Public Law & Child Care Solicitors

Fiona is the Managing Partner of Timms and splits her time between this role leading the Family team and managing Timms. She is a member of the Children Panel which means she has achieved an accreditation which has to be applied for every 3 years to maintain high standards.

Fiona enjoys dealing with her own advocacy and the comprehensive service that she gives to our clients. Fiona is trained as a Resolution Together practitioner where one lawyer, with the consent of the separating couple, works with them to achieve an outcome by agreement which is faster than using the court process and means that an agreement can be reached which is acceptable to both people in the marriage. At the conclusion of the process a legally enforceable agreement is drawn up for submission to the court.

In her spare time, Fiona enjoys walking and trying to keep the slugs and snails away from her Hosta collection.

Dee is a Senior Solicitor who qualified in 1999, she has spent many years working in the Burton area and is experienced in family matters.

Dee is a member of the Law Society Children Panel and Advanced Family Law Panel and deals with complex children matters and other areas of family law.

Dee acts for parents, children and others involved in Local Authority cases. She has a wealth of experience and deals with parents and children in a very sensitive manner.

In her spare time Dee enjoys walking and spending time with her family.

Adrian is a Solicitor and Family Mediator who has worked exclusively in family law for almost thirty years.

Adrian specialises in all areas of family law, including divorce and cohabitation, financial matters and disputes relating to children.

His area of practice focusses on more complex and medium to high net worth financial cases where he has significant experience in representing individuals or their spouses or partners from commercial, engineering and medical sectors and entrepreneurs.

Adrian has a particular interest in cases which involve pensions, businesses and farms, trusts, and property portfolios.

He also advises in respect of wealth protection and relationship planning, dealing pre and post nuptial agreements, cohabitation agreements and declarations of trust.

Adrian also has a wealth of experience of dealing with issues relating to arrangements for children, dealing with these in a practical and sympathetic manner. He advises clients of the realistic prospects of any application and ensures that the welfare of the child or children remains at the forefront throughout.

In his spare time, Adrian enjoys the great outdoors, especially hill and mountain walking and gardening and horticulture, as well as sport and endures being a long-time supporter of both Derby County Football Club and Leicester Tigers. He might like the odd beer or glass of wine too!

Jessica is a solicitor in the Family Team who undertakes primarily Private Law Family work. Jessica’s experience includes complex cases relating to arrangements for the care of children as well as divorce and financial matters for both married and unmarried couples.

She has worked at Timms in a number of roles. Jessica began working for the firm in archiving and on reception before working in the Residential Conveyancing Team. In April 2017, Jessica became a paralegal in the Family Department’s Care Team and found a love of Family Law. Jessica’s knowledge of property law is often helpful when dealing with cases where there are arrangements for properties to consider.

Jessica qualified as a solicitor in 2020 and was awarded Derby and District Law Society’s Junior Lawyer of the Year 2022.

After completing the Timms Associate Programme, she became an Associate Solicitor in October 2022.

In her spare time, Jessica enjoys watching LOTS of films, whether brand new or preferably black and white and very very old

Melissa joined the Child Care team at Timms in May 2021. Prior to joining the team, Melissa was a Child Care solicitor at a local authority for over six years whereby she also completed her training contract. She knew from an early stage that she had a keen interest in Child Care Law and was dedicated to pursuing a career in this field.

Melissa regularly represents parents and family members at the pre-proceedings stage through to Court proceedings. Alongside work, Melissa also studied for her Masters in Legal Practice at Staffordshire University on a part-time basis which she was awarded in 2018. Melissa is committed, approachable and works hard to achieve the best outcome for her clients whilst making sure they feel supported throughout.

Outside of work, Melissa enjoys playing netball, shopping, visiting new countries/ cities, watching the latest Netflix series, and anything food related!

Jessica is a Solicitor in our Child Care team, who joined us in February 2024. Prior to joining Timms, Jessica worked locally in all aspects of family law, which led her to developing a keen interest in Care Proceedings.

Jessica qualified as a Solicitor in 2019, and has a wealth of experience representing children, parents, and other family members throughout Care Proceedings. Her work also includes, adoption matters, advising Special Guardians and matters involving deprivation of liberty. Jessica was awarded Derby and District Law Society Junior Lawyer of the Year 2023.

Jessica is a member of the Law Society Children and Family law panels, and is therefore, able to take on Guardian instructions in family law proceedings, both private and public law. She is also a Qualified Legal Representative, developing considerable advocacy experience in court.

