Charmaine Clubb

Family Law

Charmaine is a children law specialist. She accepts instructions in public and private children matters, and in matters involving protective orders under the Family Law Act.

Charmaine has a particular interest in public children law, and she has experience acting for local authorities, parents and children’s guardians at all stages of care proceedings. She has recently appeared in cases involving suspected non-accidental injury, neglect, domestic abuse and deprivation of liberty. She has particular expertise in forensically analysing expert medical evidence in the context of non-accidental injury matters.

Charmaine has extensive experience in private children law having appeared for clients at all stages of the Child Arrangements Programme. She has been instructed in cases involving domestic abuse, parental alienation and internal relocation. She has a strong track record of securing findings of domestic abuse at fact-finding hearings. She has experience representing clients in cases where a rule 16.4 guardian has been appointed.

Charmaine has completed the ICCA and FLBA Vulnerable Witness Training.

Recent Cases

Re A, F, J and J [ongoing 2025]: led by Damian Woodward-Carlton KC, Charmaine represented the father at a NAHI fact-finding hearing.
Re Y [ongoing 2025]: led by Amanda Jepson, Charmaine represented the mother at a complex and unusual fact-finding hearing whereby the mother’s correct mental health diagnosis was challenged, and the expert and treating psychiatrists listened to and commented upon each other’s evidence.
Re A [2024]: Charmaine represented the father in a complex contact case involving a convicted terrorist parent. This matter was heard by the Senior Family Division Liaison Judge.
Re I [2024]: led by Rachel Chan, Charmaine represented the father against whom findings were sought as a possible perpetrator. After careful cross-examination of the medical experts, the local authority withdrew its allegation of non-accidental injury.
Re L, H and T [2024]: Charmaine represented the mother at a contested welfare hearing following concerns of parental substance misuse, domestic abuse and chronic neglect.
Re S, A and J [2023]: Charmaine represented the children at a contested welfare hearing following concerns of parental substance misuse, mental health, domestic abuse and neglect. Charmaine successfully resisted an application for permission to appeal to the Court of Appeal.
Re R [2023]: Charmaine represented the local authority at a fact-finding hearing, securing findings that the father caused 7 rib fractures, 2 metaphyseal fractures and 10 bruises to his two-month old baby.
Re A [2022]: Charmaine represented the mother, successfully appealing a case management decision that neither a fact-finding hearing nor section 7 report was necessary notwithstanding significant allegations of domestic abuse. At the subsequent fact-finding hearing, she secured 9 findings of physical and emotional abuse.
Re N and T [2022]: led by Gemma Farrington KC, Charmaine represented the children at a fact-finding hearing involving complex medical evidence in relation to possible Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Findings of serious inflicted injury were made.
Re A, A, A and L [2022]: led in the High Court by Mark Chaloner, Charmaine represented the local authority at a 20-day fact-finding hearing. Findings of serious inflicted injury were made.

Articles

'Legal clarity achieved: non-biological fathers cannot acquire parental responsibility' – [2025] Fam Law 860

‘Assessments of Ethnic Minority Families - When in Rome do as the Romans do?’ - [2024] Fam Law 192

Public Inquiries

Charmaine is currently instructed as junior counsel to the Undercover Policing Inquiry, assisting the Inquiry Chair, Sir John Mitting, in this high-profile inquiry into undercover policing across England and Wales since 1968.

Between May to September 2022, Charmaine worked as junior counsel to the Scottish Infected and Affected Core Participants in the Infected Blood Inquiry, which is frequently referred to as the UK’s largest ever public inquiry.