Ranked Second Tier in The Legal 500 (2025) for Children Law.
Ranked Band 2 in Chambers and Partners (2025) for Family: Children.
‘Karen’s middle name is tenacious. She is formidable on her feet and an incredibly strong and effective advocate, who is always thoroughly prepared.’ – The Legal 500 (2025)
“Karen combines a strong intellect with exceptional client care, while maintaining a reputation as a fighter.’ – The Legal 500 (2023)
“Karen has a formidable intellect and makes her points in a persuasive and nuanced way.” – The Legal 500 (2022)
Overview
As a senior junior with some 20 years’ experience in all aspects of family law, Karen is a heavy hitter in this sector. She is highly regarded by her colleagues, the judiciary and her loyal clients who routinely instruct her. She “provides extremely strong advocacy and relates to clients.” (Chambers and Partners, 2024).
Karen has an exceptional breadth of knowledge and understanding of law and practice with her thorough and analytical consideration of complex and difficult cases and her dynamic approach. This can be seen when Karen is dealing with difficult VHCC cases where she has been led and has led junior barristers against Silks, representing the LA, parents, grandparents, and children. “Karen is very incisive and very good on the law. She is very forensic and not scared to get stuck in and challenge the other side.” – (Chambers and Partners, 2024)
Karen is committed to ensuring the best outcome for her clients and represents with equal tenacity to local authorities, parents (and other family members), and children (through their guardians and on their own) in serious and multifaceted cases. These include complex medical and mental health issues, serious and multiple non-accidental injuries, child death, sexual abuse, poisoning, fabricated illness, neglect, and cases involving international and human rights issues. Her professional approach, sensible and considered advice, and dedication to her cases keep her in high demand throughout the North East Circuit. “Karen fights tooth and nail for her clients. She is bright and a very hard worker.” – (Chambers and Partners, 2024)
Within Park Square Barristers’, Karen sits as:
- Head of Finance
- Head of Private Family Team
- Head of Wellbeing Team
Children Work
Karen is regularly involved in significant and serious injury cases, including the death of a child, multiple and unusual injuries, cases involving unusual genetic conditions, serious head injury cases, shaken babies, salt poisonings, honour-based killings, FGM, and forced marriage cases.
She is highly experienced in difficult sexual abuse allegations cases, both in public and private law, including representing the alleged perpetrator and the child. Karen is also regularly involved in cases where the inherent jurisdiction is invoked. Karen also consistently appears in international and human rights cases, both in care and in private law, including cases involving allegations of international child trafficking, habitual residence and comity, and forum non-convenience arguments.
She is experienced in the most difficult private law disputes, including coercive and controlling behaviour and parental alienation cases.
Karen has an understanding of mental health issues associated with allegations of abusive parenting, including postpartum psychosis, factious illness disorder, and parental alienating behaviours.
Vulnerable Witness
In addition, Karen is a vulnerable witness trained with experience putting into practice, including the examination of a child witness. Karen is experienced working with vulnerable adults, including those with learning disabilities and other disorders and parties within the Court of Protection arena.
Private Law
- Domestic Abuse and Coercive Control
- Interfamilial Sexual Abuse
- Contact
- Domestic Violence
- Parental Alienation
- Implacable Hostility
- International relocation
- Removal from the Jurisdiction
Public Law
- Serious Non-accidental Injuries and Child Death
- Significant Neglect
- Sexual abuse
- Domestic Violence
- Drug and Alcohol Misuse
- Poisoning
- Factitious Illness
- Female Genital Mutilation
- Representation of children and vulnerable young persons
- Relinquished Babies
- Breakdown of Adoption
- Applications under the Inherent Jurisdiction
- Protections of Vulnerable Young persons including Dangerous Association
- Human Rights Applications
- Jurisdictional Issues including placing Children Abroad.
- Cases involving cultural or international elements.
Notable and Reported Children Law Cases
- Re M [2024]– rep of M in 3 week alleged salt poisoning case where 8 intervenors.
