Samuel Coe

In private law proceedings, Sam has acted in many complex finding of fact hearings with allegations including sexual abuse, serious violence, and non-accidental injuries. He also has experience of cases involving honour-based violence, forced marriage, and radicalisation. He frequently represents parents in cases where there are allegations of parental alienation and cross-allegations of domestic abuse.

Sam is frequently sought after for instruction on cases from beginning to end and is happy to provide tactical advice to solicitors and lay clients throughout the proceedings.

Sam’s recent caseload includes:

• Representing the mother in the High Court where there were allegations of forced marriage and honour-based violence.
• Representing the mother in a complex finding of fact hearing where there were allegations of sexual abuse of the child.
• Representing the child (through a rule 16.4 guardian) on an appeal in the High Court from a final order in private law proceedings.
• Representing the mother in a private law fact find where she had stabbed the father causing serious injury. The court found that the mother had stabbed the father in self-defence and at the end of the proceedings the children were returned to her care.

In addition to complex finding of fact hearings with allegations including child deaths, sexual abuse, and non-accidental injuries, Sam has experience of cases involving honour-based violence, radicalisation, and fabricated and induced illness. 

Sam has gained a significant following for representing vulnerable clients due to his sensitive approach. He represents many clients assisted by an intermediary and tailors his approach to each individual client.

Sam is frequently sought after for reinstruction on cases from beginning to end and is happy to provide tactical advice to solicitors and lay clients throughout the proceedings.

Sam is specifically pursued for instruction on cases involving complex legal arguments, often at High Court level, and has experience of:

• Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DOLS)
• Secure accommodation orders 
• Forced marriage & FGM protection orders 
• Reporting restriction orders (and disclosure of documents from care proceedings)
• Section 34(4) applications to refuse contact 
• Transfer of proceedings under Article 15 of Brussels IIa 
• Recovery orders Complex disclosure issues.

Sam’s recent caseload includes:

• Representing the children, through the instructions of the guardian, at a finding of fact hearing in the High Court in a ‘shaken baby’ case. The children gave live evidence with Sam asking questions on behalf of all the advocates.
• Being led by Kings Counsel in a complex High Court case which included legal argument on disclosing findings of sexual abuse to a GP and an order permitting the refusal of contact, including between siblings.
• Securing findings on behalf of the local authority in a case where a very young baby had serious injuries to his penis.
• Being led in a complex six-week fact finding hearing in the High Court representing a competent child. Separate allegations were sought on behalf of the child which the court found to be true.
• Acting in a finding of fact hearing in a case where an adult had given MDMA to a young baby. This involved cross-examination of an expert toxicologist.
• Representing the mother in a High Court case where the teenage child had made extremely serious allegations of sexual abuse. Following legal argument, the court agreed with Sam’s submissions that it was not necessary for the findings to be determined.
• Representing the mother in a ‘shaken baby’ case. As a result of Sam’s representations on the medical evidence, the local authority removed the mother from the ‘pool’ of potential perpetrators shortly before the trial began.
• Acting for a mother at a final hearing where the local authority sought a placement order for the children to be adopted. Following Sam’s cross-examination of the professional witnesses, the local authority withdrew its application for a placement order and the children remained in foster care and maintained regular contact with their mother.
• Acting in a difficult finding of fact hearing where a child had been left with multiple injuries including a skull fracture. The court made the findings sought by Sam’s client.