Helen Blackburn
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Helen is a partner at the International Family Law Group LLP who specialises in family law concerning children.
Helen has an renowned expertise in children cases with an international dimension and in cases that involve the cross-border movement of children, including child abduction law.
She is considered by sources as “outstanding in every regard” ,“ one of the most experienced international children lawyers” and “an expert in Hague Convention work”.
Helen has extensive experience of cases involving arrangements for children( domestic and international), adoption (domestic and inter country), the reciprocal enforcement of foreign orders, international relocation/leave to remove applications and jurisdiction disputes.
Helen has been consistently ranked in Chambers UK and in The Legal 500 where she has been praised as a “most meticulous solicitor” who is “top of the field in international child cases.“ and “inspires confidence in her clients and counsel alike with her calm confident manner”.
Helen is accredited by Resolution as a Specialist Family lawyer with a particular specialism in Child Abduction and Private Children Law.
Relevant experiences and positions
Helen has 25 years’ experience assisting families with child law issues having practiced family law, exclusively, since 1998.
Helen has represented parents and children in proceedings heard at all levels of court in England and Wales including in the House of Lords and latterly the UK Supreme Court. Many of her cases have been instrumental in developing child law in England and Wales most notably Re M and another (Children) (Abduction: Rights of Custody) (the House of Lords decision which established the procedure that is used in England and Wales when settlement is pleaded as defence within 1980 Hague Convention proceedings) and Re LC (Children) (the Supreme Court decision which determined the relevance of the state of mind of an adolescent in determining their own habitual residence).
She was a founding member and the former chair of CALA (the Children Abduction Lawyers Association) and the author of chapters on Child Abduction, International Adoption and Legal Aid in The International Family Law Practice published by LexisNexis. Helen lectures on family law in the UK and abroad. Helen has been interviewed by national television media and provided expert evidence in cases heard in the USA and Europe.
Some personal questions
What is your advice to parents who are thinking about relocating with a child?
Take time to think about the logistics of the proposed move from your child’s perspective. Whilst the move may be very important for you, the court’s paramount consideration is your child’s welfare, and the court will scrutinise your plans from that perspective so thorough planning is key.
What is your (practical) advice to parents, to make relocation easier for a child?
It will always be easier for a child to relocate if they know the plan to relocate is supported by both their parents. As a consequence, do all you can to try and agree the relocation before involving your child in your plans.
When did you first handle a child abduction case?
I have been handling child abduction cases day in day out ever since I qualified in 1998.
Why is it interesting for you as a lawyer to work on these cases?
I find assisting parents and children caught up in parental child abduction extremely rewarding. The cases are fast paced, intense and often very legally complex; There is a great deal at stake, and you know that the outcome of the case is going to make a huge impact on your client’s life. I love meeting clients from all over the world and assisting them in their real hour of need.
