Madeleine Whelan
UK Bar Guide 2025
Up and Coming : Family: Children
Up and Coming
About
Provided by Madeleine Whelan
Practice Areas
Madeleine is a family barrister specialising in all areas of children law. Maddie has broad experience in public, private, international and ‘non-traditional’ children law cases. Her practice includes acting in cases involving complex fact-findings of sexual abuse or catastrophic physical injury, as well as those involving family creation and the legal recognition or termination of parenthood. Maddie has experience in cases involving cross-border disputes, relocation, adoption and complex safeguarding matters; she has built a particularly strong reputation in cases involving psychological, sexual or physical harm to children. Maddie is committed to the publicly funded bar and accepts instructions in all areas of children law; she is a regular contributor to the Family Law Journal and Family Law Week and previously hosted a successful fortnightly podcast on current family law issues.
Career
Maddie was called to the bar 2017 and became a tenant in 2018
Host of fortnightly family law podcast ‘Professionally Embarrassing’ which was nominated for Family Law Commentator of the Year at the Family Law Awards 2021 and 2022
Professional Memberships
FLBA
Association of Lawyers for Children
Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn
Personal
Languages
Madeleine spent a year living in Madrid as an undergraduate and thus is competent in written and verbal Spanish.
Education
Downing College, University of Cambridge (MA, Law) 2012 – 2016
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Erasmus) 2014 – 2015
BPP University Law School (BPTC) 2016 – 2017
Chambers Review
UK Bar
Madeleine Whelan specialises in complex children law matters. She has a very varied practice that finds her acting in cases covering care orders, abuse and non-accidental injuries. Whelan also has impressive knowledge of growing matters such as surrogacy and LGBTQ+ family issues.
Strengths
Provided by Chambers
"One of the best for the future. Madeleine is incredibly focused and robust in her advocacy. She is not afraid to put forward her points and will always fight for her client."
"Madeleine is very approachable and quickly gets to grips with the issues in a case. She takes a sensible and pragmatic approach, and is very good on her feet in court."
"Well prepared, great at strategy and an instant hit with clients. Forensic in her approach, she leaves no stone unturned."
"One of the best for the future. Madeleine is incredibly focused and robust in her advocacy. She is not afraid to put forward her points and will always fight for her client."
"Madeleine is very approachable and quickly gets to grips with the issues in a case. She takes a sensible and pragmatic approach, and is very good on her feet in court."
"Well prepared, great at strategy and an instant hit with clients. Forensic in her approach, she leaves no stone unturned."
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