Lucy is an associate in Russell-Cooke’s specialist children law team, with a broad practise of both public and private children law matters. Lucy has particular expertise representing parents in public care proceedings and has worked on complex matters involving sexual risk to children, non-accidental injury, domestic abuse, fabricated or induced illness and babies relinquished at birth. Lucy has been involved in a number of cases in which deprivation of liberty orders have been imposed upon children in the High Court. 

Lucy’s experience also covers all aspects of private children law. Lucy advises parents when there are disputes about where a child should live, and how often they should spend time with another parent, and cases where a parent wishes to relocate with their child whether in the UK or overseas. Lucy is also experienced in adoption, abduction and surrogacy matters and regularly assists our specialist family building team in relation to such matters. 

Lucy is an experienced advocate, frequently performing her own advocacy at court on a variety of matters. Recent examples of Lucy’s cases and court advocacy include representing an international client in a 1980 Hague Convention Article 21 contact case, representing clients to obtain or respond to applications for non-molestation orders and representing a client in order to oppose a child’s relocation within the UK. 

Lucy joined Russell-Cooke as a trainee in 2021 and qualified into the children team in 2023. Lucy studied English Literature at the University of Cambridge before obtaining a Distinction in Law and Legal Practice from the University of Law.

• Advice in relation to children when parents separate
• Domestic and international relocation with children
• Injunctions and protective measures, including prohibited steps orders, specific issue orders, occupation and non-molestation orders
• Public care proceedings and social services involvement with families
• Special Guardianship Order advice
• Public and private adoption
• Abduction (Hague Convention) proceedings
• Domestic and international surrogacy arrangements
• Modern family law matters and LGBTQ+ family law, including cases involving trans parents or children with gender incongruence or gender curiosity