Practices exclusively in Family and Matrimonial Law

Mrs Martin has been practising in all areas of Family Law for over 30 years. She has extensive experience and has conducted many cases of weight and complexity, acting for all parties.

Ancillary Relief

• Instructed as Leading Counsel in high value ancillary relief, representing the Respondent. High value case in which there were issues as to whether assets held abroad were acquired by way of money laundering and whether assets held by third parties / and limited companies formed part of the family assets. Matter successfully concluded avoiding the need for final hearing.

• Acted on behalf of wife applicant in bitterly contested ancillary relief case involving assets upwards of £2million. Issues as to the precise value of land with varying prospects of development potential. Other complex issues relating to family trusts.

• Acted for tetraplegic husband respondent; short marriage, all assets derived from personal injury compensation many years before. Decree Absolute many years before; delay; wife’s written promise to make no claim reneged upon by her 10 years later.

• Setting aside ancillary relief order for lump sum made in the deliberate absence of husband on discovery that a punitive land tax on assets abroad would prevent the realisation of sufficient funds to satisfy the lump sum order.

Care Proceedings

• Represented mother in care proceedings re: surviving children. Mother had caused death of child a few days after birth by accidental overlaying; rib fractures found. In issue was whether mother had deliberately inflicted the fractures or whether they were also accidental. Rib fractures found not to be deliberate.

• Represented mother in care proceedings. Infant child with broken thigh. One parent did it but which? Split trial. Causation hearing. On disposal hearing mother exonerated.

• Currently instructed on behalf of mother in care proceedings re: surviving child. Infant died a few weeks old of brain haemorrhage. Baby shaking or natural causes?

• Representing guardians across a range of sexual abuse, emotional abuse and neglect. Mother’s pretence of deafness abusive to her children. Allegations of prolonged sexual abuse by father yet daughters found still to be virgo intacta.

• Experience also includes acting on behalf of local authorities.

Other matters

• Representing husband in application for Judicial Separation and ancillary relief against severely brain damaged wife. Wife represented by Official Solicitor.

• Husband and wife marry abroad on holiday. Come home and marry again. Divorce initially obtained on second marriage. Which marriage is the real one? Have any criminal offences been committed? Advice was that first marriage was the only valid marriage; how to amend the Decree Nisi; no apparent criminal offences.

• Use of interlocutory applications in the Queen’s Bench and Chancery Divisions to defeat attempts by husbands to use spurious civil actions to defeat wives’ claims to matrimonial assets.

• Representing mother in repeated applications by her mother for residence orders in respect of the grand children

• Represented foreign father in 3 day contested child abduction proceedings including live evidence. Children ordered to return. Currently under appeal.

Memberships:

Family Law Bar Association

Bar European Group

Professional Negligence Bar Association

Board Member; English Rural Housing Association

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