Jenna Chaplin
Call: 2015
Jenna Chaplin
University of Sheffield, LLB Hons 2:1
University of Law, BPTC Very Competent
Middle Temple
Contact
T: 01274 722 560 or 0113 246 2600
Jenna specialises exclusively in Private Children cases and Financial Remedy. Jenna is known for her sensitive client care, her tactful negotiation skills and her robust approach in court. Jenna prides herself on her hard-working nature, thorough preparation and attention to detail.
Jenna has a busy private children practice and has a strong track record for achieving excellent results for parents and wider family members. Jenna is regularly instructed to represent clients in complex private children cases involving serious allegations of child abuse, domestic violence and parental alienation. Jenna appears in disputes regarding domestic and international relocation.
Jenna has a broad range of experience representing both Applicants and Respondents at all stages of financial remedy proceedings including final hearings. Jenna has experience in dealing with cases involving intervenors, wanton dissipation and hidden assets. Jenna is happy to advise in conference and in writing.
Jenna joined chambers following successful completion of her pupillage under the supervision of Peter Hampton and Matthew Rudd. Prior to completing her pupillage, Jenna worked at a prestigious law firm in London.
Reputation
Jenna has conducted seminars for chambers including recently with Dornier Whittaker on alcohol testing and section 91(14) orders and Semaab Shaikh on guidance for remote hearings.
Expertise
Family
Jenna is a specialist family practitioner, undertaking cases involving private disputes regarding children and financial remedy.Jenna regularly appears in front of both District and Circuit Judges alike.
Jenna’s caseload routinely involves the following areas of private children:
• Applications for shared care/live with orders
• Applications for relocation of the children both domestically and internationally
• Applications for orders preventing the removal of a child from the jurisdiction
• Finding of Fact Hearings involving allegations of child abuse, domestic violence and parental alienation
• Applications for orders determining the child’s schooling
Jenna is regularly instructed at all stages of financial remedy proceedings.
Notable Cases
https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWFC/OJ/2024/221.html
H v W (2024): Jenna represented the Wife at a Final Hearing in financial remedy proceedings. The Court was persuaded to transfer the family home to the Wife’s name for a payment to the Husband of just £5,000 – with the Wife retaining the entirety of her NHS pension.
R v E (2024): Jenna was instructed to represent the Mother in proceedings concerning international relocation. Findings were made against the Father involving physical assaults, threatening behaviour including with weapons and controlling and coercive behaviour. These findings led to the Father not actively opposing the Mother’s proposed move abroad, which had been endorsed by Cafcass.
N v H (2024): Jenna is instructed to represent the Father in ongoing proceedings relating to his 1 year old son. Serious allegations of sexual violence throughout the relationship were made against the Father in addition to controlling and coercive behaviour. All of the findings sought against the Father were dismissed.
W v H (2023): Jenna was instructed to represent the Mother at a FHDRA. Jenna successfully opposed an application for psychiatric assessment of the Mother, who had been seeing the child on a supervised basis. Jenna successfully applied for unsupervised contact. The proceedings concluded at this hearing with equal shared care.
B v H (2023): Jenna represented the Mother at a Finding of Fact hearing. The Court made multiple findings of rape, after the Father accepted that he had lied on key issues during cross-examination. Jenna made submissions that in light of the facts of the case, the principles in Re H-N & Others [2021] EWCA Civ 448 applied and invited the Court to make a finding that the Father’s rape of the Mother amounted to controlling and coercive behaviour. The Court agreed and made this finding.
N v P (2022): Jenna represented the Father at a 3 day Finding of Fact hearing. Allegations were made against the Father of rape, controlling and coercive behaviour and threatening behaviour in the presence of the child. Further allegations were made that during the course of proceedings the Father had been violent towards the child and had engaged in threatening behaviour towards the child. All findings against the Father of abusive behaviour were dismissed.
S v B (2021): Jenna represented a mother at a Final Hearing in a case where the child lived with his paternal aunt. The Social Worker did not recommend progressing contact. The mother sought for contact to be progressed to include overnight stays. After cross-examination of the Social Worker, the Judge indicated that she would order overnight stays, due to the responses provided by the Social Worker. The parties agreed a stepped order to include overnight stays.
P v S (2021): Jenna represented a mother at a Final Hearing, having represented the mother for over 2 years during lengthy court proceedings. The Social Worker had initially recommended overnight stays for the mother. By the time of the Final Hearing, the recommendation for overnight contact had been revoked due to a change in social worker. Furthermore, in evidence at the Final Hearing the Social Worker said that she was no longer opposing an SGO for maternal grandparents. After contested evidence, the Magistrates concluded that overnight contact was in the child’s best interests and implemented alternative weekend overnight contact in addition to extended periods of school holiday contact. The Magistrates refused to grant the application for a SGO.
Clerks
