Family Law

Laura is an associate in the family law department in the Guildford office. She was admitted to practice as a solicitor in England and Wales in September 2009 and joined Penningtons Manches’ family law department in 2011 having gained experience working with June Venters QC after qualification.

She has expertise in financial cases and disputes concerning arrangements for children, in both married and unmarried cases. Laura has particular experience in acting for clients in emergency situations making urgent applications to the court in cases relating to children, finances and domestic abuse. She has also dealt with a variety of cross-jurisdictional matters in USA, Australia and Europe.

Laura is also a member of Resolution, an organisation which believes in constructive approaches to family law matters.

Andrew McFarlane was called to the Bar in 1977 and practiced in chambers in Birmingham until 1993 when he moved to specialist family law chambers in London. He appeared at all levels of court including the House of Lords and the European Court of Human Rights. He was appointed as a QC in 1998. In April 2005 he was appointed to the High Court, Family Division and was for 5 years the Family Division Liaison Judge for the Midland Circuit. He has recently been a member of the Government ‘Family Justice Review’ Panel. In July 2011 he was appointed to be a Lord Justice of Appeal and now sits full time in the Court of Appeal in London.

Together with the late David Hershman he is the co-author of a loose-leaf legal text entitled Hershman and McFarlane: Children: Law and Practice. In addition he has contributed to other publications and lectured throughout the UK and abroad.

He has been a trustee of YoungMinds (the national young person’s mental health charity). He is Chancellor of the Diocese of Exeter. He has been a native of Herefordshire and Worcestershire for over 20 years.