Jennifer Smith – 2016

Jennifer Smith is a popular family practitioner and is willing to accept instructions in all family disciplines.

Prior to her family practice, Jennifer practised as a Solicitor’s Agent on the Western Circuit and attended court for a wide variety of cases including insolvency, Consumer Credit Act disputes, landlord and tenant disputes, mortgage disputes, general applications under the CPR, case management and infant settlements.

Jennifer has a very busy practice of Private Law, Public Law, applications under Part IV Family Law Act 1996 (Domestic Violence) and Finances.

Jennifer represents local authorities, parents, children (through their guardians), other family members and other interveners in care proceedings. Jennifer is regularly instructed to represent parents and other family members in applications under section 8 Children Act 1989.

Jennifer conducts a variety of hearings from first hearings to final hearings in all family disciplines. She conducts finding of fact hearings involving allegations of emotional, psychological, physical and sexual abuse against both parents and children. Jennifer was instructed as junior counsel on a three-week fact-finding hearing involving Queen’s Counsel regarding allegations of sexual abuse. Jennifer has also appeared in the High Court at the Royal Courts of Justice in a case involving a dispute over which parent should be granted permission to take charge over their child’s funeral and where and how their child’s body should be disposed of. The case involved legal argument for which Jennifer was successful.

Jennifer is popular with both professional and lay clients for her sensitive yet robust approach. She regularly receives positive feedback from both lay and professional clients. Jennifer is calm and approachable and has been praised for her ability to manage the expectations and emotions of her clients. Jennifer has experience of representing a wide variety of clients, including those with additional needs. Her robust and succinct advocacy has been commended, as has her witness handling skills. She prides herself on her attention to detail and thorough preparation. She is very popular with professional clients for her swift updates and quick turnaround of attendance notes after hearings.