Guy Swiffen
Call: 1991
Guy has been at the Bar since 1991 and has practised exclusively in the field of children law for over 20 years. He began his career in London and then moved to the North of England in the late 1990s. Since then he has forged a heavyweight practice which takes him to all parts of the North of England dealing with many of the most complex cases being heard in the region. His reputation is very high amongst both his peers and the Judiciary, and he is recognised in Chambers and Partners and the Legal 500 year on year.
He has been described as a “bright and stunningly good junior.” He is known to be an incisively devastating cross examiner. Over the years his practise has taken him to developing the forensic skills to challenge the analyses and opinions of medical experts in the witness box. Complimenting his forensic skills is an excellent knowledge of the legislation and case law. He is happy to operate at all court levels: he has had the experience of taking a case all the way to the House of Lords. He prides himself on having a friendly and approachable relationship with clients and solicitors alike.
He often acts against Silks as a leading Junior (leading both Junior Counsel and solicitors).
Clerks
Dornier Whittaker
Call: 1994
Dornier is a highly sought after private children and financial remedy specialist. With over 30 years of experience, Dornier has a wealth of experience in complex relocation cases, intractable children disputes and is recognised for her knowledge in mid-high value financial relief cases, especially those involving companies, partnerships, farms and “hidden wealth”.
Dornier prides herself on her open and easy to approach manner with both solicitors and clients and is a firm believer in practical, no-nonsense advice. She is consistently ranked as a leading junior in the legal directories.
Dornier is described as “an excellent advocate. She can see through a complex and emotive matter and can find a way forward. She is very hands on, robust and kicks a case into order. She is a breath of fresh air and pulls out the stops. She is well prepared, has a very good client care manner and is approachable. She is unflappable even with the trickiest of opponents” (Chambers & Partners, 2025).
Highly supportive of all forms of non-court dispute resolution, Dornier is regularly instructed to act on behalf of clients at round tables meetings, private FDR’s, early neutral evaluations and arbitrations. She has recently qualified as a children law arbitrator and looks forward to supporting parties in reaching non-court based resolutions.
Dornier welcomes instructions under the Direct Access scheme, providing advice and representation direct to the public.
Clerks
Emily Ward
Call: 2011
Deputy Head of the Family Law Team
Emily is Deputy Head of the Family Team and has a strong, busy practice both on and off the North Eastern Circuit. She is a particularly sought after in matrimonial finance and cohabitation disputes, as well as complex children cases. Emily is consistently recognised as a leading junior in family law in the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners. She has a keen eye for detail and quickly grasps the key issues in the case.
Emily is also a member of Broadway House Chambers’ Business, Property & Probate Team, and acts in cases where there is a cross-over in jurisdictions and issues.
Emily was appointed as a Deputy District Judge in 2019, at the age of 30, and she holds children (public and private law), civil and financial remedy tickets.
Keen on all forms of alternative dispute resolution, Emily is instructed to act for clients at round table meetings, mediations, private FDRs and early neutral evaluations, as well as arbitrations. She also acts as a Private FDR practitioner/evaluator in financial remedy, Schedule 1 and TOLATA cases, offering her assistance from an neutral perspective with the aim of assisting parties to reach a swift resolution to their disputes.
Emily frequently delivers CPD accredited seminars to groups of lawyers, and is regularly approached to conduct bespoke training in her areas of expertise. She is published in the Family Law Journal, is a case reviewer for Nagalro, Seen & Heard Journal, and has recently taken up the position of Blog Editor of the Financial Remedies Journal. Emily is a published author, being responsible for chapters in both ‘Cohabitation: Law, Practice and Precedents’ and ‘Butterworths Family Law Service’.
Able to accept instructions under the Direct Access scheme, Emily can also provide advice and representation direct to the public.
Clerks