Malvika Jaganmohan
Call 2017
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Overview
Malvika is a family law practitioner, with a particular specialism in public and private children law. She was named a ‘Rising Star’ by the Legal 500 in 2023, 2024 and 2025, and ranked as a ‘Leading Junior’ in 2026.
Malvika was shortlisted for Family Law Young Barrister of the Year in the LexisNexis Family Law Awards 2022.
Alongside her practice, Malvika is very active in the wider legal community. She is a founding member of Women in Family Law. She is chambers’ representative within the West Midlands Family Law Bar Association.
Malvika is a trustee for Advocate, the Bar’s pro bono charity. She has been a volunteer barrister with Advocate since her second six of pupillage and was nominated for Young Pro Bono Barrister of the Year in the Bar Pro Bono Awards 2020. She is Advocate’s pro bono champion within chambers.
Malvika is part of the core group for The Transparency Project, a charity which explains and discusses family law cases in England and Wales with the aim of demystifying the family justice system.
Malvika is particularly passionate about mental health and wellbeing amongst lawyers; she runs her own blog on the subject, and she is a Champion for LawCare.
In 2022, Malvika was awarded a Pegasus Scholarship by The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple. The Pegasus Scholarship Scheme makes it possible for talented young lawyers to learn about the workings of a different legal system and to form long-lasting relationships with lawyers in another country. Malvika spent 7 weeks in New Delhi, where she was placed with Rajkotia & Associates, a leading matrimonial law firm; and with the Delhi Commission for Women, a statutory body within the Government of Delhi.
Malvika co-hosted a popular family law podcast entitled ‘Professionally Embarrassing’ which was shortlisted for ‘Family Law Commentator of the Year’ in the LexisNexis Family Law Awards in 2021 and 2022.
Malvika is public access qualified and she is the public access manager for chambers.
She has also completed the Family Law Bar Association’s vulnerable witness training and has experience both representing and cross-examining vulnerable witnesses and parties.
Specialist Profiles
Malvika has a busy private law children practice, acting for both parents and children. She regularly handles complex fact-finding hearings concerning allegations of serious domestic abuse. She also has a particular interest in the internal and international movement of children.
She has undertaken the Family Law Bar Association’s ‘Advocacy and the Vulnerable’ training and she has co-authored a book entitled ‘A Practical Guide to Practice Direction 12J and Domestic Abuse in Private Law Children Proceedings’.
Within her public law children practice, Malvika represents local authorities, parents, relatives and children. She has dealt with cases up to and including the High Court. She is regularly instructed in lengthy proceedings concerning complex issues, including non-accidental injuries suffered by children. She has an approachable and straightforward manner with clients and frequently represents parties with significant vulnerabilities.
London School of Economics and Political Science, LLB Law (First Class Honours)
Nottingham Trent University, LLM BPTC (Very Competent in BPTC; Distinction in LLM)
Resolution
Family Law Bar Association
The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn
Young Legal Aid Lawyers
Women in Family Law
Pegasus Scholarship, The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, 2022
Hubert Greenland Scholarship, The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn, 2018
St Mary’s Family Law Second Prize, Nottingham Trent University, 2017
Nottingham Law School Dean’s BPTC Scholarship for Academic Excellence, Nottingham Trent University, 2016
Marchant Scholarship, The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn, 2016
Slaughter and May Prize for best overall degree performance, London School of Economics and Political Science, 2016
Joint Winner, Mike Redmayne Prize for Law of Evidence, London School of Economics and Political Science, 2016
Herbert Smith Freehills Prize for Best Performance in Part I, London School of Economics and Political Science, 2014
‘Interim removal of children’, January 2024, Local Government Lawyer. To read more, click here.
‘Re Z: A family court decision to share serious abuse findings with Social Work England (with guidance)’, March 2023, The Transparency Project Blog. To read more, click here.
‘A tale of two experts’, October 2022, The Transparency Project Blog. To read more, click here.
‘A Practical Guide to Practice Direction 12J and Domestic Abuse in Private Law Children Proceedings’ (co-authored), December 2021, Law Brief Publishing. To read more, click here.
‘What does AA v BB tell us about the treatment of domestic abuse since Re H-N?’, August 2021, The Transparency Project Blog. To read more, click here.
‘Relinquishing a baby for adoption: the legal framework for local authorities’ (co-authored), August 2020, Family Law Journal. To read more, click here.
‘Now, more than ever, transparency matters’, May 2020, The Review. To read more, click here.
‘UPDATE: Z (A Child: committal proceeding) – a reminder that no one can be committed to prison without being named publicly’, May 2020, The Transparency Project Blog. To read more, click here.
‘Remote hearings: a gulf between lawyers and lay parties?’, March 2020, The Transparency Project Blog. To read more, click here.
‘How technology almost thwarted the family courts again (Z (A Child: committal proceeding))’, March 2020, The Transparency Project Blog. To read more, click here.
‘“I hurt you because I love you” – what did TV’s Silent Witness get right and wrong about the treatment of domestic violence in the family courts?’ January 2020, The Transparency Project Blog. To read more, click here.
‘No take-backs? The parents who changed their mind about adoption and the local authority who got it very, very wrong’, October 2019. To read more, click here.
‘F (A Child: Fact-Finding Appeal) [2019] EWCA Civ 1244: what’s the difference between an expert witness and a witness with expertise?’, August 2019. To read more, click here.
- K (Forced Marriage Protection Orders; Abuse of process) [2021] EWFC B94
- Re Z (Care Proceedings: Reopening of Fact Finding) [2023] EWFC 137
- Re Michael (Foster carers versus paternal aunt) [2025] EWFC 472 (B)
- Shropshire Council v Mother & Ors [2026] EWHC 510 (Fam)
4 Recommendations
Legal 500 2026
Legal 500 2025
Legal 500 2024
Legal 500 2023
