A Rolls-Royce silk in children’s work. He is engaging, incredibly persuasive, and always on top of his brief… Provides a razor-sharp strategy to every case he touches and leaves no stone unturned to achieve the right outcome.
Legal 500 2025 – Top Tier
Experience
Year of Call: 1991
Year of Silk: 2010
Education
St John’s College, Cambridge (MA) (Hutton Prizewinner)
Inns of Court School of Law (Astbury Scholar, Middle Temple)
Appointments
Co-chair, Association of Lawyers for Children, 2008-2010
National Family Justice Board, 2008-2010
President, Cambridge Union, 1988
Profile
Shortlisted as 2024 Family Law Silk of the Year at the Legal 500 Awards and 2024 Family Law KC of the Year at the Family Law Awards and consistently ranked in the top tier for children law by the Legal 500, Piers is considered one of the foremost children law barristers in the country.
He practises exclusively in the field of children law, undertaking significant and complex cases at first instance and appellate level.
He has a predominantly private children law practice and is particularly well-known for his expertise in relocation cases (international and domestic) and in disputes over child arrangements and related issues (including those involving allegations of domestic abuse and alienating behaviours).
In the public children law field, Piers has vast experience of undertaking cases entailing allegations of the most serious physical, sexual or emotional abuse. His practice also includes cross-border abduction and jurisdictional disputes.
Piers is typically brought in from the outset of cases to strategise and run them from start to finish. He regularly acts for high-profile, UHNW and HNW individuals and his recent clients have included leading figures from the worlds of sport, business, finance and entertainment.
Piers has appeared in numerous reported cases and has for almost 20 years been recommended for children law by the major guides to the legal profession. A former co-chair of the Association of Lawyers for Children, he co-authors the leading practitioner work, Dictionary of Private Children Law, published annually. He took silk in 2010 and joined 4PB in 2021.
Private Children Law
Piers is particularly well-known for his expertise in relocation cases (international and domestic), in child arrangements disputes (including those involving allegations of domestic abuse and alienating behaviours) and in proceedings over schooling and other parenting issues.
He has appeared in numerous reported cases, including recently in the private children law field GM & Anor v EB & Anor (Rules of Evidence) [2024] EWHC 288 (Fam), MG v AR (Security for Costs) [2022] 2 FLR 583, MY v FY (Contact) [2021] 1 FLR 883 and AY v AS and another (Relocation) [2020] 1 FLR 536.
Public Children Law
Piers has vast experience of appearing at first instance for local authorities, parents, other family members and guardians in cases entailing allegations of the most serious physical, sexual or emotional abuse and has been instructed in a number of appeals involving important points of law and practice.
He has appeared in numerous reported cases, including recently in the public children law field R (Care Proceedings: Joinder of Foster Carers) [2022] 1 FLR 395, CTD (A Child: Rehearing) [2021] 1 FLR 868, EF, GH, IJ (care proceedings) [2019] EWFC 75 and M (A Child) (Secure Accommodation) [2018] EWCA Civ 2707.
International Children Law
Piers is particularly well-known for his expertise in international relocation cases and his practice also includes cross-border abduction and jurisdictional disputes.
He has appeared in numerous reported cases, including the international relocation cases AY v AS and another (Relocation) [2020] 1 FLR 536 [2020] and Re F and H (Children: Relocation) [2008] 2 FLR 1667.
Non-court dispute resolution
Piers is trained in collaborative law and provides early neutral evaluation across the full range of private children law disputes.
Publications & Training
Co-author, Dictionary of Private Children Law (Class Legal, annual).
Revised and updated the ‘Children and Young Persons’ volumes of Halsbury’s Laws of England (5th edition, 2012).
Co-author, The Public Law Outline: The Court Companion (Family Law, 2008).
Co-author, Contact: The New Deal (Family Law, 2006).
Contributor to Family Law journal and Family Law Week.
Regular lecturer of judges and practitioners on children law topics (including most recently on challenging section 7 reports for the 2023 White Paper Children Law Conference).
Interviews on children law and practice to The Times, The Observer, The Independent, BBC and Sky News.
Professional Memberships
Association of Lawyers for Children
FLBA
Directories
“A Rolls-Royce silk in children’s work. He is engaging, incredibly persuasive, and always on top of his brief… Provides a razor-sharp strategy to every case he touches and leaves no stone unturned to achieve the right outcome.”
Legal 500 2025 – Top Tier
“Piers Pressdee KC is an expert private law children practitioner instructed by London’s top firms for complex domestic and international disputes. He demonstrates strength in child arrangements and relocation cases and is experienced in abuse and parental alienation cases.”
“Piers Pressdee is totally excellent as he’s very, very clever and really cares about the client. He deep-dives into a case and is very good at persuading judges.”
“Piers is fantastic. He is excellent in terms of strategy and judgement, and is great with clients.”
Chambers & Partners, 2025
“Piers is an excellent advocate and is known as one of the stand-out children’s law silks at the family Bar.”
Legal 500 2024 – Top Tier
“Tactical, technical and so reassuring, Piers is fantastic to work with.”
“Piers is really skilled and controls the courtroom.”
“A highly experienced, thoroughly respected and very clever children law specialist.”
Chambers & Partners 2024
“Piers is an incredibly persuasive and effective advocate. He is extremely well prepared and will go above and beyond to try and achieve the best outcome for his clients. He is a strategist and is not afraid to consider all avenues within the course of proceedings if it might achieve a more favourable outcome for a client.”
Legal 500 2023 – Top Tier
“Piers Pressdee impresses with the commitment and energy he brings to his cases.”
“He’s a brilliant, calming influence, who’s fantastic at getting to grips quickly with complicated situations and working towards a solution. He’s a great tactician, who puts clients at ease, making them feel comfortable and confident in cases.”
Chambers & Partners 2023
“Piers is beyond doubt one of the pre-eminent practitioners in the field of private children law. Well liked and respected by his opponents and judges alike, and a highly intelligent strategist. His cross-examination is forensic and deeply impressive.”
Legal 500 2022 – Top Tier
“Doesn’t waste a single word and works collaboratively with his clients. He commands the courtroom and concentrates on the major issues in a case.”
“He’s thorough, well thought of and hard-working.”
“A smooth, organised advocate.”
Chambers & Partners 2022
“Alongside his assiduous preparation and carefully considered paperwork, he brings to a contested trial great intelligence and psychological insight. He is hugely skilful in extracting from witnesses the evidence he seeks to persuade the tribunal to find in his client’s favour.”
Legal 500 2021 – Top Tier
“Highly astute, articulate and user-friendly … has got a good way of dealing with clients, opponents, and the courtroom, and is extremely charming and effective.”
Chambers & Partners 2021