Practice Areas
Direct Access
Awards
Gray’s Inn: The Bacon Award (BPTC) (2018)
Gray’s Inn: The David Karmel Award (GDL) (2017)
BPP Law School: Career Guarantee Scholarship (2016)
Brasenose College: Academic Exhibition (2013)
University of Oxford: Gibbs Prize in English Language and Literature (2013)
Experience
Year of Call: 2020
Education
City Law School: Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) – Very Competent (2020)
BPP Law School: Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) – Distinction (2018)
University of Oxford: English Language and Literature, BA – First Class (2015)
Profile
Frankie joined Chambers in January 2021 having successfully completed pupillage within Chambers. Since then, Frankie has developed a busy practice across all Chambers and has appeared in a number of reported cases. He is confident acting alone or as Junior Counsel. He has appeared both led and un-led at all levels of the family courts up to and including the Court of Appeal.
Frankie was shortlisted for Family Law Young Barrister of the Year at the Family Law Awards 2022.
Private children law
Frankie is regularly instructed in complex private law cases, and appears at all stages of proceedings including fact finding and final hearings. He regularly undertakes work involving allegations of domestic abuse and coercive and controlling behaviour. He recently appeared led by Alex Verdan KC in the matter of LKM v NPM [2022] EWHC 140, a fact finding hearing before Mr Justice Williams.
Frankie also has experience in cases involving allegations of parental alienation having co-authored A Practical Guide to Parental Alienation in Private and Public Law Children Cases (Law Brief Publishing, 2022) with Sam King KC. He regularly gives lectures and seminars on the subject, and has been involved in a number of cases at fact finding and final hearing stage. He was recently led by Charles Hale KC on behalf of the father in the matter of Re C (‘Parental Alienation’: Instruction of Expert) [2023] EWHC 345 (Fam), an appeal before the President of the Family Division, in which the court gave guidance on the instruction of expert psychologists within disputes involving allegations of alienation.
Frankie also has experience of relocation matters, including relocation within and outside of the jurisdiction.
International children law
Frankie appears in the High Court in child abduction matters pursuant to both the 1980 Hague Convention and the Inherent Jurisdiction. He undertakes work at all stages of proceedings, from urgent applications to final hearings.
He was led by Ruth Kirby KC in the matter of NT v HT [2021] EWHC 3231, representing the applicant maternal grandparents in a decision which involved consideration of inchoate rights of custody. He also has experience of summary return proceedings involving non-Hague Convention states having successfully represented the respondent mother in the matter of WX v YZ [2021] WHC 3725, a case concerning an application for summary return of children to Dubai, where he was led by Alex Verdan KC.
Frankie was part of the team intervening on behalf of the International Academy of Family Lawyers’ (IAFL) in the appeal to the US Supreme Court in the case of Golan v Saada (No. 20-1034). He contributed to the written amicus brief for this appeal, which focused on the correct approach to Article 13(b) of the 1980 Hague Convention.
Financial remedy and divorce
Frankie undertakes work in financial remedy proceedings at all stages of proceedings including FDAs, FDRs and final hearings. He has particular experience in claims under section 37 of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973, and matters involving alleged disposition of property and other assets to defeat a claim.
Frankie also has experience in contested divorce proceedings. He was Junior Counsel to Charles Hale KC in the matter of B v H [2022] EWHC 2673 . He successfully represented the petitioner wife in a decision in which Mr Justice MacDonald considered the question of whether the petitioner’s divorce petition should be allowed to proceed in this jurisdiction, based on a marriage that has been recognised by the Moroccan court and registered in Morocco pursuant to legislation designed to provide retrospective recognition of marriage in that jurisdiction.
Surrogacy
Frankie has experience undertaking final hearings in the High Court for applications for parental orders under section 54 of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008.
Public children law
Frankie undertakes work at all stages of public law proceedings. He represents the local authority, parents and guardians alike, and has experience in matters involving allegations of physical and sexual abuse within care proceedings.
He appeared un-led, successfully representing the local authority in the Court of Appeal in Re B (A Child) [2021] EWCA Civ 1221 . This case considered whether the court had struck the correct balancing exercise in refusing to dispense with the requirement that a local authority give notice of care proceedings to a father who did not have parental responsibility for the subject child.
Other
Prior to commencing pupillage in January 2021, Frankie was a paralegal at 4PB for two-years.
Before joining 4PB, Frankie worked as a family law paralegal at Seddons Solicitors. Frankie assisted on matters relating to the financial consequences of relationship breakdown and private children disputes. Additionally, Frankie worked as a family law paralegal at Freemans Solicitors, where he gained valuable experience in matters involving the international movement of children, and public children work.
Frankie also worked as a community youth advocate at a children’s rights charity, Just for Kids Law.
Frankie has experience giving advice to litigants representing themselves in financial remedy and children matters, having previously volunteered at a legal advice centre in East London. He also led Big Voice London’s 2017 ‘Model Law Commission’ project on no-fault divorce, which engaged young people with issues of law reform and encouraged access to the legal profession.
Professional Memberships
The Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn
Family Law Bar Association
Young Legal Aid Lawyers