Sara Horncastle

Solicitor - Supervising Solicitor

SRA ID: 439337

Sara is a Supervising Solicitor within our Children Department. She joined FMW Law in Hammersmith as a solicitor in December 2010. When GT Stewart incorporated FMW Law in 2018, Sara remained with the firm, continuing to work from the Hammersmith Office. In 2021, Sara returned to live in Yorkshire and is now based from our Leeds office. Sara is a specialist Children’s Solicitor, representing parties in all aspects of proceedings concerning children. She is a Law Society Accredited Children Law Practitioner which allows her to represent children in court proceedings, either through a Children’s Guardian or representing a child directly. Sara undertakes her own advocacy in the Family Court. Sara has extensive experience in representing all parties in care proceedings. This includes representing parents and children in cases brought by the Local Authority when they have concerns such as neglect, mental health, domestic abuse, drug/alcohol use, allegations of physical and sexual abuse, Fabricated Induced Illness (FII) and Non Accidental Injuries. Sara has represented parents and children in Deprivation of Liberty cases and is instructed by the Official Solicitor when a parent is a “Protected Party. Sara’s breadth of knowledge and her experience in representing both parents and children allows her to provide well rounded and realistic advice to the people she represents. Sara is dedicated and passionate about the work she does and is considerate and sympathetic, recognising that proceedings can be daunting. Sara provides advice in a straightforward way and her approach is to advise and represent client’s in a way that allows them the opportunity to achieve the best outcome for themselves and their family. Sara’s level of experience gives her the confidence to vigorously argue her client’s case. Sara is also experienced in representing extended family members in proceedings, to include challenging negative assessments and advising on Special Guardianship Orders. Sara also has experience of representing parents prior to the issue of proceedings, when the local authority is involved with a family and their children. This can include a child being made subject to a Child Protection Plan or when the Local Authority invites parents to a ‘Legal Planning’ or ‘Pre-Proceedings Meeting’. This is often an opportunity for a family to avoid the need for court proceedings and Sara recognises the need for a robust approach at this stage. Sara also has experience of acting for parents in private law children proceedings, to include standalone applications or when these issues overlap with ongoing proceedings or local authority involvement. This experience includes applications for Child Arrangements Orders (formally Residence and Contact Orders), Prohibited Steps and Specific Issue Orders as well as Non-Molestation Orders