Matthew Maynard

Matthew is a family law specialist with extensive experience of dealing with financial disputes between separating spouses, civil partners and unmarried couples, under the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973, the Civil Partnership Act 2004 and Schedule 1 to the Children Act 1989.

His practice at the bar spans cases with more modest resources, and those with significant assets, including cases with features of significant legal and/or factual complexity. Matthew is able to bring this expertise to the Arbitration process, ensuring that participants can benefit from a high quality and cost-effective form of dispute resolution.

He is a ranked junior in the Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 UK Bar directories.

To view Matthew’s profile on the Institute of Family Law Arbitrators’ website please visit www.ifla.org.uk/arbitrator/matthew-maynard

Matthew is regularly instructed in complicated public law proceedings involving allegations of the utmost severity. He has specific experience of cases involving allegations of:

• Death of children
• Catastrophic injury, including brain injury
• Non-accidental fractures, including multiple fractures
• Serious sexual abuse (including acting for children who are victims and alleged perpetrators)
• Fabricated/Induced Illness
• Suffocation
• Human trafficking (involving both parents and children)
• FGM

He has particular interest in, and experience of, cases involving Human Rights Act claims and applications for judicial review within the context of proceedings involving children.

Matthew has been led on numerous occasions, and undertakes cases in which he appears against King’s Counsel in his own right.

Matthew represents parents (including through the Official Solicitor), local authorities, children (either through guardians or separately) and interveners at all stages of proceedings, including lengthy fact-finding and disposal hearings. He is recognised as being particularly sensitive when dealing with vulnerable clients, often when capacity is an issue.

Notable Cases

• Re J, M and P (Loss of Parental Responsibility) [2026] EWCA Civ 344
• Re B, C and D (Children) (Sexual Abuse and Selective Mute Complainant) [2025] EWFC 386 (Fam)
• Re N (A Child) (Death of Sibling) [2025] EWFC 325
• Re H (Children) (Findings of Fact) [2025] EWCA Civ 993
• Re Q (A child) (Skull Fracture: Proportionality) [2025] EWFC 209
• Re AB and CD (Threshold Criteria: Murder Investigation) [2021] EWFC 104
• Re YY (Children: Conduct of the Local Authority) [2021] EWHC 749 (Fam)
• Re P (Sexual Abuse: Finding of Fact Hearing) [2019] EWFC 27
• Birmingham City Council v MM, FF [2018] EWFC 94
• Wolverhampton City Council v JA & Ors [2017] EWFC 62
• S Local Authority v UN and others [2016] EWFC 41
• Re L (a child) Re Oddin [2016] EWCA Civ 173
• Re V-Z (Children) [2016] EWCA Civ 475, [2016] All ER (D) 15 (Jun)
• Re R (A Child) [2015] EWCA Civ 1581
• S-P-H-O-S (Children) [2015] EWCA Civ 1131
• Re W (Children)(Adoption Proceedings: Leave to Oppose) [2015] EWCA Civ 403, [2015] ALL ER (D) 208 (Apr)
• Re T (Children) [2013] EWCA Civ 1836
• Re M (A Child) [2011] EWCA Civ 1161

Matthew’s private law practice encompasses proceedings involving international and domestic issues.

His international private law practice includes abduction and international relocation and child arrangement disputes.

He has a particular interest the law relating to surrogacy, having appeared for the child in the landmark case of Re X (Surrogacy: Time Limits) and lectures on the advances of the law in this complex and developmental area.

Notable Cases

C1 and C2 (Child Arrangements), Re [2019] EWHC B15 (Fam) (01 August 2019) 

C3 and C4 (Child Arrangements), Re [2019] EWHC B14 (Fam) (01 August 2019)

Re X (A Child) (Surrogacy: Time Limit) [2014] EWHC 3135 (Fam), [2015] 1 FLR 349