Nicola Jones-King
Family/Care
nicola.jones-king@mwsolicitors.co.uk
Admitted as a Solicitor in 1993
Graduated Nottingham Trent Law School LLB (Hons) 1990
Guildford College of Law - Law Society Finals 1991
Specialist Areas
Proceedings relating to children including Applications for Care and Supervision Orders, Residence, Contact, Specific Issue and Prohibited Steps Orders. Applications for Leave to remove children from the UK. Nicola represents parents, children, siblings, grandparents and other family members to make and respond to Applications. She has a particular specialism in social services cases for parents and children or complex contact/residence cases involving allegations of sexual/physical abuse or persistent refusal of contact.
Adoption and Special Guardianship Applications.
Child Protection, including representing parents in meetings with Local Authority Social work teams aiming to avoiding proceedings and the removal of children form family.
Acting for older children in proceedings concerning them.
Advocate in all levels of Family Court Trials.
Cases involving allegations of Domestic Abuse; particularly where issues of safe contact arise.
Member of the McMillan Williams team providing legal advice to SSAFA social workers supporting British Forces Families serving throughout the world.
Specialist Committee Work
Association of Lawyers for Children
Vice-Chair November 2009 - present
Executive Committee Member since 2005
Member of the Legal Aid Sub-Committee involved in negotiations with the Legal Services Commission and other Family Law bodies over fixed fees and Legal Aid funding.
Recent work has focused on the implications of new Government proposals for legal funding and formulating the ALC response to the Family Justice Review.
The Association of Lawyers for Children [“ALC”] is a national association of Lawyers working in the field of Children Law. It has over 1200 members, mainly Solicitors and Family Law Barristers who represent children, parents and other adult parties, or local authorities. Other legal practitioners and academics are also members. Its Executive Committee members are drawn from a wide range of experienced practitioners practising in different areas of the country. Several leading members are specialists with over 20 years experience in Children Law, including local Government legal services. Many have written books and articles and lectured about aspects of Children’s Law, and several hold judicial office.
The ALC exists to promote access to justice for children and young people within the legal system in England and Wales in the following ways:
(i) lobbying in favour of establishing properly funded legal mechanisms to enable all children and young people to have access to justice;
(ii) lobbying against the diminution of such mechanisms;
(iii) providing high quality legal training, focusing on the needs of Lawyers and non-Lawyers concerned with cases relating to the welfare, health and development of children;
(iv) providing a forum for the exchange of information and views involving the development of the Law in relation to children and young people;
(v) being a reference point for members of the profession, Governmental organisations and pressure groups interested in Children Law and practice.
The ALC is automatically a stakeholder in respect of all Government consultations.
Chair of the Legal Providers Group at the Croydon Family Justice Centre
Member of the Family Justice Centre Management Team
The FJC is a multi-agency one stop shop for victims of domestic abuse, which fosters interagency working and promotes initiatives to achieve holistic support for victims of violence and abuse by involving police, local authorities, Courts, probation, support agencies and others in working together.
Panel Memberships
Member of Resolution and Accredited Specialist since January 2002 in the areas of Private Law Children and Domestic Abuse.
Law Society Children Panel since April 2000.
Other Interests
Guide Guider with Girlguiding UK for 20 years running a unit of 10-15year old girls enjoying a wide range of activities from camping and campfire cooking to crafts and first aiding to mention just a few!!
Theatre
Occasional gardening and dining with friends!!