Leeds 0113 228 5000
Newcastle 0191 221 2121
clerks@parklaneplowden.co.uk
Called 2013 
Email Iain
Iain joined chambers in 2016 after successfully completing his pupillage under the supervision of Julia Nelson.
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.
"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 2019Simply click 'Add +' on an area of expertise to add it to collate in your downloadable brochure.
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.
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.
Awards:
LLB (Hons) - Upper Second Class. (University of Leeds)
Bar Professional Training Course - Very Competent. (Nottingham Law School)
28—10—2019
