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Our Barristers

Patrick Freer

Our Barristers

Public Access Accredited

Date of Call: 2014

Areas of Law

  • Family Care

Patrick is a reliable and approachable advocate who provides clear and sensible advice. He is regularly willing to assist with urgent matters and remains calm and collected every time. He is also well-regarded by other instructing solicitors and considered to be a safe pair of hands.

Patrick was called to the bar in 2014 by The Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn, having previously read Law at De Montfort University and completed his BPTC at the University of Law.

Patrick is a talented and enthusiastic family practitioner who joined Chambers in 2017. He has fast developed a strong practice in public children law and is regularly instructed by Local Authorities, Parents and Guardians, often in sensitive and complex cases.

He is well regarded for the quality of his advocacy and was awarded a prize for excellence in advocacy at the Gray’s Inn national mooting competition.

Patrick is our Head of Pupillage and an accredited pupillage supervisor.

Reported Cases

  • Re C (A Child) (Interim Separation) 2019 EWCA Civ 1998
  • Ellie (An Infant: Interim Care Order) [2023] EWFC 27 (10 March 2023) (bailii.org)

Recent Notable Cases

  • A Local Authority v S (2021) Patrick successfully represented a local authority seeking findings against a father that he had deliberately suffocated his baby.
  • A Local Authority v H (2020) Following successfully appealing a final order removing children from the care of their mother in the Court of Appeal, Patrick successfully argued at a further full trial that the children should remain in the care of their mother against a background of alleged chronic neglect.
  • A Local Authority v P (2021) Patrick is instructed to represent a father at a 3 week fact find in the High Court in which there are complex allegations of FII (Fabricated or Induced Illness) against the other parent.
  • A Local Authority v L (2018) Patrick instructed to represent a lay client at a 12 day fact-find accused of inflicting numerous injuries upon a baby.
  • A Local Authority v M (2018) Representation of a Local Authority seeking recovery and care orders for three children following allegations of non-accidental injuries to a fourth, and the family attempting to flee to Europe.

Interests

  • In a previous career, Patrick ran a successful IT Consultancy for 10 years and his passion for science and technology remains strong, contributing to his broad intellectual interests.
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