets on the Western Circuit for public and private child law work.”

The Legal 500 2024, Family: Children and Domestic Violence

Voted ‘Regional Family Law Chambers of the Year’ at the Family Law Awards 2023 and nominated again in 2024

Our specialist barristers are able to provide expert advice and representation in disputes involving unmarried couples whether this relates to cohabitation disputes involving the Trusts of Land and Appointment of Trustees Act 1996 (TOLATA) or financial provision for children, by way of school fees, provision for the costs of disability of other financial provision under Schedule 1 of the Children Act 1989.

We also represent family members and other intervenors in divorce proceedings with issues relating to ToLATA or otherwise.

We advise in both contentious and non-contentious cases, acting at every level of Tribunal and Court, both in the UK and overseas. Our cases include instructions from private individuals in domestic disputes and advising where one or more of the parties may lack capacity.

We have particular expertise in high net worth and international cases.

A number of our barristers are expert mediators and arbitrators and can deal with ToLATA and Schedule 1 claims in this capacity. We offer Arbitration in both financial remedy and Children Act matters and are the only Set in the South West offering this service. Download brochure here

Zoë Saunders was involved in the high-profile ToLATA case of Hudson v Hathway [2022] EWCA Civ 1648.

Our clerking team are always accessible, and take care and time to understand the case or the individual personalities involved when recommending individual barristers.

Public Access

Some members of the team are also available to act, where appropriate, for members of the public, under the Public Access scheme. Read more.

Publications and training

The team includes published authors, members who run their own Family Law blogs, and members who write regularly for Family Law Week, the Family Law journal and for other legal publications.

The team also offers a series of free CPD-accredited training events in Chambers, and members regularly conduct bespoke seminars at solicitors’ offices, or at other venues throughout the UK. Keeping up to date with family law and sharing knowledge is really important to us. For more information, please contact our family clerks on 0117 923 4720 or email [email protected].

View our Divorce & Financial Remedy digital book here for further details about how we can help you.

ToLATA Team

Jacqueline Humphreys

Jacqueline Humphreys

  • Call: 1994

Jacqueline is a confident and highly competent advocate, specialising in the financial aspects of relationship breakdown. She rejoined the St John’s Chambers Family & Divorce team from a chambers in Birmingham where she had an enviable reputation for...

View profile

Zoë Saunders

  • Call: 2003

Zoë has extensive experience of advising and representing clients in relation to disputes involving ToLATA and additional issues which often accompany them such as civil and partnership disputes, intervention in matrimonial financial remedy cases, Proceeds of Crime Act...

View profile

Jody Atkinson

  • Call: 2005

Jody specialises in family financial work including wills and trusts. He is able to bring his wide experience in these areas to resolving the most complex and challenging disputes. Jody’s divorce and financial remedy practice focuses on the...

View profile
Oliver Riley

Oliver Riley

  • Call: 2013

Oliver is an experienced ToLATA practitioner and is regularly instructed to provide advice prior to the issue of proceedings, as well as acting on behalf of both claimants and defendants in litigated disputes. His work has included claims...

View profile
Harriet Dudbridge

Harriet Dudbridge

  • Call: 2015

Harriet is a specialist family law barrister who practises in the following areas: Children Private Law Children Public Law Schedule 1 Children Act 1989 Divorce & Financial Remedies Part IV Family Law Act 1996 (Domestic Violence) ToLATA 1996...

View profile
Georgina Swinglehurst

Georgina Swinglehurst

  • Call: 2019

Georgina is a specialist family law barrister who acts in all areas of private family law, specifically financial remedy proceedings, private children disputes, issues of jurisdiction including international child relocation, cohabitation disputes and applications under the FLA 1996...

View profile

Vivien Croly

  • Call: 2019

Vivien has a fast-growing practice in cohabitation disputes involving ToLATA 1996. Vivien has recently been nominated for ‘Family Law Young Barrister of the Year’ at the Family Law Awards 2024. She provides advice at an early stage to both...

