Maxine is regularly instructed on behalf of local authorities, parents and children in the High Court, Family Proceedings Court and County Court. Her areas of expertise include:

• Public Law Children (care proceedings including interim, directions, finding of fact and final hearings)
• Private Law Children (including Child Arrangements Order and relocation applications)

In particular, Maxine receives instructions in cases involving serious child protection issues including non-accidental injury and child sexual abuse. These cases often involve advising on the evidential quality of abuse allegations and performing cross-examination based on ABE interviews of children. Maxine has also recently worked on cases involving child death.

Maxine is frequently instructed at the early stage of proceedings in order to advise on case management issues, however she is also capable of quickly getting to grips with a case towards the latter stages of proceedings in preparation for a contested hearing.

Chambers and Partners (2024) - Family, Children (Band 3)  - "She has experience beyond her years of call. She has a good manner with clients and is very impressive."

Legal 500 (2024) - Family, Children and Domestic Violence (Tier 4) - "Maxine is a conscientious and thorough advocate. No stone is left unturned when she is representing you. She is able to make clients feel at ease even when difficult discussions are being had."

Chambers and Partners (2023) - Family, Children (Up and Coming) - "Maxine Best has a growing recognition as an expert in children law matters. She regularly acts for children, parents and local authorities on a variety of issues ranging from serious physical and emotional abuse allegations to child neglect."

Legal 500 (2023) - Child Law, Public and Private (Tier 4) - "She is fearsome and a very accomplished advocate. Maxine has a presence and confidence about her beyond her year of call."

Legal 500 (2023) - Child Law, Public and Private (Tier 4) - "Maxine is very thorough in her work and leaves no stone unturned. Her manner in dealing with lay and professional clients is exceptional."

Chambers and Partners (2022) - Family, Children (Up and Coming) -“Maxine can be trusted with the most difficult cases and clients. She is a rising star. She is hugely impressive and has a presence beyond her years.”

Legal 500 (2021) - Child Law, Public and Private (Rising Star) - "Miss Best is an impressive junior and comes across as far more competent and experienced than her year of call suggests. Miss Best is always extremely well prepared, her advocacy and written work is of very high quality, and she has a real knack of grasping the facts quickly and getting to the heart of the case."

• Association of Lawyers for Children
• Inner Temple
• North Eastern Circuit
• Family Law Bar Association

Re BH (A Child: Human Rights Act: Injunction) [2017] EWFC 15 - representing the maternal great-aunt seeking to prevent the local authority removing the 2 year old child from her care, notwithstanding the child was the subject of a final care order in favour of the local authority.

Re M, 2021 – Maxine represented the Mother in a lengthy finding of fact hearing to determine disputed allegations re: domestic abuse and denied ongoing communication between parents contrary to indications from professionals. The case involved cross-examination of a jointly instructed expert witness in relation to the forensic digital analysis of the parents’ telephones and complex cross-examination of the lay witnesses with cross-referencing between extensive telephone and Application disclosure due to alleged communications across various platforms under numerous pseudonyms. The majority of the facts asserted by the Mother were found to be true.

Re L, 2021 – Advised on Appeal having acted for the children by way of their s.16(4) Guardian in a finding of fact hearing. Maxine was subsequently instructed to Appeal and permission was granted. The Appeal - heard in the High Court – was successful on 3 grounds, the lower Court’s findings were set aside and the matter was remitted for re-hearing.  

Re HF, 2020/2021 – Maxine represented the Local Authority in a split finding of fact and final welfare hearing in which the central issue was the causation of significant head injuries sustained by a 5-year-old boy. The LA were successful in its assertion this injury was inflicted by the Mother and its final care plan was approved by the Court.

S v K, 2020 – Maxine represented the Father in a private law finding of fact hearing in which he was alleged to have perpetrated significant physical and emotional abuse against the Mother, in addition to physical abuse of the children. The case involved submissions on the evidential value of comments / disclosures made by the children and the proportionality and relevance of the findings sought to the application before the Court.

Re: AG, 2020 – Maxine acted for the children where the key issue was a burn injury to a child with three potential perpetrators. The case had a particular focus on extensive CYFOR telephone records and cross-examination of a medical expert as to the causation of the injury.

Re: R, 2019 – Maxine acted for a 15-year old whose sister alleged she had suffered sexual abuse perpetrated by their Father, which was denied by Maxine’s client. This case necessitated a Re W application and considerable disclosure from online teenage chatrooms.

Re: B, 2019 – Maxine represented the Mother in her application for injunctive proceedings to prevent the LA removing her child under the Care Order. Maxine secured judgment in favour of the Mother against the recommendations of professionals.

Re: B&V, 2019 – Maxine represented the Local Authority in a case that involved serious allegations of child sexual abuse made by a teenager against her male foster carer.

Re: S-F, 2018 - Maxine acted for the Father in a 20+ day fact-finding hearing and subsequent welfare proceedings, facing allegations of physical & emotional harm & neglect. Satellite litigation was regularly interposed throughout the hearing to deal with issues of parental recordings of professionals, breach of exclusion orders, permission to withhold contact between the parents and a child, interim removal application in respect of a 15 year old subject child, contact applications for adult siblings and allegations of dissemination of confidential information to the public.

Re: A, 2017 - Maxine acted for the Mother in a private law application for relocation of the Mother with the child to Scotland. This was opposed by the Father and a finding of fact hearing was conducted. Maxine achieved judgment in favour of the Mother who was granted permission to relocate with the child.

“Identification of Perpetrators in care proceedings: a legal round-up” August [2019] Fam Law, 935

Maxine regularly attends and speaks at seminars on matters of Children Law:

• 2022 – Public Children White Paper Conference – Remote Attendee
• 2022 – Private Children White Paper Conference – Remote Attendee
• May 2020 – Current Questions in Public Children Law – Speaker
• March 2020 – Public Law Webinar - Speaker
• June 2019 – Public Law Update – Speaker
• April 2019 – Identification of Perpetrators - Speaker

• Bar Professional Training Course (Very Competent), BPP Law School
• Graduate Diploma in law (Commendation), BPP Law School
• Geography BA (First Class Honours), Newcastle University

• Exhibition Scholar, Inner Temple, 2011 - 2012
• Exhibition Scholar, Inner Temple, 2012 - 2013