Overview
Heidi is a second-six Pupil with over 5 years of prior family law experience.
Heidi practices exclusively in all areas of family law. With a caring and compassionate approach, Heidi accepts instructions on surrogacy and fertility law cases, domestic abuse cases, both private and public children proceedings, financial remedies, and international family law cases (including relocation disputes).
Heidi’s specialisation in family law began in 2017, when she received a full-fee scholarship (based on academic excellence) to study an advanced specialist master’s in international children’s rights in the Netherlands. Having studied at five different universities in four countries in two languages, Heidi has an international approach to family law. Throughout her practice, Heidi has finessed strong communication skills meaning she is able to build a rapport with a variety of clients, even in sensitive and stressful circumstances.
Heidi is acutely aware of the emotional and financial cost of family law proceedings and the advantages of early settlement. She has completed an intensive 40 hours of training on negotiation, meditation, and arbitration with trainers from all over the world. The training paid particular attention on different approaches in dispute resolution to cater to different cultures.
Experience
Heidi has expertise in surrogacy and fertility law, having spent 3.5 years as a senior fee earner at the UK’s first fertility law firm; NGA Law. Working with the UK’s leading surrogacy lawyer; Natalie Gamble, Heidi gained considerable experience working with modern families in all areas of family law. She specialises in UK and international surrogacy and is confident on advising in cases where parents live outside the UK. She also worked on child arrangement matters, declaration of parentage cases, known donor/co-parenting cases and relocation disputes.
During pupillage, she has gained valuable experience from her supervisors; Maria Scotland and Sarah Wood. Maria Scotland’s practice encompasses high-end, big money financial remedy applications and (private law) children work. Whilst Sarah Wood has a specialist practice of contemporaneous complex family financial proceedings and criminal POCA claims. Enabling Heidi to have a broad first six of training at the Bar, exposing her to cases in both the Court of Appeal and High Court.
Heidi has also worked in a leading Legal 500 London legal aid firm, where she managed a caseload predominately made up of care proceedings, private children matters, and matrimonial finances. She also has experience of advocating for clients in meetings with social services (PLO meetings) and she used to run monthly drop-in legal advice sessions at a domestic abuse support centre.
Notable work
During pupillage, as a first-six pupil supervised by Maria Scotland, she worked with Maria on the following cases where the judgments have been reported:
- Re T (A Child) (No.2) (Transparency: Publication of the Party’s Names) [2024] EWHC 161 (Fam);
- Re T( A Child) (s9(6) Children Act 1989 orders: Exceptional Circumstances: Parental Alienation [2024] EWHC 59 (Fam); and
- Re T (Abduction: Protective Measures: Agreement to Return) [2023] EWCA Civ 1415.
In 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as part of her work with the team at NGA Law, Heidi worked with the UK Government and individual families, on a pro-bono basis, giving emergency legal support to British families to rescue their babies born via surrogacy in Ukraine.
Additional Information
Outside of work, Heidi loves to swim and play netball and enjoys watching football, London’s food markets, gigs, and theatre.
Education
- BPP University – Barrister Training Course.
- Leiden University - LL.M. Masters of Laws: Advanced Studies in International Children’s Rights.
- Humboldt University of Berlin - International Summer School on Dispute Resolution.
- University of Granada – Spanish and European Law.
- University of Sussex - LL.B. Law with Spanish.
Awards
- Ann Goddard Pupillage Scholarship: Gray’s Inn.
- Frank Quickfall Scholarship: Gray’s Inn.
- Academic Excellence Scholarship: Leiden University.
- Mason Hayes Scholarship: Mason Hayes Charitable Trust.
Languages
- Spanish
Professional Memberships
- Family Law Bar Association.
