Samantha Buckley

Call: 2022 (Solicitor 2009)

Family

Overview

Prior to being called to the Bar in July 2022, Samantha had twenty years of experience working in family law. Samantha gained pre-qualification experience working as a solicitors’ clerk in private practice and then as a legal officer for a local authority.

Samantha qualified as a solicitor in 2009 and worked in private practice representing parents in private and public law matters.

Samantha worked for a Local Authority who have a shared legal service representing Manchester and Salford City Council and Rochdale Borough Council, for 13 years. Samantha joined as a solicitor and then progressed to the role of Senior Solicitor. She then accepted a position as an in-house advocate in 2012.

Given Samantha’s experience as an advocate, she was granted a full exemption from training and pupillage and transferred to the Bar in 2022.

Family

Samantha has extensive advocacy experience conducting urgent, complex, sensitive and lengthy hearings on behalf of local authorities, parents, children and intervenors. She is experienced in all areas of Children Act applications in particular, care and supervision applications, emergency protection, secure accommodation, forced marriage protection orders, discharge of care orders and leave to oppose adoption applications. Samantha is also experienced in Deprivation of Liberty applications. Samantha has considerable experience of finding of fact hearings and contested interim and final hearings.

Samantha has a particular interest in care proceedings and is known for her thorough preparation, professional and robust approach.

Samantha welcomes instructions from all parties in Children Act proceedings/family law matters.

Public law

Samantha accepts instructions on behalf of local authorities, parents, children and intervenors in all aspects of public law proceedings from urgent hearings to contested complex multi-day composite final and or finding of fact hearings.