Direct Access Barrister
Mark Oliver Smith
Direct Access Barrister
Mark Oliver Smith
Mark has particular expertise in cases involving cross-border issues and parallel proceedings across multiple jurisdictions. Mark has appeared in the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal, as well as the High Court Family Division in relation to international family matters, including child abduction, permanent relocation and foreign adoption proceedings.
Mark appears in family proceedings relating to child arrangements, including child arrangements orders, prohibited steps orders, and specific issue orders (e.g. relocation domestically or abroad) as well as injunctions, including passport seizure orders and other Tipstaff orders in the High Court.
Area of Law
Family
Mark recently appeared in an application for contact where there was a risk of the child being abducted to Poland, advised on the enforcement of child arrangement orders in Belarus, and appeared in a High Court application for a passport seizure order where there was a risk of the child being abducted to Bangladesh.
Other recent cases include child abduction proceedings in relation to Malta and Germany where Mark has advised on the interplay with parallel asylum applications, and applications to recognise foreign adoption orders from Nigeria and Singapore.
Mark is currently instructed in an application for permanent relocation from the UK to Switzerland and in wardship proceedings where the children were wrongfully removed from Pakistan and there is a parallel UK asylum appeal.
Who do I work for?
Mark represents parents in private children family proceedings.