Education
- Davenant Foundation School, Essex
- Christ Church, Oxford – PPE – Upper Second
- Hope University, Liverpool – PGCE - Distinction
- Chester College of Law – GDL – Distinction
- Manchester Metropolitan University – BPTC – Outstanding
Professional Associations
- Northern Circuit
- FLBA
- PIBA
Awards
- Top Barrister of her Call, Lincoln’s Inn, 28th July 2016
- Buchanan Prize, Lincoln’s Inn, 2016
- Top Student Profile Prize, MMU BPTC, 2016
- Accredited Civil and Commercial Mediator, ADR Group, 2016
- Dykes Solicitors Land Law Prize, 2015
Profile
Claire joined Chambers in 2018 having undertaken a Family Law pupillage under the supervision of Miss Susan Deas, during which she specialised in financial remedy and private children’s proceedings. Claire became familiar with complex financial matters, including issues around company valuation, farming and property businesses and inherited wealth.
Since being in practice, Claire has undertaken a wide range of private and public family matters, including ancillary relief work to FDR and Final Hearing. In Children’s Act proceedings, Claire acts for parents, children and Local Authorities across the North-West and beyond. She is also regularly instructed in civil hearings including small claim and fast track trials. Claire is building a busy court-based practice, however, she is also able to provide prompt written advice in all areas of family law.
Prior to joining Chambers Claire had a professional background in banking and education and she gained a wealth of practical advocacy experience from six years spent leading the largest professional trade union branch in the North-West. As an active trade unionist, Claire had daily involvement in dispute management and resolution, often within long-running, complex situations and this has given her a pragmatic approach to solving clients’ problems.
In her civil practice, Claire acts in personal injury cases and is regularly instructed in claims arising out of RTAs, acting for both Claimants and Defendants.
Notable Cases
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Family – Private Children’s Act Proceedings
CS v DP
Representing the Respondent father following a six year relationship, and defending him within a Finding of Fact Hearing against significant allegations of domestic abuse (all his contact with the child being supervised at a contact centre), Claire secured an outcome whereby no findings were made against her client; the court made adverse findings of fact against the Mother and immediately ordered unsupervised weekly contact with the father.
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Family – Financial Remedy Proceedings
W v W
Representing the Applicant Wife at Financial Dispute Resolution, after a relatively short marriage with no children and where there were significant assets in a foreign jurisdiction, Claire negotiated a final settlement by way of lump sum payment for the Wife which represented a 375% increase from the Husband’s opening position.
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Family – Domestic Abuse and Children’s Proceedings
C v B
Claire represented a 21 year old father who had been accused of violent behaviour by his ex-partner (Litigant in person) and denied any contact with his young child. Taking over the case part way through, Claire advised issue of father’s own Non-molestation and Children’s Act applications. The Family Law Act applications were dealt with through cross-undertakings and supervised contact started immediately. Claire represented through to Final Hearing of the Child Arrangements application where an Order for extensive unsupervised contact was agreed by consent.
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Family - TOLATA proceedings
T v H
Claire represented the Claimant who co-owned two properties with his ex-partner (the Defendant) and had been unable to sell the property he had use of, or be released from the mortgage of the property occupied by the Defendant. At the first Directions Hearing, Claire negotiated a final settlement involving orders for sale of both properties and drafted a Tomlin Order which was approved by the Court.
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Family – Financial Remedy Proceedings
S v S
Representing the Applicant Wife, who was caring for five children of the family, one with significant disabilities, at Financial Dispute Resolution, Claire negotiated a final settlement which saw the entirety of the sale proceeds of the Former Matrimonial Home safeguarded for the Applicant’s housing needs.
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Family - Children’s Act Proceedings
DH v CG
Representing the Respondent full time carer mother where a previously abusive father had applied for shared care and, having undertaken some targeted domestic abuse work, secured the recommendation of the Children in Need social worker for his application. Claire challenged the social worker’s conclusions at Final Hearing through cross examination and submissions and persuaded the Court to reject her proposal and make a Child Arrangements order which provided the Respondent mother with a ‘lives with’ order and protected her primary care role by allocating her the significant majority of the time spent with the child.
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Family - Children’s Act Proceedings
HD v WB
Representing the Respondent father, Claire made a successful application to the court for disclosure of the child’s medical records in the face of allegations by the Applicant mother that contact with Claire’s client was causing psychological harm. These allegations were then withdrawn and a final order secured for regular unrestricted contact with the father.
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Family Law Act Proceedings
SJ v HF
Claire represented the Respondent at Final Hearing, securing the dismissal of both an application to commit her client to prison for breach of undertakings already given and an application for a non-molestation order.
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Family – Financial Remedy Proceedings
L v L
Claire Athis, representing the Husband in Financial Remedy proceedings, secured the dismissal of all the Wife’s claims by showing the Wife should be held to a previous agreement, under which the Husband had already paid out a lump sum, against his solicitor’s advice. The previous agreement was approved by the court as the Final Order.
