Rebecca Cross

Overview

Rebecca is a Family law specialist with an established practice in family finance matters and in public and private children’s cases. Noted as having an approachable, professional and highly likeable manner with clients, solicitors and judges alike, she is considered a tenacious and incisive advocate with maturity beyond her year of Call.

Rebecca is sensitive toward the particular challenges which are posed in family litigation whilst maintaining a tactically-driven approach. Rebecca welcomes instruction at an early stage in proceedings in order to work in partnership with her solicitors so that her clients have the benefit of their full legal team.

Rebecca is a junior civil counsel member of the Attorney General’s Panel.

Recent Cases

Family – Finance

Rebecca secured a Martin order allowing her retired client to remain in the former matrimonial home to look after a disabled adult son, who was not a child of the marriage. This was despite the former matrimonial home being the only asset, neither party having a mortgage raising capacity and both parties having an immediate need of a capital sum.

In a long marriage case Rebecca secured the transfer of the former matrimonial home, the only asset, into her client’s name with no share being awarded to the other party.

Family – Public Children

Rebecca represented a parent of a 3 year old child in proceedings where the local authority applied for final care and placement orders, supported by the Children’s Guardian. Rebecca successfully resisted the placement order application due to the social worker and Guardian failing to adequately consider the impact on the child of them ceasing to be a member of their original family.

Rebecca represented a parent in a 5-day finding of fact hearing, where not one of the findings sought by the local authority against her client were found.

Rebecca represented an intervenor at a finding of fact hearing involving a non-accidental injury to a 7-month old baby. Rebecca’s client was one of two individuals in the pool of perpetrators. No findings were made against Rebecca’s client.

Family – Private Children

Rebecca represented the children, instructed by the National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS), in a case spanning 27 months. The case concerned a finding of parental alienation by one expert of two, and the impact of domestic violence on child arrangements. The proceedings were described by as “about as acrimonious as they get”.

In private law proceedings, Rebecca successfully defended the making of a 5-year section 91(14) order on appeal.

Rebecca represented a parent of two children, aged 12 and 4, in heavily contested proceedings where the other parent wished to relocate with the children from the West Midlands area to London. The eldest child wished to move to London.  Cafcass completed a report and concluded that the issues were “finely balanced” and left it to the court to adjudicate. Rebecca successfully opposed the internal relocation on the grounds that the employment opportunities and educational provisions in London had not been sufficiently evidenced in the instance case.

Awards/Scholarships

Article Publication, Gray’s Inn Law Journal, October 2015, titled Contract Law ‘Under Pressure’

1st Place, No. 1 High Pavement Plea in Mitigation Competition, 2015

3rd Place, Nottingham Law School 50th anniversary essay competition (judged by Lord Saville)

2nd Place, Inns of Court Mooting Competition, January 2015

Gray’s Inn, 2014, James Crouch Scholar

Further Information

Prior to joining the Bar, Rebecca worked as a Parliamentary Assistant to a Member of Parliament in Westminster working on a wide variety of policy areas including the Armed Forces Bill and the Syrian refugee crisis.

Rebecca was nominated to represent the UK at the 8th Commonwealth Youth Parliament in Victoria, British Colombia in November 2016, an annual event that is held in a different Commonwealth region each year where participants take part in parliamentary proceedings including Question Period, debate and vote on legislation and motions. Rebecca was appointed Shadow Justice Minister.

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