"The best decision I ever made was to appoint Gardner Leader. Seona and her team were efficient and professional!"Client of Seona Myerscough
Seona Myerscough
Partner
Head of Family Team
Seona Myerscough is a Partner and Head of the Family team.
Seona qualified in 1987 and is a Specialist Child Care Lawyer based in the Newbury office. Seona acts for parents to represent them through the extremely difficult process of coping with Local Authority Care proceedings. Seona also represents children directly or via their Guardian who is appointed by CAFCASS. Seona does not represent Local Authorities.
Family Law Experience
Seona also has wide experience of the law relating to Family Breakdown, with a particular reputation in legal issues regarding children and their parents.
Where couples are separating, Seona uses her specialist experience and understanding of the law to help parents reach agreements on both the finances and the children with a focus on the family as a whole. If the couple have children, they will be the paramount consideration.
Family breakdown is difficult, so Seona actively promotes modern approaches including mediation and collaborative law which help preserve dignity as well as potentially reducing costs. Seona is very aware of the costs implications for couples separating and hopes to provide a bespoke, clear costs structure for clients.
Work Highlights
- Representing the child and Guardian in the Reported Case of [2014] EWHC 270 (Fam)
- RE NL (A CHILD) (APPEAL: INTERIM CARE ORDER: FACTS & REASONS) (2014)
- Representing a Father within care proceedings, where the allegations were found not to support the removal of the children from the Parents care.
- Representing a young person aged 12 in care proceedings where the outcome was a safe return to her Father.
- Undertaking mediation where the couple, after over two years of separation, were able to reach an agreement without the need to progress to potentially expensive court proceedings.
- Representing extended family when applying for Special Guardianship Orders.
Legal Directories and Awards
- Seona was listed as a Recommended Lawyer in the 2021 Legal 500 rankings. She was recommended for being “highly professional and sensitive to the underlying issues that often affect parents within public law proceedings. She can therefore be clear about expectations, while remaining respectful of families.”
Memberships and Professional Bodies
- A Member of the Law Society Child Care Panel and Family Law Panel.
- Qualified Mediator with FMA and is MIAMs trained.
- Qualified Collaborative Lawyer with Resolution.
- Chair of the Newbury CAB.
- A member of Reading Family Mediation.
Seona Myerscough qualified in 1987.
Recent Articles
- 11-08-2020 - Care Proceedings – why an expert report?
- 20-07-2020 - Section 47 enquiry, what is it, what does it mean?
- 07-07-2020 - PLO Letter – what is it, what does it mean?
- 07-07-2020 - Social Services are involved with my family, what do I need to do?
- 23-05-2019 - Family mediation – what you need to know
- 09-11-2017 - Can voice recordings be used in Court?
- 12-12-2018 - Global Legal Post: Weaponising divorce
