Your dedicated Child Protection Unit
Members of our market-leading Child Protection Unit specialise in different
disciplines, but all have considerable experience in child protection.
David Smellie
Partner
020 3375 7394
David leads the firm's Child Protection Unit and Schools Group. He has been heavily involved in advising clients on child protection matters over the last 15 years and, as such, he has witnessed the positive impact of regulatory change over the period. David led the Farrer & Co team which acted as Solicitors to the Independent Review by Hugh Davies QC into the criminal conduct of William Vahey in 2014. David has also acted as child protection governor at three schools, and is recognised as the UK's top-ranked schools lawyer in Chambers UK.
Jonathan Eley
Partner
020 3375 7275
Jonathan was a school teacher before he became a lawyer and so brings great practical experience to his legal advice. He spends a large part of his practice
advising schools on the full range of child protection issues, and possesses a detailed knowledge of the regulatory environment. Jonathan is also a governor of two schools, with special responsibility for child protection at one of them.
Adele Eastman
Associate 020 3375 7581
Adele is widely recognised as one of the leading lawyers in child protection, with expansive knowledge of social policy issues around this area, as well as children's mental health and school exclusion.
After qualifying and working for several years at Farrer & Co, Adele spent four years at the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) as a senior policy specialist. During this time, she gained extensive experience in the state education, child protection and mental health sectors. Adele researched and authored two CSJ policy reports: No Excuses: A Review of Educational Exclusion (2011), and Enough is Enough: A report on child protection and mental health services for children and young people (2014).
Having re-joined Farrer & Co in 2015, Adele specialises in child protection law. She brings wider experience into the team having developed a detailed and robust
understanding of education, child protection and mental health issues in the state and voluntary sector, and builds on her prior experience in the independent schools sector. Adele also offers a broad knowledge and understanding of the relevant legislation and frameworks.
Henry Sainty Partner
020 3375 7424
Henry is head of the Media, Entertainment & Technology Group and has been advising charities, sports bodies and media organisations on child protection matters over the last 15 years, and hence has therefore followed regulatory developments during this period. Henry has particular experience advising on data protection matters and information sharing agreements.
Eliza Hebditch
Partner
020 3375 7468
Eliza is a family lawyer who has been part of the Schools Group for several years. She has considerable knowledge of the law as it relates to children in both the family and educational setting. She also has experience of cases involving abduction, addiction and mental health issues.
Katie Lancaster
Partner
020 3375 7379
Katie has been involved in employment and child protection work for schools and sports bodies throughout her career, and hence has followed the development of child protection law and regulation since 2004. She advises organisations on the full range of child protection issues, and is herself a school governor.
Sam Macdonald
Partner
020 3375 7445
Sam is a charity lawyer by training who has worked extensively in the school sector, and is also a school governor. He routinely advises on the governance of
safeguarding from a Charity Commission perspective, which involves the rules and obligations of governors, the submission of serious incident reports to the
Commission and statutory investigations by the Commission.
Jerry Hawthorne
Consultant 020 3375 7377
In addition to his work for churches and charities, Jerry has spent many years advising schools – both state and independent – and higher education institutions on a broad range of contentious and employment matters, including resolving
safeguarding claims and education law.
Jerry has unparalleled experience of advising organisations on the handling of child protection-related claims, from simple litigation to alternative dispute resolution. Jerry is also a governor of three schools and a group leader for a charity which works with children.
Kathleen Heycock Senior associate 020 3375 7113
Kathleen is an employment lawyer who provides advice and pragmatic support on a range of safeguarding issues. She has a particular specialism based on her higher education practice relating to safeguarding both adults and children within the higher education sector, including advice on the Prevent Duty. In addition, Kathleen uses her hands on experience to provide practical advice to commercial and institutional employers, including schools, sports bodies and professional and financial services practices, on how they can best meet their safeguarding obligations.
Sarah Hutchinson
Senior associate 020 3375 7492
Sarah is a family lawyer with extensive knowledge of the law relating to children, as well as the impact on children of relationship breakdown.
Ben Longworth
Senior associate 020 3375 7195
Ben is a litigator who advises schools on child protection litigation and related insurance issues.
Hannah Whyatt Associate 020 3375 7196
Hannah's practice spans charity, schools and child protection law. Hannah has extensive experience advising schools and other charities on safeguarding governance and sensitive child protection matters.
Helen Mulligan Associate 020 3375 7196
Helen's practice spans data protection, child protection and intellectual property law. She has advised museums, sports organisations, higher education institutions and other organisations on the organisation and retention of sensitive data relating to children. Alice Cave Associate 020 3375 7265 [email protected]
Alice's practice spans employment, education and child protection law. She has advised schools on a number of sensitive child protection cases, as well as on regulatory compliance.
Alice was a member of the Farrer & Co team which acted as Solicitors to the
Independent Review by Hugh Davies QC into the criminal conduct of William Vahey, with a particular focus on the school's selection, recruitment and vetting processes. Alice is a governor of a specialist school where she also holds the child protection brief.
Emma-Christine O'Keefe
Solicitor020 3375 7199
emma-christine.o'[email protected]
Emma-Christine's areas of specialism include employment, education and child protection law. She has advised schools on a number of sensitive child protection cases, as well as on regulatory compliance.
Emma-Christine was a member of the Farrer & Co team which acted as Solicitors to the Independent Review by Hugh Davies QC into the criminal conduct of William Vahey, with a particular focus on the school's school trip and exchange policies and practices.
Owen O'Rorke
Solicitor020 3375 7348
owen.o'[email protected]
Owen's practice spans child protecion law, intellectual property and data protection. His experience includes advising on information sharing agreements between statutory agencies and organisations working with children and/or vulnerable adults and advising such organisations on how to prepare for and respond to reqiests for sensitive information relating to children and/or vulnerable adults.
Maria Strauss
Associate 020 3375 7259Maria is a disputes resolution lawyer whose particular areas of expertise are child protection and employment law. She works extensively with schools, churches and religious charities, and has handled several high-value, complex and multi-party safeguarding claims brought against religious organisations.
Maria advises on the full range of child protection issues and is a governor of two schools, where she also advises on child protection matters.
Maria is also a member of the Conference of Solicitors for Catholic Charities.
Katie Rigg
Solicitor 020 3375 7607Katie's practice spans employment, education and child protection law. She has advised schools on a number of sensitive child protection cases, as well as on regulatory compliance
Katie was a member of the Farrer & Co team which acted as Solicitors to the Independent Review by Hugh Davies QC into the criminal conduct of William Vahey with a particular focus on the school's child protection governance structures and the practice and procedures for reporting of concerns.
