Birketts has appointed legal director Rachel Frost-Smith as its new head of children. A children arbitrator, solicitor-advocate and Resolution accredited specialist, Rachel has extensive experience advising on complex matters involving safeguarding concerns, parental mental ill health, addiction issues and children with significant health needs. In her new role, she aims to encourage innovation among those handling children work and to support families holistically in collaboration with colleagues across the family team and other professionals.
Partner and head of family Katie Beaven said Rachel has been carrying out the role ‘with distinction for some time’, adding that her ‘exceptional reputation for navigating complex and challenging cases’ and ‘highly collaborative approach’ enable the team to deliver robust legal solutions alongside ‘holistic, compassionate support’. She noted Rachel’s ‘curiosity and passion for the subject’, and said the firm is ‘very fortunate to have Rachel in our team’.
Reflecting on her appointment, Rachel described the role as ‘a truly exciting opportunity’. She said being part of Birketts’ family team over the past five years has allowed her to develop her specialism and build professional networks that help her offer ‘the very best advice and care’ in complex children cases. She added that she looks forward to further developing the firm’s children law offering to meet client needs while navigating the challenges of the family court system.
