Advocates – Number 10 Advocates

t matrimonial family, pre-nuptial post nuptial pre-nuptial post-nuptial children relocation

CANDY FLETCHER

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.

SAMUEL STEEL

Sam solely specialises is criminal law. 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

Sarah Martin joined Number 10 Advocates as a Partner in 2019. She is an experienced Matrimonial Advocate specialising in all areas of family law including divorce, ancillary relief and disputes relating to children.

Sarah has a particular focus on complex ancillary relief cases and routinely advises on Pre-Nuptial and Post-Nuptial Agreements, Judicial Separations and all aspects of financial settlement following separation.

Sarah has a wealth of experience in proceedings relating to children both with private and public law elements. She acts for Mothers, Fathers and Children and is known for her understanding and empathy in supporting clients through what is often the most difficult time of their lives.

Sarah has supported a great many clients in obtaining Domestic Violence Injunctions and other Emergency Applications relating to Residence, Contact and Non-Removal of children from Guernsey.

Sarah was called to the Guernsey Bar in January 2015 after five years’ experience at another local law firm. During this time Sarah was called to the English Bar achieving an “Outstanding” and being awarded the Western Circuit Advocacy Prize, First Prize in the Albion Chambers Family Advocacy Competition and finalist in the Guildhall Civil Advocacy Competition.

What Sarah’s clients say about her:

“A simple thank you for all you have done for me over the years just does not cover it.

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, and know that you would guide me in how to handle everything.”

“I was delighted with Sarah’s advice. My family court case was relatively minor, though significant enough to warrant limited advice. Sarah quickly advised an eminently sensible route, so keeping costs proportionate. The outcome was effective, I was spared a court appearance and its associated costs as well as time and stress. I would certainly instruct Sarah again.”

NATASHA NEWELL

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 LE CRAS

Hollie Le Cras is a Guernsey advocate who joined Number 10 Advocates in April 2021.

Hollie’s main area of practice is family law including divorce, matrimonial and childcare. She is known for her personal approach and determined attitude. She has great success assisting individuals with changes to their families. Hollie appears regularly before the Royal Court and Magistrate’s Court of Guernsey. Hollie has experience in complex financial cases involving business interests, spousal maintenance and overseas assets. Hollie is also regularly instructed on matters involving children which include high conflict cases involving very serious allegations. Hollie has been involved in cases involving allegations of parental alienation and coercive control. She is also experienced in cases involving the relocation of children and strives to assist clients in achieving the best possible outcome for their children. Hollie regularly acts for clients in both their financial and childcare matters simultaneously, with those clients finding it invaluable to be represented by the same advocate in both areas.

Hollie also advises on civil matters including medical negligence, personal injury, wills, and probate.

Hollie was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 2018 and achieved Outstanding upon the completion of her Bar exams. Alongside studying for the Bar of England and Wales, Hollie undertook a LLM Legal Practice (Barristers) Masters specialising in parental alienation and achieved a Distinction. Hollie was called as an Advocate of the Royal Court in 2020 following the successful completion of her Guernsey Bar qualifications.

Prior to joining Number 10 Advocates in April 2021, Hollie practiced at another local law firm focussing on all areas of dispute resolution including matrimonial and ancillary relief, personal injury, medical negligence, debt recovery, contractual claims, probate and employment issues.

OLIVER FATTORINI

Oliver qualified as a solicitor in London before returning home to Guernsey in 2012 to work in civil practice. He qualified as a Guernsey advocate in 2019, gaining experience in Criminal Law before moving to Number 10 Advocates in 2022.

Oliver has experience in most areas of law, with his current focus on areas including crime, landlord, and tenant disputes, maintenance, negligence, and debt claims.

He regularly represents clients in the Magistrate’s and Royal Court.

JEMMA LE SAUVAGE

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.