Introduction
Robin Lewis is a specialist in financial remedy proceedings and Children Act matters relating to residence and contact.
Robin is highly thought of, both for the quality of his advocacy in Court, including in cross examination, and for his ability to give very practical advice at every stage of the proceedings. While Robin always represents his clients very robustly in court, he nevertheless does his best to help his clients resolve matters sensibly whenever possible. Robin takes very seriously his responsibility to give practical, realistic advice, and will always explore with clients ways to resolve issues with a view to minimising cost and conflict. His instructing solicitors describe him as being very approachable, easy to get on with and very skilled at putting his clients at ease. He is recognised as having a very accessible, common-sense approach. He has a proven ability to deal with high conflict issues in a calm, professional manner whilst devoting considerable energy to his individual client’s case. His long experience proves extremely useful when giving advice as to likely outcomes.
Robin is happy to provide advice in writing and in conference.
Robin has represented individuals from an array of different backgrounds, including members of the legal profession, doctors, police officers, business owners, “internet brides” and professional footballers. He has extensive experience of dealing with clients who require an interpreter, and those with extensive and serious criminal convictions.
Robin was educated at Ysgol Friars, Bangor, and at Queens’ College, Cambridge. He was called to the Bar in 1991. He completed his pupillage No. 1 Serjeant’s Inn, London, before moving to Birmingham in 1992. He has practiced exclusively in Family Law since 1998.
Family Finance Team
Robin conducts cases covering the full range of Financial Remedy, TOLATA (involving unmarried couples) and Schedule 1 claims for child maintenance. He represents Husbands and Wives (following both Divorce and Judicial Separation), unmarried partners, Intervenors and is regularly involved in cases involving expert evidence, complicated business issues, farms, third party interests, dissipation of assets, foreign property and assets subject to trust. He represents clients in same-sex relationships and where there is an application to set aside an order on grounds of non-disclosure or under the Barder principles. He regularly acts in cases of high net worth. He advises both Claimants and Defendants in relation to professional negligence matters arising from ancillary relief cases.
Private Law Children and Domestic Abuse
Robin has strong, practical experience of handling serious fact-finding issues, including cases where there are allegations of serious domestic violence, sexual abuse and significant physical harm to children.
He regularly advises and represents family members (whether parents, grandparents, children or other members of the extended family) at all levels of the Court system.
He has experience in dealing with the following areas:
- Shared residence
- Residence
- Leave to remove from the jurisdiction, whether temporarily or permanently
- Internal relocation within the UK
- Child abduction and the operation of the Hague Convention, and international law generally
- The requirement for “mirror orders” in countries where no international treaty is in force
- Cases where psychiatric evidence relating either to parents or children is required
- Contact (including high conflict and implacable hostility cases)
- Change of name
- Specific issues (such as determining schooling, religious upbringing or disputed medical treatment)
- Fact-finding relating to domestic violence and sexual abuse within families
- Matters relating to children of mixed race parents
- Drug and alcohol misuse
- Allegations of religious indoctrination
- Cases involving disability
Appointments and Memberships
FLBA
