Practice Areas
- Court of Protection - Vulnerable Adult
- Inquests and Inquiries
- International Children Law
- Private Children Law
- Public Children Law
Direct Access
Awards
“Sam stands out amongst her peers as a stellar advocate. Her oral advocacy is incisive and compelling. When she cross-examines lay witnesses, there is no escape when she has a particular point to make. When she cross-examines expert witnesses, it is clear that she has an excellent understanding of complex medical issues.”
Legal 500, 2024
Experience
Year of Call: 1990
Year of Silk: 2018
Education
BA (Cantab)
MA (Law) Selwyn College, Cambridge University
Qualified for admission to the New York Bar 1989
Appointments
Master of the Bench, Middle Temple 2019
Profile
Sam’s main area of practice is in children’s law. She is regularly instructed in both private and public law cases. She represents all parties in complex cases involving allegations of sexual abuse or where there are psycho-sexual factors in issue, non-accidental injury, psychiatric ill-health, intractable contact cases and where shared residence is in issue. Sam’s practice increasingly reflects her interest in the law relating to surrogacy, reproductive technologies and co-parenting arrangements.
She also appears in leave to remove applications and domestic and international adoption cases and is a member of chambers’ international movement of children group. Sam has an interest in forced marriage and the children’s law cases which arise in that context.
Sam often gives lectures and seminars to lawyers and other professionals. Her lectures include talks on the subject of evidence gathering in respect of sexual abuse (LexisNexis), recent developments in the area of private law (LexisNexis), adoption and placement orders (4pb and Family Law Week). She has recently given seminars on routes to parenthood under the HFEA 2008 (Resolutions London) and in respect of international adoption and surrogacy.
Professional Memberships
Middle Temple
FLBA
Directories
‘Sam stands out amongst her peers as a stellar advocate. Her oral advocacy is incisive and compelling. When she cross-examines lay witnesses, there is no escape when she has a particular point to make. When she cross-examines expert witnesses, it is clear that she has an excellent understanding of complex medical issues.’
Legal 500, 2024
“Samantha King is an excellent heavyweight children law barrister.”
“A very calm and skilled advocate.”
“She is an amazing silk and her presence in court is extraordinary. Her preparation is immaculate and she has the confidence and knowledge of the law you would expect from someone of her standing.”
Chambers and Partners, 2024
“Samantha King is a force of nature in the courtroom, who’s hard-working and brilliant in terms of cross-examination.”
“A persuasive and forceful advocate, she’s really respected by judges so when she speaks they pay attention, which is really important when you have a difficult case to argue.”
Chambers and Partners, 2023
‘A phenomenal strategist. Her knowledge of surrogacy law is unrivalled. She commands the ear of the Judges and her advocacy is razor sharp, highly persuasive and always impressive.’
Legal 500, 2022
“A born advocate who is persuasive and incredibly quick on her feet.” “She’s responsive, leaves no stone unturned and gives clear advice to her clients.” “She is formidable and organised when acting for guardians in private law cases.”
Chambers & Partners, 2022
Renowned family barrister in high demand due to her deep knowledge of public and private law cases, both at home and abroad. She exhibits strength in the most serious public law cases, including those concerning issues of alleged radicalisation and sexual abuse, and also has experience in private law issues relating to non-traditional families and surrogacy.
Strengths: “Exceptionally good with clients, robust in court, and someone who fights your case.” “She meticulously reads through all the papers and gets her head round all the detail. Her written work is excellent and she is compelling in court.” “A team player who delivers advice of an excellent standard.”
Recent work: Acted in RJ v Tigipko, representing children involved in High Court international abduction proceedings. The case concerned an application to the court for the abducting mother and maternal grandfather to be publicly named in order to secure compliance with orders requiring the return of the children from Ukraine to England.
Chambers & Partners, 2021
‘An excellent silk who is a pleasure to work with.’
Legal 500, 2021
Renowned family barrister in high demand due to her deep knowledge of public and private law cases, both at home and abroad. She exhibits strength in the most serious public law cases, including those concerning issues of alleged radicalisation and sexual abuse, and also has experience in private law issues relating to non-traditional families and surrogacy.
Strengths: “She’s so thorough, and knows her papers inside and out. Not pompous at all in her approach, she can catch witnesses off-guard and pick up on the slightest discrepancy. In any case handles she can pull out and highlight weaknesses in a really clever way.” “She is meticulous in her preparation and extremely good on medical cases. She’s got great client care skills, is excellent in cross-examination and will think outside the box.”
