Welcome

A founding partner with over 20 years’ experience, Candy’s expertise encompasses a wide range of areas, including the firm’s specialist areas of family and criminal law.

She deals with sensitive and complex cases delivering an optimal service to her clients with professionalism and compassion.  Candy represents clients in all manner of private and public family cases of all complexities including finding of fact hearings in the context of domestic abuse, psychological assessments, international child relocation, injunctions, residence and contact.

Candy’s representation in public law child care cases have led to children being placed with or remaining with parents or family members after complex proceedings.  Candy is highly experienced and skilled in this area.

Candy’s advocacy skills in the family Court intersect with her established practice in criminal law, routinely appearing in both the Magistrate’s Court and Royal Court for trials and sentencings.  Candy acts in all types of criminal cases including fraud, assault and drug importation and related drug trafficking confiscation matters. Candy has also acted in criminal appeals both in the Royal Court and the Court of Appeal with successful outcomes.  

Candy is skilled at giving advice and support to clients at the Police Station after arrest, recognising that such advice at an early stage can be crucial to successful outcomes.

Candy attends hearings before the Child Youth and Community Tribunal and represents clients in proceedings before the Mental Health Review Tribunal.

Candy is fluent in French having graduated from the University of Sussex with a degree in French in 1997 and having studied at L’Institut d’Etudes Politiques in Aix-en-Provence.   She qualified as a teacher at the Manchester Metropolitan University.  After teaching, Candy studied law at the Nottingham Trent University and became an English barrister in 2005 further to studying at BPP Law School, London.  After attaining Le Certificat d’Etudes Juridiques Normandes from I’Université de Caen and completing her Guernsey Bar examinations, she became a Guernsey Advocate in 2007. Candy is also an adjunct, teaching the syllabus for the Family Law Guernsey Bar examination.

Sam is one of the island’s leading criminal defence specialists. He has extensive experience in the Bailiwick, spanning over 12 years, regularly including cases involving drugs, fraud, violence, and driving offences. He routinely appears in the Royal Court, Magistrate’s Court, Traffic Court, and Juvenile Court.

Sam has frequently represented clients in the Court of Appeal and has appeared in the most serious criminal court cases on island over the past decade, including: leading Court of Appeal authority on sentencing guidelines; the island’s biggest drug trafficking sentence; cases involving the commercial production of Class A and B drugs; prosecution appeal against an unduly lenient sentence; and leading appeal cases on RIPL offences.

Further afield, he has assisted local clients facing serious trials in Crown Courts on the mainland. He always welcomes instructions from Alderney, Sark, and Herm.

A founding partner of Number 10 Advocates, Sam has been an adjunct lecturer of the Guernsey Bar criminal law course for the past five years. A seasoned advocate, who has been praised for his “succinct and pertinent” advocacy and “powerful and compelling submissions”.

Sam won the Fitzgerald Prize for Best All-Round Law Student at UCL and first place in the ECHR Moot Final held at the European Court of Human Rights.

Client testimonials include:

“Thank you for your excellent, consistent, and reassuring counsel… You certainly lived up to your reputation”

“Thank you for your patience, understanding, professionalism and kindness. This unfamiliar process has been the most challenging thing we’ve been through as a family and you were great throughout”.

“Sam’s the man who can!”

Sarah Martin is a leading Matrimonial and Family Law Advocate. She became a Partner at Number 10 Advocates in 2019, bringing extensive expertise in divorce, ancillary relief, and child care related proceedings.

Sarah advises on all aspects of divorce and financial settlement following separation including Judicial Separations and contested ancillary relief proceedings.  She has a particular focus on complex and high net worth financial settlements and Pre and Post-Nuptial Agreements.

With significant experience in both private and public law concerning children, Sarah regularly represents Mothers, Fathers, Grandparents and Children, offering empathetic and professional support during highly challenging periods in her clients’ lives. She has successfully assisted many clients to obtain Domestic Violence Injunctions and Emergency Applications related to residence, contact, and non-removal of children from Guernsey.

Sarah was called to the Guernsey Bar in 2015 after five years at another local law firm.  Since then she has frequently appeared before the Royal Court and Magistrate’s Court which has honed her ability to navigate complex legal proceedings with confidence.  She is a trusted and formidable advocate and had her advocacy skills recognised with the prestigious awards of the Western Circuit Advocacy Prize and First Prize in the Albion Family Advocacy Competition.

