Iain Hutchinson
His advocacy is well-targeted and effective, and he is thorough, well-prepared, and considered in his approach to cases.
Legal 500 (2025) - Family, Children and Domestic Abuse (Tier 2)
About
Iain is a specialist children practitioner. His practice encompasses all aspects of the law relating to children, including public and private law proceedings, adoption and cases with an international element. Iain has a reputation as particularly adept in complex cases of abuse and serious harm. He is regularly instructed as a junior to leading counsel as well as in his own right in both Family Court and High Court proceedings, including those involving serious physical abuse, sexual abuse, non-accidental injury (including head injuries), fabricated and induced Illness (FII), secure accommodation and chronic neglect.
Iain is well respected by his peers and prides himself on his approachability. He has a reputation for building a good rapport with clients and is able to be personable, but professional, with lay clients. He has a wealth of experience in dealing with cases involving parents with mental health difficulties, capacity issues and learning difficulties.
Chambers and Partners UK Bar:
2025 – Band 2:
“An exceptionally good barrister. He is dedicated and hard-working and has excellent communication skills. He has a very high level of knowledge and expertise and relishes challenges.”
“A skilful and diligent advocate.”
“Iain is an excellent advocate and provides an exceptional level of client service.”
2024 – Band 3:
“Iain is a committed barrister with great client care skills.”
“He is excellent with clients. His advocacy is clear and precise.”
“He’s hard-working, smart, has good people skills and a good eye for the evidential detail.”
2023:
“Iain fully commits to the case he is involved in and works tirelessly to obtain the best outcome. He is a pleasure to instruct.”
“Iain is great at collaborating with instructing solicitors, he makes every effort to achieve the outcome instructed and has a highly effective manner with clients and opposite advocates.”
“Iain is excellent. He has taken on cases and managed matters which are incredibly complex with a maturity far beyond his years. His advocacy skills are great, and he is very well thought of by the judiciary.”
The Legal 500:
2025: Leading Juniors: Child Law (Public and Private) Tier 2: “His advocacy is well-targeted and effective, and he is thorough, well-prepared, and considered in his approach to cases.”
2024: Leading Juniors: Child Law (Public and Private) Tier 2: “Iain is extremely professional in his style and ability to put anxious clients at ease. His advocacy is always measured and focused.”
2023: Leading Juniors: Child Law (Public and Private) Tier 3: “Iain is a confident barrister, unfazed by appearing against senior silks in a case. He has superb analytical skills.”
2022: Leading Juniors: Child Law (Public and Private): “Very hardworking, approachable, and able to explain a situation in a calm and focused way to lay and professional clients.”
Areas of Expertise
Contact Iain Hutchinson
Accolades
Iain Hutchinson
His advocacy is well-targeted and effective, and he is thorough, well-prepared, and considered in his approach to cases.
Legal 500 (2025) - Family, Children and Domestic Abuse (Tier 2)
About
Iain is a specialist children practitioner. His practice encompasses all aspects of the law relating to children, including public and private law proceedings, adoption and cases with an international element. Iain has a reputation as particularly adept in complex cases of abuse and serious harm. He is regularly instructed as a junior to leading counsel as well as in his own right in both Family Court and High Court proceedings, including those involving serious physical abuse, sexual abuse, non-accidental injury (including head injuries), fabricated and induced Illness (FII), secure accommodation and chronic neglect.
Iain is well respected by his peers and prides himself on his approachability. He has a reputation for building a good rapport with clients and is able to be personable, but professional, with lay clients. He has a wealth of experience in dealing with cases involving parents with mental health difficulties, capacity issues and learning difficulties.
Chambers and Partners UK Bar:
2025 – Band 2:
“An exceptionally good barrister. He is dedicated and hard-working and has excellent communication skills. He has a very high level of knowledge and expertise and relishes challenges.”
“A skilful and diligent advocate.”
“Iain is an excellent advocate and provides an exceptional level of client service.”
2024 – Band 3:
“Iain is a committed barrister with great client care skills.”
“He is excellent with clients. His advocacy is clear and precise.”
“He’s hard-working, smart, has good people skills and a good eye for the evidential detail.”
2023:
“Iain fully commits to the case he is involved in and works tirelessly to obtain the best outcome. He is a pleasure to instruct.”
“Iain is great at collaborating with instructing solicitors, he makes every effort to achieve the outcome instructed and has a highly effective manner with clients and opposite advocates.”
“Iain is excellent. He has taken on cases and managed matters which are incredibly complex with a maturity far beyond his years. His advocacy skills are great, and he is very well thought of by the judiciary.”
The Legal 500:
2025: Leading Juniors: Child Law (Public and Private) Tier 2: “His advocacy is well-targeted and effective, and he is thorough, well-prepared, and considered in his approach to cases.”