View profile

Directory Quotes

A lengthy roster of silks and juniors with invaluable expertise in a wide range of family and matrimonial matters. Chambers has good quality and experienced counsel available to deal with all aspects of cases and all levels of complexity.”

Chambers UK 2024, Family/Matrimonial

St John’s Chambers is one of the leading sets on the Western Circuit for public and private child law work.”

The Legal 500 2024, Family: Children and Domestic Violence

St John’s Chambers is a strong set for divorce adn financial remedy work, with several barristers, including a KC, well-known across the Western Circuit for acting in high-value and technically complex cases.”

The Legal 500 2024, Family: Divorce and Financial Remedy

All of the barristers at St John’s are extremely capable of dealing with all types of matters, from simple cases through to incredibly complicated and contentious ones.”

Chambers UK 2023, Family & Matrimonial

The clerks are always available at the end of the phone or by email. If any issue arises they will go above and beyond in order to find a solution so that there is minimal difficulty to the instructing solicitor. A truly faultless service.”

Chambers UK 2023, Family & Matrimonial (Client Service)

St John’s Chambers is a very strong family set, housing a team which covers all aspects of family law.”

Legal 500 2023, Family & Children Law

St John’s Chambers is very efficient and counsel are exceptional.”

Legal 500 2023, Family & Children Law (Client Service)

St John’s Chambers has a lengthy roster of silks and juniors with invaluable expertise in a wide range of family and matrimonial matters. Members are particularly skilled at handling cross-jurisdictional matters for high net worth individuals, especially those concerning the division of assets as part of divorce proceedings. The barristers are frequently called upon to assist with the most complex public children mandates encompassing sexual abuse, brain injury and trafficking matters, and also take on private work such as Children Act proceedings. ‘It is an excellent chambers with strength at all levels,’ one interviewee notes.”

Chambers UK 2022, Family/Matrimonial

Luke Hodgson, practice manager, gives a service which feels tailored to the individual. This is mirrored by his team, whose response times to a request are always impressive. The chambers is very organised and very well run. The clerks go above and beyond and are very quick to respond to enquiries. The clerking team are friendly, approachable and extremely efficient, always exceeding expectations.”

Chambers UK 2022, Family/Matrimonial (Client Service)

Excellent set’ St John’s Chambers is ‘a go-to’ chambers in the South West for hard working, knowledgeable and good quality barristers across the board in the arena of family law.”

Legal 500 2022, Family and Children Law

St John’s Chambers has a lengthy roster of silks and juniors with invaluable expertise in a wide range of family and matrimonial matters. Members are particularly skilled at handling cross-jurisdictional matters for high net worth individuals, especially those concerning the division of assets as part of divorce proceedings. The barristers are frequently called upon to assist with the most complex public children mandates encompassing sexual abuse, brain injury and trafficking matters, and also take on private work such as Children Act proceedings. ‘St John’s is our first choice of chambers on the Western Circuit. What sets them apart is the breadth and depth of their membership,” one source says.’ “

Chambers UK 2021, Family/Matrimonial

Luke Hodgson is the practice manager for the family team and Elaine Jewell-Moore, the family law practice team leader, is described as ‘particularly great, prompt and efficient.’ “

Chambers UK 2021, Family & Divorce (Client Service)

St John’s Chambers is home to a large team of family barristers specialising in high-profile public and private family matters on the Western Circuit.”

Legal 500 2021, Family and Children Law

Client Quotes

Solid set of family law barristers from most senior to most junior. Excellent support and collaboration provided to their up and coming juniors.”

Legal 500 client feedback

St John’s are very well respected in Bristol and the South West, used by our team across our offices. They have a range of specialisms and have assisted in cases involving children, complex finances and unmarried couples.”

Legal 500 client feedback

Seminars & Events

Get in touch or request a callback

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.