Clients consistently praise Sarah for her expert guidance, professionalism, and empathy. One client shared, “I will be forever grateful for your wisdom and professional advice all the way along what has been a traumatic journey. It was a huge comfort to know that I could contact you with any issue, large or small.”

Another said, “ I was delighted with Sarah’s advice. Sarah quickly advised an eminently sensible route, so keeping costs proportionate. I would certainly instruct Sarah again.”

Natasha is a highly experienced litigator who is at home providing advice and representation on most areas of dispute resolution. Before qualifying as a Guernsey Advocate, Natasha practiced as a barrister out of one of London’s leading sets of Chambers for over a decade. She is a partner at No 10 Advocates and a door tenant (barrister) at Henderson Chambers in London. 

Natasha has gained particular distinction in employment law, trusts, serious fraud and regulatory disputes. She is a seasoned advocate, who has substantial advocacy experience before the English and Guernsey courts. Before joining Number 10 Advocates, she was a director in a leading multi-family office. 

Since joining No 10 Advocates, Natasha has regularly been involved in significant litigation arising from family, crime and employment disputes. 

Natasha is equally at home acting for financial institutions and high net worth individuals, as well as those from less privileged backgrounds. She has particular experience in conducting investigations, on behalf of fiduciary clients, into suspected regulatory breaches. She has also conducted independent investigations into employee conduct, often focusing on whether an employee is a “fit and proper person”. She has significant discrimination law experience and was counsel for the Applicant in Hitchins v Babbe in 2020 (Guernsey’s first equal pay case) in which her client was awarded the maximum compensation payable under the Sex Discrimination Ordinance. 

Over the years, Natasha has frequently been referred to as a “rising star” or a “leading junior” in the legal directories. The Legal 500 recently described her as follows:  “Natasha Newell is an accomplished and fearless litigator. She quickly cuts to the core of an issue and is exactly who you want fighting in your corner”.

Hollie is a distinguished advocate, who frequently appears before the Royal Court and Magistrate’s Court of Guernsey. She is renowned for her intelligence, tenacity and high ethical standards, consistently advocating vigorously for her clients, while providing firm and pragmatic advice.

Her primary area of practice is family law, encompassing divorce, matrimonial matters, and childcare. Hollie is recognised for her personal approach and determined attitude, achieving significant success in assisting individuals with family transitions.

Hollie has a substantial breadth of experience in complex financial cases involving business interests, spousal maintenance, and overseas assets, and is adept at navigating intricate legal issues related to the division of family assets. Hollie brings extensive experience in managing pre-nuptial agreements within the court system. She has effectively advocated both for and against these agreements, demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of their legal implications and the ability to present compelling arguments in each case.

Hollie is also regularly engaged in high-conflict cases involving children, including those with serious allegations such as parental alienation and coercive control. Her expertise includes cases requiring psychological assessments of one or both parties.

Hollie’s representation is highly sought after by both victims of domestic abuse and individuals who have been wrongly accused. Hollie ably navigates sensitive issues with empathy and precision, ensuring that her clients receive informed and compassionate representation.

She excels in handling cases related to child relocation and abduction, consistently working to achieve the best possible results for the children involved. Her dedication and expertise ensure that families receive the support and outcomes they seek.

Additionally, Hollie often represents clients in both financial and childcare matters concurrently, providing invaluable continuity and bespoke solutions for those with multiple issues to address. Her extensive experience enables her to bring a pragmatic and commercially sensitive approach to litigation.

Following successful completion of her LLB Law Degree, Hollie was admitted to the Bar of England and Wales in 2018 and qualified as a Guernsey Advocate in 2020.

Her Masters’ degree focussed on parental alienation which included exploring attachment theory and how disrupted parent-child relationships impact psychological development.

Hollie has achieved the highest grade available in all of her legal qualifications.

Jemma is a skilled family law advocate, known for her empathetic understanding and meticulous approach to complex family matters. She represents fathers, mothers, grandparents, and children, both through the Family Proceedings Advisory Service and on a direct basis.

Jemma frequently handles private law children matters, including residence, contact, parental responsibility, and domestic violence matters; public law children matters and ancillary relief financial matters including divorce, judicial separation and pre-nuptial agreements. She has a particular interest in childcare matters with a strong commitment to ensuring that a child’s voice is heard in legal proceedings.

