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Jennifer Ellis
(nee Coldham)

Year of call: 2019

Jennifer practices in family law specialising in public law and private law children proceedings.

Jennifer represents local authorities, parents, guardians and intervenors.

Routinely acting in cases involving contested factual and expert evidence, Jennifer has successfully brought and challenged serious allegations such as honour based abuse, sexual assault, serious non-accidental injury and coercive and controlling behaviour.

In her first three years of practice Jennifer both defended and prosecuted criminal trials in the Crown Court. She was instructed as junior counsel in a number of multi-week trials, including a 6-week historic grooming trial involving the analysis of social care, school and police records, spanning years.

Jennifer has experience being led in the family jurisdiction as well, including representing the local authority in a case in which findings of child sexual abuse were made against a parent.

Jennifer is also regularly instructed to represent police forces in the Family Courts in applications relating to disclosure.

Practice Summary

Jennifer conducts both prosecution and defence work in the Magistrates and Crown Court at all stages including first appearances, PTPH, trials, sentencing and appeals. Jennifer has been instructed in a wide variety of cases including fraud, violent offences, sexual offences, drug offences and traffic offences.

Prior to qualifying as a barrister, Jennifer worked as a criminal paralegal. Her role involved dealing with clients from arrest until sentence, taking instructions, drafting written applications, reviewing evidence and attending court. She worked on complex cases, such as rape, possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and conspiring to supply Class A drugs into prison.

NOTABLE CASES

R v R (2024)Jennifer successfully defended in a 2-day trial of intentional strangulation.

R v T (2023)Jennifer defended in a 3-day trial of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

R v E (2023)Jennifer appeared as junior counsel in a 5-week multi-handed fraud trial in which an acquittal was secured for the client.

R v C (2023)Jennifer successfully prosecuted a case of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, controlling and coercive behaviour and intentional strangulation in which guilty pleas were secured.

R v S (2023)Jennifer successfully represented the appellant in an appeal against conviction for sexual assault.

R v R (2023)Jennifer successfully defended in a trial of assault on emergency worker. Jennifer made a successful submission of no case to answer following the cross examination of four police officers.

R v W (2023) – Jennifer defended in a 4-day trial of theft from employer.

R v S (2022) – Jennifer represented a defendant convicted of possession of a Class A drug with intent to supply, non-dwelling burglary and dangerous driving at a sentencing hearing. Jennifer successfully obtained a suspended sentence despite the seriousness of the offences.

R v KL & NL (2022) – Jennifer successfully prosecuted two defendants accused of assault on an emergency worker outside a pub.

Practice Summary

Jennifer is regularly instructed to appear in finding of fact hearings and final hearings as well as urgent applications.

Jennifer has completed the Vulnerable Witness Advocacy Training and has experience conducting cases involving parties with vulnerabilities such as neurodiversity, learning disabilities and mental health difficulties.

In addition, Jennifer has experience with issues such as secure accommodation and enforcement.

NOTABLE CASES

Public law children

LA v N (2025) Jennifer successfully represented the local authority during a contested hearing to determine the issue of post-adoption contact resulting in no order for contact being made.

LA v K (2024) Jennifer successfully represented the father in a case involving allegations of honour based abuse. Jennifer highlighted the weak nature of the evidence in support of the allegations and the local authority subsequently dropped the allegations and the child returned to the parents care.

LA v A (2024) – Jennifer represented the mother during a finding of fact hearing, who was alleged to have caused two fractures to a 9-month-old child.

LA v C (2023) – Jennifer represented the mother in a case involving allegations of rape, violence and coercive and controlling behaviour against father and allegations of a failure to protect against mother. The case included an 8-day fact finding hearing. At the final hearing the child was returned to the care of the mother.

LA v T (2023) – Jennifer successfully represented the local authority in a 6-day final hearing in which care and placement orders were made despite the mother and grandmother seeking to care for the child.

LA v E (2023) – Jennifer successfully represented the local authority in a 5-day final hearing in which the court made a special guardianship order and supervision order in line with the local authority’s care plan.

LA v S (2023) – Jennifer represented the guardian in a 4-day final hearing, supporting the local authority’s successful application for final care orders and removal into foster care.

LA v P (2022) – Jennifer represented a family member in a 4-day final hearing, who sought a special guardianship order in opposition to the local authority’s application for adoption.

LA v A (2022) – Jennifer worked with June Venters KC, representing the local authority, on a three-week fact finding hearing resulting in findings of sexual abuse of the child by father.

Private law children

M v T (2024) – Jennifer successfully represented the father in a final hearing in which an order was made for father to have direct contact with the children, against the recommendation of Cafcass.

B v P (2023) – Jennifer defended an internal re-location case involving issues of parental alienation and abduction.

R v M (2023) – Jennifer successfully defended the father in a 4-day fact finding hearing involving allegations brought by the mother that father sexually abused the children.

B v P (2023) – Jennifer successfully defended an application for contact made by the father in a 3-day final hearing in which no order for contact was made.  

S v S (2023) – Jennifer successfully represented the mother in a fact finding hearing in which findings of controlling and coercive behaviour and financial control were made.

B v R (2023) – Jennifer successfully represented the applicant in a 3-day fact finding hearing in which findings of domestic violence were made.

B v G (2022) – Jennifer successfully defended an internal re-location application in a 3-day final hearing.

Practice Summary

Jennifer receives instructions from the police in civil forfeiture proceedings pursuant to Part 5 of POCA 2002 and applications for domestic violence protection orders, sexual risk orders, stalking protection orders and other similar prohibitory orders. Jennifer is also instructed in relation to disclosure from family court proceedings.


P v S (2024) – Jennifer secured orders for the forfeiture of a quarter of a million pounds, subject to account freezing orders, following a contested POCA hearing.

Education and Awards
  • University of Law, Leeds – BPTC - Very Competent
  • University of Law, Leeds - Master of Laws (LLM) - Distinction
  • University of Manchester, Bachelor of Laws with Honours, First Class

Professional Memberships
  • Family Law Bar Association
  • The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple

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