2024: Leading Juniors: Child Law (Public and Private) Tier 2: “Iain is extremely professional in his style and ability to put anxious clients at ease. His advocacy is always measured and focused.”
2023: Leading Juniors: Child Law (Public and Private) Tier 3: “Iain is a confident barrister, unfazed by appearing against senior silks in a case. He has superb analytical skills.”
2022: Leading Juniors: Child Law (Public and Private): “Very hardworking, approachable, and able to explain a situation in a calm and focused way to lay and professional clients.”
Public Law
Iain acts for Local Authorities, parents, interveners, and children (both through CAFCASS and directly on behalf of children competent to give instructions). He is frequently instructed in proceedings involving vulnerable witnesses, non-accidental injury, fabricated or induced illness (FII), sexual abuse, child abduction and cases requiring placement of the child[ren] in foreign jurisdictions. Iain also acts in cases involving adoption, Wardship, deprivation of liberty matters requiring jurisdictional determination and Forced Marriage.
Private Law
Iain’s practice includes the full spectrum of private law disputes including child arrangements orders, prohibited steps, specific issues orders and applications within the High Court. Iain is commonly instructed on behalf of a rule 16.4 children’s guardian or where there are contested issues requiring a finding of fact hearing, internal and international relocation or cases involving expert evidence.
His recent cases of note have involved representation of children giving evidence, fact findings involving physical, sexual and emotional abuse and protracted disputes involving intractable hostility, and both successfully pursuing and defending allegations of parental alienation.
Chambers and Partners (2025) - Family: Children (Band 2) - "An exceptionally good barrister. He is dedicated and hard-working and has excellent communication skills. He has a very high level of knowledge and expertise and relishes challenges." "A skilful and diligent advocate." "Iain is an excellent advocate and provides an exceptional level of client service."
Legal 500 (2025) - Family, Children and Domestic Abuse (Tier 2) - "His advocacy is well-targeted and effective, and he is thorough, well-prepared, and considered in his approach to cases."
Chambers and Partners (2024) - Family, Children (Band 3) - "Iain is a committed barrister with great client care skills."
Legal 500 (2024) - Family, Children and Domestic Violence (Tier 2) - "Iain is extremely professional in his style and ability to put anxious clients at ease. His advocacy is always measured and focused."
Chambers and Partners (2023) - Family, Children (Up and Coming) - "Iain Hutchinson is a child law specialist who acts for local authorities, parents and children on serious cases regarding such issues as sexual abuse, serious injury, induced illness and care proceedings."
"Iain is excellent. He has taken on cases and managed matters which are incredibly complex with a maturity far beyond his years. His advocacy skills are great, and he is very well thought of by the judiciary."
Legal 500 (2023) - Child law, Public and Private (Tier 3) - "Iain is a confident barrister, unfazed by appearing against senior silks in a case. He has superb analytical skills."
Legal 500 (2022) - Child law, Public and Private (Leading Junior) - "Very hardworking, approachable, and is able to explain a situation in a calm and focused way to lay and professional clients."
Iain Hutchinson is hard working, approachable, calm and intelligent. He is reliable and professional clients request that he represents them in complex cases. Despite being quite young he relishes new complex challenging cases both in terms of legal complexities but also dealing with litigants in person. I would have no hesitation in recommending him as counsel to represent any party but in particular a Local Authority. A senior family local authority solicitor, February 2019
- Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn,
- Family Law Bar Association
- Lawyers for Children
- North Eastern Circuit
A, B, C (Children: care orders) No. 4 [2018] EWFC 98 & No. 5 [2019] EWFC 55– Represented the Local Authority in protracted and complex proceedings over 2 years. Successfully defended allegations by the father of unprofessional conduct against all social care professionals involved with the family and of neglect by the Local Authority.
Wakefield Metropolitan District Council v R & Ors [2019] EWHC 3581 (Fam) – Represented the Children’s Guardian in a finding of fact hearing before Justice Lieven concerning a young child with significant head injuries.
Re M - Unreported [2019 -2020] – Represented the Mother in public law proceedings involving allegations of significant head injuries to the subject child.
Q v I - Unreported[2020] – Represented a 16.4 Guardian in a private Law finding of fact involving allegations of parental alienation, threats to kill and chronic abuse. The hearing involved the oral evidence of teenage subject children, whose evidence proved determinative in the proceedings.
Re P- Unreported [2021] - Led by Nick Stonor QC. Represented the Local Authority in complex FII proceedings involving a child with numerous and significant pre-existing medical conditions. Proceedings are notable by their early withdrawal as a result of collaboration with treating clinicians and the identification of a unique explanatory genetic condition.
LLB (Hons) - Upper Second Class. (University of Leeds) Bar Professional Training Course - Very Competent. (Nottingham Law School)