Chambers & Partners 2020
‘Can diffuse difficult situations well, she can make tricky points seem straightforward to lay clients and judges alike.’
Legal 500, 2020
Top Tier
Renowned family barrister in high demand due to her deep knowledge of public and private law cases, both at home and abroad. She exhibits strength in the most serious public law cases, including those concerning issues of alleged radicalisation and sexual abuse, and also has experience in private law issues relating to non-traditional families and surrogacy.
Strengths: “She’s a brilliant advocate who is really good at handling vulnerable clients in sensitive cases, whilst also being very tenacious in court.” “Her cross-examination skills are legendary, and she is equally formidable and at ease on her feet making submissions on complex issues of law.”
Chambers & Partners 2019
‘Has an excellent command of her papers.’
Legal 500, 2019
Top Tier
Renowned family junior in high demand due to her deep knowledge of public and private law cases, both at home and abroad. She exhibits strength in the most serious public law cases and private issues concerning non-traditional families and surrogacy.
Strengths: “Direct and clear in her advice.” “Her cross-examination skills and eloquent submissions are second to none.”
Chambers & Partners 2018
Band 1
‘She is a strong lawyer and an excellent advocate.’
Legal 500, 2017
Renowned family junior in high demand due to her deep knowledge of public and private law cases, both at home and abroad. She exhibits strength in public law cases concerning non-traditional families and surrogacy.
Strengths: “She is widely known as the best advocate around in children cases. Her cross-examination skills and eloquent submissions are second to none. She is direct and clear in her advice but caring and empathetic towards her clients.”
Chambers & Partners 2017 – Band 1
A sexual abuse case expert.
Legal 500, 2016
Highly regarded for her willingness to take on the most challenging cases in both the public and private children law sphere. She has particular expertise in cases with complex medical issues and those concerning alternative family structures.
Strengths: “She holds enormous gravitas in court and is a superb advocate.” “She’s extremely good, very energetic, committed and knowledgeable about the law.”
Chambers & Partners 2016 – Band 1
‘A first-class advocate.’
The Legal 500, 2015
Tackles a broad range of public and private law children work, including cases involving complex issues of surrogacy, non-accidental injury and the examination of complicated matters of medical evidence.
Expertise: “She has a confident and reassuring manner.” “She has a wonderful hands-on approach to cases, and is a joy to work with.”
Chambers & Partners – Band 1
Sam King – ‘A delight to work with, and a formidable advocate.’
The Legal 500, 2014
Draws much praise for her work in complex care cases, including those matters concerning sexual abuse and parents/children with mental health problems.
Expertise: “Outstanding. She’s a brilliant advocate, who is incredibly bright and good at handling clients. She is just your dream counsel.”
Chambers & Partners 2014
Ranked in Band 1
Sam King Provides ‘clear and focused advice’.
Recommended as a Leading Family Junior in the area of Children Law
Legal 500, 2013
The “incisive and pragmatic” Samantha King has a tremendous reputation in children law matters involving care and medical dimensions. Sources suggest that she is a “very accomplished practitioner” who can “make a hopeless case appear to have merit.”
Chambers and Partners 2013
Ranked Band 1
Sam King, who is ‘pre-eminent in the field of public law’.
The Legal 500, 2012
Outstanding performer, Samantha King, who handles a wide range of children matters, both public and private. Sources describe her as a “very smart and impressive advocate who is passionate, experienced and tenacious.”
Chambers and Partners 2012
Ranked Band 1
Sam King is ‘outstanding’.
The Legal 500, 2011
Samantha King represents the full range of parties in public children law. She is praised for her “solid understanding of medical detail and her intuitive feel for strategy.”
Chambers and Partners 2011
Ranked Band 1
Samantha King, who frequently acts for local authorities in care cases.
Chambers and Partners 2010
Sam King is ‘outstanding’, ‘especially in public law’.
Legal 500, 2010
Samantha King has been around the block in relation to both private and public law children cases, and is recognised for her exemplary work in care proceedings.
Chambers and Partners 2009
Chambers and Partners say Sam is “experienced and extremely competent” in child care cases. “Really getting into the papers” and “good with difficult clients,” she also has an interest in international child abduction matters.