About
Alice has a busy practice specialising in public and private children proceedings. She has represented clients at all levels up to and including as sole counsel at the High Court, as well as being led in complex private and public law children cases. She is sought after for her calm manner, ability to build rapport with clients, her diligence and excellent written and oral advocacy.
Alice has experience representing local authorities, parents and guardians in public law proceedings. Her wide-ranging experience includes allegations of non-accidental injuries, chronic neglect, and children who are beyond parental control. She regularly works with vulnerable clients, including those who require the assistance of an intermediary. She also has experience in Deprivation of Liberty Orders, Secured Accommodation Orders, and Recovery Orders.
Alice adopts a child-focused and solution-oriented approach to private children proceedings, recognising the emotional strain of these proceedings. She has represented clients at multi-day fact-finding hearings dealing with allegations of domestic abuse, controlling and coercive behaviour, alienating behaviours, as well as child sexual abuse. She has substantial experience in high-conflict cases and regularly represents the child, allowing her to advise parents and guardians alike on how to navigate the complex and protracted proceedings. Alice is also able to advise on cases with an international element, including both permanent and temporary leave for removal.
Experience
Alice read Law at the London School of Economics and then undertook an LLM at the University of Cambridge. She subsequently completed the BPTC, for which she was awarded Student of the Year for her results.
Prior to commencing pupillage, Alice worked as a paralegal assisting with private children and matrimonial finance matters. She was also a Judicial Assistant to Mr Justice MacDonald at the High Court (Family Division), where she gained experience in a wide range of family matters, particularly international private children cases. This built on Alice’s time as a legal caseworker at the AIRE Centre, an NGO specialising in European and human rights law. While there, she assisted with and drafted third party interventions in cases before domestic and international courts.
Alice also volunteered at the Personal Support Unit (now Support Through Court) and taught advocacy and debating to secondary school and sixth form students through Griffin LAW.
Practice areas
Private Law Children
Public Law Children
Local Authority
Court of Protection
International Family Law
Cases
Publications
‘Qualified Legal Representatives in Financial Remedy Proceedings’ Financial Remedies Journal (2024, Issue 1 Spring)
‘The limitations of section 38(6) of the Children Act 1989’ [2024] Fam Law 70
‘The Impact of Brexit on Migrant Children’s Rights: Taking Responsibility without Solidarity’ in Mark Klaassen and others (eds) ‘Safeguarding Children’s Rights in Immigration Law’ (January 2020)
‘All Actions Concerning Children’ [2018] Family Law 1400
Education, Professional Memberships and Awards
Education
LLB, London School of Economics
LLM, University of Cambridge
BPTC (Outstanding), University of Law
Professional Memberships
Family Law Bar Association
Association of Lawyers for Children
Awards
Student of the Year (University of Law for BPTC results)
Lord Justice Holker Award (BPTC scholarship, Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn)
Advocacy Award (BPTC scholarship, University of Law)
E.M. Burnett Prize (Hughes Hall, University of Cambridge for LLM results)
Languages
German (intermediate)
Testimonials
“Alice Thornton meticulously prepares every case she is instructed on and her eye for detail is second to none. With clients, she is a clear and concise communicator, and she quickly places even the most vulnerable clients at ease. Alice is a persuasive and articulate advocate, who is able to stand her ground against very experienced opponents. I always know that my clients are in safe hands with her.”
– Solicitor
“Simply put, I would trust Alice to advocate on any of my cases. She has a great attention to detail and is thorough in considering all the papers provided to her. Her advice is always reliable. She is insightful and always able to put the best case forward for her clients, even when the odds are not necessarily in their favour. She knows what approach to adopt depending on the situation. Her advocacy style is highly effective: robust when it needs to be, whilst always remaining calm and never losing sight of the desired result.”
– Solicitor
“Alice Thornton was exceptional. Her strategy and advice were sharp, thorough and practical, and she helped turn the tide of where the proceedings seemed to be headed. She was professional, logical, calm and reassuring throughout, and her advocacy in court was confident and persuasive. Also she is a lovely person. My family and I are very grateful and would recommend her to anyone”
– Client
“She was fantastic and could not be happier with how [she] represented me and guided me in the right direction considering the limited ability to negotiate with [my ex-partner].”
– Client
