Eleanor joined Chambers in 2009 following her successful completion of pupillage at Chambers.

She studied at The Queen’s College, Oxford, before completing her legal studies in London, where she was awarded the Erskine Chambers Prize for Drafting.

Her practice is focused predominately on public law family proceedings and she is frequently instructed to act on behalf of Local Authorities, as well as acting for parents and Guardians. During her pupillage she spent two months on secondment in the Child Care section of Hampshire County Council Legal Practice undertaking case management. This gave her a unique insight into both public law family proceedings in general and the work of child care solicitors in particular.
Eleanor accepts instructions in a wide range of family law cases and related matters, including private law children cases, domestic abuse injunctions, matrimonial finance, probate and trust of land disputes.  She is noted for combining proven academic ability with an empathetic approach to clients.

Notable Cases
Re W (Children) [2010] UKSC 12 - Second Junior for the Respondent Local Authority in the Father’s appeal to the Supreme Court against the refusal of the trial judge to direct that his 14 year old step-daughter should give evidence in ongoing care proceedings. The Supreme Court considered the general principles to be applied by the Court when determining whether a child should give evidence in family proceedings and allowed the appeal on the basis that the existing law is not compatible with the approach of the European Court of Human Rights.

Represented the Respondent Father in a 12 day final hearing in care proceedings, split over 6 months, where the Local Authority’s final care plan was for adoption and this was supported by the Children’s Guardian and the Independent Social Worker and was opposed by both parents. The Court rejected the Local Authority’s care plan and the child remained in the primary care of her Mother under a Supervision Order with the Father having unsupervised contact.