Shelly Glaister-Young
Call 2004
Telephone 020 7831 0222
Email [email protected]
Shelly Glaister-Young
Call 2004
Telephone 020 7831 0222
Email [email protected]
Following a mixed criminal and family pupillage and early practice, Shelly now specialises exclusively in family law.
Shelly represents local authorities, parents, children and other family members or interested parties in public and private children cases. She has extensive experience both representing and cross-examining vulnerable participants, including those with cognitive or other difficulties that may require intermediary assistance.
Shelly is instructed in factually complex matters such as those involving allegations of non-accidental or inflicted injury and fabricated or induced illness. Shelly is meticulous in her preparation and a passionate, engaging advocate.
Shelly supports numerous initiatives striving to improve access to and diversity at the Bar. She is a patron of the Association of Women Barristers. For many years she has volunteered for the 'Bar Mock Trial Competition' run by Young Citizens as well as the Bar Council’s 'Barristers in Schools' programme and ‘Bar Placement Week’. She mentors aspiring barristers for Inner Temple and has been a Pod Leader and Coach for Bridging the Bar since the inception of its pioneering academy.
Shelly leads Chambers’ Schools Outreach Committee, which devised and launched a day-programme for groups of students from non-fee-paying schools to meet and spend time with members of Chambers, tour local legal sites, and prepare and take part in a short advocacy exercise.
Shelly has provided training to the Metropolitan Police Service’s Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Unit and Domestic Abuse Unit on disclosure between the family and criminal courts and jurisdictions.
Family Law
Shelly’s practice focusses on child protection/care proceedings, cases that involve chronic neglect, substance misuse, domestic violence and coercive control, mental ill-health, excessive chastisement, sexual abuse, inflicted injuries and/or fabricated illness. She also undertakes work involving DOLS applications and wardship.
Reported Cases
- O (Care Proceedings) [2024] EWCA Civ 696: Shelly represented the child through their Guardian on an appeal by the child’s mother. At a case management hearing after some of the evidence had been heard, the trial Judge had decided the mother was unable to care for her child. The Court of Appeal determined the decision was unjust because of serious procedural irregularity.
- KCC v M and O (children, criticism of local authority) [2017] EWFC B12 (26 January 2017): Shelly represented the child’s aunt in the second stage of the final hearing and on the issue of whether the case should be reported in the public interest. The case was widely commented on, and the social worker criticised for comments made relating to the Christening of the child and other matters, which she denied until covert voice recordings were produced during her evidence. The Judge considered the apology of the local authority inadequate and supported internal enquiry. The child was placed with their aunt under Special Guardianship Order.
- Re K (children) (contact order: posed risk by father) [2013] All ER (D) 214 (Oct): Shelly represented the mother on an appeal by the father. The Court of Appeal upheld the decision of the trial Judge, providing for the father to have supervised contact twice a year and to be prohibited from making further applications in relation to child arrangements for the remainder of the children's minorities.
Interests
Shelly’s commitment to medical research ethics occasioned her 15 years’ service as a lay member of various Research Ethics Service committees, culminating in her 5-year appointment as Vice Chair (later Acting Chair) for the London Harrow Committee.
Sometimes, she likes to walk ridiculous distances for sponsorship (Trailwalker in 2011, Thames Path Challenge in 2013 and Canterbury Trek in 2017) and every year she will pester you to donate or join her on shift at ‘Crisis at Christmas’. In her spare time, you'll find her baking outrageous cakes for increasingly creative Godchildren.