Jessica is also a Mental Health First Aider, which gives her an advantage both in the workplace as well as during her daily work with individuals who require mental health support.

In her spare time, Jessica likes to spend time with friends and family, travelling and reading.

Leonnie qualified as a Solicitor in December 2022 and works within our Child Care team. Leonnie has worked on a range of Family Law cases, in both public and private law. She now primarily focuses on public law matters, representing parents at the pre-proceedings stage all the way through to Court proceedings.

Leonnie joined Timms in July 2018 and supported the family team as a paralegal in the family department before commencing her training contract with the firm in June 2021. Leonnie also worked closely with the Wills & Probate team and our Conveyancing team during her training contract and has transferable knowledge which is helpful in family matters, particularly divorce and finances.

She obtained her Undergraduate Law Degree, with honours, at the University of Derby in 2018 and went on to complete the Legal Practice Course and Master’s Degree in 2020, on a part time basis, from Nottingham Trent University; all the while supporting the Care team at both our Burton and Derby offices.

Leonnie is local to both our Swadlincote and Burton office and likes working with, supporting and getting to know clients.

In her spare time, Leonnie particularly enjoys going to the theatre, travelling and spending time with her family, friends and her cavapoo.

Katie joined the Family Team as a Chartered Legal Executive in July 2024. Katie has over 10 years’ experience working within Family Law and undertakes a variety of private law family work to include contact arrangements for children as well as divorce and financial matters for both married and unmarried couples.

Prior to joining Timms, Katie worked at a Legal500 law firm and was personally mentioned within the 2023 rankings. She also volunteered with the local Law Clinic and undertook fundraising for the Access to Justice charity.

Katie understands the sensitive nature of the work she undertakes and ensures this is considered when providing clear and practical advice to her clients.

Outside of work, Katie enjoys travelling, running (albeit slowly!), and exploring the Peak District with her dog.

Emily joined Timms in April 2022 as our New Business Co-Ordinator for the Conveyancing team. She obtained her law degree from the University of Derby in 2021 before going on to study the LPC and Masters full time also at the University of Derby, which she completed in early 2023.

Whilst studying for the LPC, Emily worked in various roles providing her with vast experience in community, organisational and legal work. Emily previously worked in our Conveyancing team, where she initially began dealing with new business before moving on to supporting the conveyancers with a variety of legal matters.

Since then, she has secured a training contact with Timms and is currently in her first seat within the family department under the support of Dee Khunkhuna and Fiona Moffat. She is thoroughly enjoying her first seat and is looking forward to further developing her knowledge.

In her spare time Emily enjoys long road trips, music concerts, travelling with her friends and a good TV series.

Michaela is a Senior Paralegal in our Care Team, having joined Timms in 2002 as a Legal Secretary. Michaela has worked in all of our offices in different areas of law but has finally taken base in the Care team in her hometown of Swadlincote.

Michaela supports Dee and the team in representing Guardians and Parents in Public Law Care Proceedings. Michaela enjoys the variety of challenges that Care Proceedings bring, particularly when dealing with urgent matters and the more complex cases.

Outside of the office, when not running around after her two children, she enjoys dining out, wine tasting and spending time with her extended family. If time allows Michaela enjoys an outdoor run and more recently pilates and meditation.

Claire joined Timms in July 2002 working initially within the Civil Litigation department but since 2003 she has worked solely in the Childcare area of law.

Claire is one of our more senior paralegals in the Care team and currently works closely with the Managing Partner, Fiona Moffat.

Claire has experience of working with both Court appointed Guardians and parents who are involved in
Care Proceedings brought by Local Authorities and issued by the Court.

Claire has completed and passed her CILEx Level 3 law qualification which she did whilst working at Timms.

Outside of work, Claire enjoys being a “soccer mum” to her two sons who keep her social life busy by playing football teams all over the country.

Sharon joined Timms in January 2007 as a Legal Secretary in the Family Department, firstly working in Private Family Law and quickly moving to join the Care Team.

Sharon, as a Senior Paralegal, supports Fiona and the Care Team in representing Guardians and Parents in Public Law Care Proceedings. This is a challenging role that ‘keeps you on your toes’. Sharon also enjoys sharing her experience and knowledge with new colleagues as they join the team.

Outside of the office Sharon is a committee member and volunteer for the Burton Child Contact Centre. She also enjoys theatre trips, road trips, cruising and dining out.