- Re B [2023]– KL led Oliver Latham in shaken baby case against silks for the LA and Parents
- Re A [2022]– representation of a child where allegations of interfamilial sexual abuse, child gave evidence, KL directly involved in agreeing the Q to the child with the Silk for the alleged perpetrator having been Vulnerable Witness Trained.
- Re H [2023] – international case before the High Court where complex legal issues regarding Habitual Residence, International Comity and Forum Non Conveniens.
- Re A [2022]– representation of the father in care proceedings where it was alleged that he had been involved in an Honour Based Killing.
- Re S [2023]: Care Proceedings; High Court; Representation of grandparents in case where the father killed the mother with issues as to where the children should reside and contact with the father.
- Re L: [2020]: High Court. Representation of the children in a care case involving a child death with complex medical and factual issues and where there were considerable breaches of the children’s human rights.
- Re D v E (Termination of Parental Responsibility) [2021] EWFC 37: Private law proceedings. Karen represented the Mother in an application to terminate the father’s parental responsibility.
- Re M [2019]: Care Proceedings; Representation of a mother in care proceedings facing allegations of Factitious Illness involving voluminous medical records with multiple discipline expert evidence was required. Karen successfully challenged the LA case and the children were returned home.
- Re S [2018}: Care Proceedings: Representation of a foreign national parent in Adoption proceedings where the country of origin intervened, evidence was taken from family members and social work assessors from abroad as well as challenges to the use of foreign judgements in UK courts. Karen successfully challenged the LA case and the children were returned home.
- Re R [2017]: Human Rights Act: Representation of grandmother in care proceedings where against LA and CG successfully argued the return of the child to grandmothers care as well as successfully representing her in a Human Rights Claim against the LA arising out of the LA considerable failings in the case.
- Re W: [2016]: High Court; Representation of Adopted Parents in a Adoption Act case where there has been a breakdown of placement and where there was consideration to be given to separating the adopted children.
- Re: L & P [2015]: Warship Proceedings; High Court Proceedings where acted for the LA for an injunction under the Inherent Jurisdiction where the risk was risk of sexual harm form association. Issues were relating to Mental Capacity under the Mental Health Capacity Act 2005.
- Re: CG [2014]: Representation of the children in International Child Abduction Case.
- Re: S [2013]: Care Proceedings; Court of Appeal: Acted for father where allegations of sexual abuse were set against allegations of coaching. The case was appealed to the court of Appeal. Counsel was lead by Janel Bazley QC
- Re: C [2012] Care Proceedings: Representation of the father where father successfully applied to reopen a finding of fact. Counsel was lead.
- Re: M [2010]: International Law; Represented of the mother in proceedings for permission to remove a child to a Non Brussels II country.
Articles
Latham O and Lennon K, ‘Consent – does it matter?’ [2023] Fam Law 1207
Contact Karen’s clerks
In the financial arena, Karen is a discerning advocate who grapples easily with cases involving multi assets, complex business accounts, limited and unlimited companies and partnerships and is regularly instructed in cases involving high value assets. As the Head of the Finance team consisting of 13 members, she has represented clients where the asset value exceed six figures. She is also equally adept at dealing with co-habitation cases with experience in Land Tribunals, applications under TOLATA and Schedule 1 Applications. Additionally, she sits as a Private FDR Judge.
Karen regularly delivers seminars on Family Finance law, along with sitting in family (care and private) and finance. She has created and delivers, on an annual basis, in house training on “Introduction to Financial Remedies”.
Areas of expertise
Karen has a dynamic understanding and experience with the following areas:
- Finances on Divorce
- Trust of Land and Appointment of Trustee Applications
- Land Tribunal Applications
- Schedule 1 Applications
Training
Karen is a bar representative of the Local Family Justice Board in York engaging and contributing to the meetings and subcommittees and research, she also arranges the annual conference. She regularly gives seminars in all areas in which she practises.
Contact Karen’s clerks
Court of Protection
Karen has represented the official solicitor in care proceeding. Karen also acted in deprivation of liberty applications for the LA, child, and CG, and appeared in Court of Protection cases on behalf of the vulnerable person.
Contact Karen’s clerks
Paul Foster (Senior Court of Protection Clerk) on 0113 213 5209
