Unit Chambers are delighted to announce that leading family law silk Christopher Hames KC has accepted an invitation to join Unit Chambers as a Door Tenant. Christopher remains in practice at 4PB, London.
One of the UK’s most established family law barristers, Christopher will be a key addition to the team and will bring over 35 years of experience and expertise in all aspects of family law. He was called to the Bar in 1987 (Inner Temple) and was appointed King’s Counsel in 2015. He was appointed a Recorder in 2018 (Family), a Deputy High Court Judge in 2021 and he is approved for the Financial Remedies Court. He is a qualified arbitrator in both children (now including international relocation) and money work.
He is one of the leading lights in international child abduction in the country and he has extensive experience in matrimonial finance involving substantial assets and international issues. Having been involved in the leading case on Legal Service Payments Orders, he is much in demand for all types of applications for legal funding orders.
Christopher is sought after by solicitors in disputes over the court’s jurisdiction to entertain applications for children and divorce; these may involve issues of non-marriage, habitual residence, domicile, forum non conveniens and enforcement issues.
He has been Chair of the Child Abduction Lawyers Association (CALA) since 2018 and regularly participates at international and domestic conferences. As Chair, he has been involved in extensive consultations about practice and procedure following the President’s guidance and, on the post, Covid-19 lockdown court environment.
In February 2020 he gave evidence to the House of Lords EU Justice Sub-Committee on behalf of the Bar Council on “Civil Justice Cooperation after Brexit”. His evidence ranged over both divorce/finance and children matters. He is a member of the FLBA’s international committee. He is an author of Rayden and Jackson on Divorce and Family Matters.
He is a trustee of CFAB and reviews cases for Advocate.
Roger Draper Executive Chairman of Unit Chambers said, “The Unit Chambers Board of Directors are delighted to have acquired the services of one of the country’s most sought-after family law barristers. Christopher is a fearless and passionate advocate and a powerhouse of knowledge concerning cross-border child and finance law. We look forward to seeing him in Liverpool and the North-West and at the same time enhancing the co-operation in legal services between Unit Chambers and 4PB.”
Christopher Hames KC said, “I am delighted to be joining Unit Chambers as a Door Tenant. It’s a perfect fit for me and I am really excited to be joining such an innovative and forward-thinking set. It doesn’t feel that long ago that 4PB was only around 30 barristers strong and we are now one of the largest family law sets in the UK. I am looking forward to playing my part in helping Lisa and her team to achieve Unit Chambers’ vision of becoming the fastest-growing family law specialists in the UK. I can’t wait to get started.”
Welcome to the family Christopher!