Solicitor removed from injured child case over conflict of interest


Medway County and Family Court: judge concerned

Medway County and Family Court: judge concerned

A court has arranged for a woman whose child suffered “shocking” injuries at home to be represented by a new law firm in family law proceedings after her previous solicitor was found to have a conflict of interest on both professional and personal grounds.

Her Honour Judge Cameron in Medway, Kent conducted a forensic fact-finding hearing in relation to “a very worrying catalogue of injuries” sustained by the two-year-old girl while in the care of her mother and the mother’s boyfriend, LS.

In Kent County Council v S & M (Fact Finding re multiple bruises & healing fractures) [2016] EWFC B62 – which was handed down in July but only just published – the judge recorded that it was a “matter of concern” for the court that the mother’s solicitor was the same person who had represented LS during proceedings involving his own young son, “and had also actually been a neighbour of the couple and witnessed with her own eyes some violent behaviour by LS to the mother”.

She said: “Because a conflict of professional interest really seemed to have been generated by all of that, it was agreed that a new firm of solicitors for the mother needed to become involved forthwith and that occurred.”

The hearing concluded with a finding that the child suffered non-accidental injuries, but the court could not identify definitively who caused them. However, both the mother and LS were within the “pool” of possible perpetrators.




Leave a Comment

By clicking Submit you consent to Legal Futures storing your personal data and confirm you have read our Privacy Policy and section 5 of our Terms & Conditions which deals with user-generated content. All comments will be moderated before posting.

Required fields are marked *
Email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Blog


How a good customer journey can put your business on the map

Good customer service should be a priority for any business and, if you want to stay ahead of the competition, something that’s constantly under review.


The CAT’s welcome boost for the funding industry

There was welcome guidance from the Competition Appeal Tribunal this week for funded cases looking for certainty following PACCAR, with the renegotiated Sony litigation funding agreement upheld as lawful.


The promising prospects and potential pitfalls of AI in the legal industry

The legal industry, steeped in tradition, precedent, and the intricacies of human interpretation, is witnessing an increasingly apparent integration of artificial intelligence as the digital era progresses.


Loading animation