Children
At Proudmans, we advise and represent parents, family members and young people across all areas of children law. These cases are often highly sensitive and emotionally complex, requiring not only technical excellence but careful, strategic handling. Our focus is always on securing outcomes that prioritise the child’s welfare while protecting our clients’ position.
Our work in this field is distinguished by its depth and impact. Led by highly acclaimed barrister Dr Charlotte Proudman, our team has appeared in over 70 published judgments, a body of work that places us among the most, if not the most, experienced and widely cited
practitioners in children law. Many of these cases are landmark decisions which have shaped the development of the law, particularly in relation to domestic abuse and the protection of
women and children.
Our approach
We are specialists in complex fact-finding hearings involving allegations of domestic abuse, coercive control and sexual violence. Our approach ensures that cases are prepared
thoroughly, evidence is rigorously tested, and our clients are properly supported throughout the process. Our work extends across a number of significant High Court and appellate
decisions, including successful appeals correcting failures to properly assess domestic abuse, ensure participation measures for vulnerable parties, and apply the correct legal framework in children cases. Through this body of work, we have contributed to a measurable shift in how allegations of abuse are evidenced and determined.
Our casework has been at the forefront of legal change. We have been involved in seminal authorities including Re H-N and Others (Children) (Domestic Abuse: Fact-Finding Hearings), which confirmed that coercive and controlling behaviour is an insidious and coercive form of abuse. In Re B-B, the court recognised gaslighting as a form of domestic abuse, marking a significant development in how psychological harm is understood within family proceedings.
We have also acted in Griffiths v Tickle, a leading Court of Appeal authority on transparency in family proceedings in which Dr Proudman represented former Member of Parliament Kate Kniveton. It was a highly case involving findings of rape and abuse which attracted significant media attention. Our work in Re P (Service on Parent in a Refuge) before the President of the Family Division established critical safeguards to protect the location and safety of women in refuges and included the first judicial recognition of “intersectionality” in this context. In Re GB, the court addressed the misuse of “parental alienation” arguments and provided the first legal definition of DARVO (deny, attack and reverse victim and offender), a concept now increasingly recognised in domestic abuse litigation.
Landmark cases and impact
Services
International children proceedngs
We act in all aspects of private children law, including arrangements for where a child lives and spends time, relocation (both domestic and international), specific issue and prohibited steps applications, and cases involving serious allegations of harm. Many of our cases have an international dimension, and we regularly coordinate with lawyers across jurisdictions to manage cross-border disputes effectively. We are particularly experienced in international child abduction matters, including proceedings under the Hague Convention where Article 13(b) is relied upon as a defence grounded in domestic abuse. Dr Charlotte Proudman appeared in the leading case of Re TKJ (Abduction: Hague Convention (Italy)), acting for the mother in proceedings brought by the father seeking the child’s return to Italy. The court accepted that the mother was a victim of domestic abuse, including coercive and controlling behaviour, and upheld the Article 13(b) defence, refusing the father’s application for summary return.
Experts
Welfare at the centre
We work closely with leading experts, including psychologists, therapists and medical professionals, ensuring that each case is supported by appropriate, high-quality specialist input. We are also acutely aware of the risks associated with both regulated and unregulated experts, particularly in the context of so-called “parental alienation”. Our team has successfully challenged and appealed decisions where such experts have been inappropriately instructed to opine on alienation, ensuring that expert evidence is properly scrutinised and that only reliable, relevant expertise informs the court’s decision-making.
The child’s welfare is central to every case. We ensure that the court has a clear understanding of the child’s lived experience and that outcomes promote safety, stability and long-term wellbeing.
Unconventional family structures
We act for a diverse range of families, including unmarried parents, LGBTQIA+ families and those with international or non-traditional structures. Whatever your circumstances, we provide clear, strategic advice grounded in exceptional experience and a proven track record in some of the most significant children cases before the courts today.