In addition to her family law expertise, Jemma has extensive experience in private client matters, including wills, guardianship, and estate matters including probate, intestacy, administration order applications. She also assists her colleagues with civil litigation cases such as injunctive and restraint proceedings, regulatory matters, Saisie and non-contentious work such as Terre a L’Amende and Liquor Licensing applications. 

Jemma regularly appears in the Domestic Proceedings Magistrate Court and the Royal Court, both in the Matrimonial Causes Division and the Ordinary Division, where she advocates for her clients with clarity and persuasiveness.

Jemma was called to the Guernsey Bar in 2019, following her call to the English Bar in 2017. During her studies, she was awarded the Senior Advocacy Scholarship and chaired the Advocacy Committee at the University of Law in Leeds.  Jemma also volunteered as a speaker with the School’s Consent Project and a community mediator with the Yorkshire Mediation Service, demonstrating her commitment to resolving conflicts amicably if at all possible.

Jemma holds a First Class Honours Degree in Political Science with a concentration in Public Law from Brock University in Canada. She was awarded the prestigious Guernsey scholarship, earning a place on the Dean’s list throughout her studies.

Before joining Number 10 Advocates, Jemma gained valuable experience at other local law firms, focusing on family, matrimonial, and childcare work, as well as private client matters. Her dedication to her clients and her ability to navigate complex legal issues have earned her a reputation as a trusted and effective advocate.

Oliver is a versatile legal practitioner, having appeared in all Guernsey courts in all manner of proceedings.

Currently specialising in criminal law, Oliver has a reputation for listening to clients with an empathetic ear. He regularly guides clients from the very beginning of proceedings to their end, is comfortable supporting clients when they first attend the police station and – if the matter goes any further – he helps them through the court processes that follow, including trials, mitigations and appeals.

In court Oliver focuses on limiting risks to his clients and making thoughtful submissions that present his clients in the best possible light.

In civil law, Oliver advises clients on a range of matters including landlord and tenant disputes, contract, negligence, maintenance and debt claims.

Oliver has appeared in appeal courts and was the first Guernsey advocate to successfully defend against an application heard when the prosecution tried to persuade the appeal judges that a punishment Oliver had obtained for an adult should be increased for being unduly lenient.

In the Privy Council, Oliver has previously supported English counsel in the successful defence of Sark family law proceedings in which a father unsuccessfully tried to argue that he did not need to maintain his child.

Oliver obtained an MA in Edinburgh University before undertaking legal studies. He qualified as a solicitor in London in 2011 before returning to Guernsey. He qualified as an advocate of the Royal Court in 2019, joining Number 10 Advocates in early 2022.

Simon has a broad practice supporting those enforcing and defending their fundamental rights and freedoms, from crime, quasi-criminal civil applications, and civil challenges including judicial review, and financial and business obligations, rights, and associated offences.

He has appeared before the most senior judges including the later head of the Family Division, Privy Councillor and Court of Appeal judge, and judges, and appeared before the High Court, Divisional Court, and Court of Appeal. Simon has been successful in achieving purposive interpretation of primary legislation affecting thousands of people (appealing the Chairman of the Bar Council), developed arguments advanced in defeating primary legislation which required the UK government to legislate, (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora ‘CITES’) and even has a case in the current criminal practitioner’s guide (Blackstone’s Criminal Practice) cited for over 14 years.

Simon is approachable, empathetic, and indefatigable in pursuit of his clients’ cases.

Previously reading physics, an experienced black letter law and jury trial lawyer, Simon practiced as a barrister from London Chambers and was called to the Bar of England & Wales in 2005.

Clare brings extensive experience as a family solicitor, having practised both in the UK and internationally following her commissioning as an Officer in the British Army Legal Services. During her military career, she served in Germany, Kosovo, and Bosnia as “the Flying Lawyer,” providing legal support to soldiers on operational deployment and advising on a wide range of family law matters.

Clare subsequently joined the Army Prosecution Service, where she gained broad experience in criminal law, including conducting cases before Courts Martial.

After relocating to the Middle East with her family, Clare worked across several sectors, including the British Embassy’s Trade and Investment division, where she supported UK businesses seeking to establish operations in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

More recently, Clare held a role within a private bank in Guernsey, further broadening her expertise in financial matters, including property transactions. She is currently undertaking the Guernsey Bar Course with the aim of appearing before the Guernsey Courts