Caroline Leggeat

PROFILE

Caroline Leggeat has specialised in the law relating to child protection and adoption for over 30 years.

Caroline practised as a solicitor for twenty four years before being called to the Bar in 2018. Caroline completed her training contract in local government and was employed by various local authorities from 1994 until 2011 specialising in providing legal advice and training to social work teams and fostering and adoption panels and undertaking advocacy in care and adoption proceedings at all levels of the family court. In 2011 Caroline moved to private practice where she built on her local reputation developing a legal aid practice advising and representing teenagers, children’s guardians, parents and other relatives in public law children’s proceedings. Caroline was an accredited member of the Law Society Children Panel until she transferred to the Bar.

Caroline’s many years in practice as a solicitor enables her to fully understand the pressures that solicitors face and what is important to them. Those instructing her will find that she can quickly develop a rapport with both the professional clients and the vulnerable children and adults that she represents. Caroline ensures that instructing solicitors are kept fully informed of developments in a case and always provides timely follow up advice post hearing. Caroline welcomes active discussion of cases with her instructing solicitors and is always ready to make herself available by phone.

AREA OF PRACTICE

CHILDREN

PUBLIC LAW

Since transferring to the Bar Caroline has been instructed to represent local authorities, children, parents and other family members in complex care and adoption proceedings, including applications made under the Inherent Jurisdiction, wardship , forced marriage protection orders at all levels up to and including the Court of Appeal. She is a skilled advocate who prides herself on thorough case preparation and being able to get to grips with and analyse the key issues quickly. She is experienced in representing vulnerable clients such as teenagers who are the subjects of applications for deprivation of their liberty and secure accommodation and parents with learning difficulties and issues with mental health and substance misuse. She regularly represents clients who require the assistance of an intermediary or an interpreter. She takes a pragmatic and down to earth approach, ensuring that her clients feel supported and listened to but also ensuring that they are provided with realistic and robust advice.

PRIVATE LAW

Caroline accepts instructions representing children’s guardians appointed under 16.4 of the Children Act up to and including finding of facts hearings and multi day final hearings.

NOTABLE CASES

• Salford CC v W and Ors [2021] (Special Guardians : Religion) EWHC 61
• Acting on behalf of the children in a lengthy fact finding hearing involving allegations of non accidental head injury and starvation of a 7 week old baby which involved complex medical evidence and in which all the other parties were represented by Silks
• Acting on behalf of the children in a lengthy fact finding hearing involving multiple allegations of historic sexual abuse in which the children were required to give evidence
• Acting on behalf of the children in a lengthy fact finding hearing involving allegations of fabricated and induced illness
• Acting on behalf of the children in an application to transfer the care proceedings to Sweden
• Acting on behalf of the mother in an application to transfer the care proceedings to Latvia
• Acting on behalf of a local authority in an application for a declaration under the Inherent Jurisdiction that life saving medical treatment should be given to a child which was opposed by the parents on religious grounds