Richard was a much-loved member of Chambers, and his presence brought warmth, kindness, and good humour to all who had the privilege of working with him. He will be deeply missed by colleagues, clients, and friends alike.

Our thoughts are with Richard’s family and loved ones at this incredibly difficult time.

We are grateful to everyone who has reached out with their condolences and kind words. Your support means a great deal to us all.

Richard’s legacy will live on in the memories we share of his generosity, his professionalism, and the positivity he brought into every day.

He will be profoundly missed.

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Martin passed away at home, cared for by his wonderful wife Diane with the support of their children and family. Although a dedicated and integral part of Pendragon Chambers, Martin was first and foremost a family man whose priority was always the Bowen “gang”. His love for Diane and children Rebecca, Joel, Alex and Nyle was obvious and he shared many proud dad moments with us in Chambers over the years.

He was also a devoted son and brother, supporting his family in what has been an incredibly difficult time lately through family illness and loss. His lovely mum Laura passed away in October and the strength Martin showed whilst battling his own illness was remarkable and testament to the man he was. Always putting others first.

In his work life, Martin was a consummate professional with a talent for his trade. One of the most recognisable faces of Chambers, he was well liked and respected by all of our clients. He was a true gentleman. A friend. Always upbeat, whatever the world had thrown at him that day. He was funny and loved to laugh. He and Nolan were formidable opponents in the banter stakes and you could look out if they were on good form.

Martin was also warm and generous and above all, he was kind. He was instrumental with Nolan in shaping Chambers not only into a successful business but into a place where people genuinely enjoy coming to work.

He was an avid supporter of Swansea City FC. What Martin didn’t know about the Swans wasn’t worth knowing and it was pure joy watching him as his team made it to the Premiership for a time.

He was a keen advocate for SNAS (Swansea and Neath Autistic Society) and Chambers has been glad to support his charitable work over the years.

He was a steady hand on the tiller and the “fixer” of problems. His steadfastness and loyalty were highly prized by us all in Chambers. He was the epitome of reliability and held in the highest regard by all who knew him professionally and personally.

There are no words to adequately thank Martin for the contribution he made to Chambers nor to express the huge loss that we feel. We remain incredibly privileged to have called him our friend and colleague for more than 17 years. We would like to think he stayed so long because some of these feelings were mutual. He was Chambers’ “Dad”. We loved him and we will miss him always.

Our thoughts go out to Diane, Rebecca, Joel, Alex and Nyle and all of Martin’s family and friends.

All at Pendragon.

The family are extremely grateful for the kind wishes they have received and for those who have enquired, they have kindly requested that donations in Martin’s memory be made to The National Autistic Society – wales via funeral-notices.co.uk/bookingref/901919162

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At this unprecedented time all members are up to date with the Guidance from the President of the Family Division and are familiar with the template orders for remote working.

We will be using Microsoft Teams (formerly Skype for business), the preferred option. Please see the Presidents Guidance issued on the 19.3.10 which contains links to information about this system.

As of the 19.3.20 the President of the Family Court has indicated that some hearings will still need to be dealt with by some if not all of the participants physically attending but that there will be a remote directions hearing first to plan ways in which this can be done as safely as possible. All barristers at Pendragon Chambers and their clerks are committed to making the system work for you and our clients.

Vacating and re-listing hearings

Part of the process we are currently undertaking, is to relieve some of the pressure on our clients for upcoming hearings as well as address directions made or to be considered. We understand that in some cases hearings will be vacated and re-listed. There remains relevant issues in those cases so in some matters, we are assisting in negotiating with the parties, and drafting additional orders, to progress matters remotely. We are happy to assist you in any such matters.

Holding hearings by telephone or video conference

We do already hold conferences by telephone, but anticipate our counsel will be happy to meet virtually online via Microsoft Teams/ Zoom or a secure platform that reassures the lay clients they are being listened to and updated during their case.

Client conferences

We are able to undertake all levels of client conference by video or telephone subject to the client preference.

Finally

It is likely that only urgent matters requiring court time will be undertaken and the pressure on the judiciary to address that remains. We are in constant communication with the Courts, FLBA and all government platforms for up-to-date guidance.

If there are any matters you wish to discuss with us, we are only too happy to assist either through the clerks or directly to your counsel. We appreciate the pressures that you are no doubt under and any assistance we can give is offered. So please contact us if we can assist.

We hope you and your colleagues remain safe and well,

Kindest regards

All at Pendragon Chambers

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Jane Williams, Associate Professor at the College of Law and Criminology, Swansea University

‘Telling, un-telling and re-telling the story of children’s rights in Wales’

Tuesday 12th January 2016 at 6.30 pm, National Assembly for Wales, Cardiff Bay, Committee Room 21
Children’s rights have been described as emblematic of devolved government in Wales. In the first decade of Welsh devolution, a succession of Welsh policies gave a prominence to international children’s rights standards, which was not replicated elsewhere in the United Kingdom. The unique duty on Welsh Ministers to have due regard to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, enacted in the Rights of Children and Young Persons (Wales) Measure 2011, attracted international attention as an innovation in human rights implementation at the devolved level. But what impact has this law had? In this talk, Jane Williams, whose book The UNCRC in Wales (UWP, 2013) told the story of the background, enactment and potential of the 2011 Measure, argues that subsequent Welsh legislation reveals at best ambivalence about children’s rights: even an un-telling of the story. Yet at the same time, evidence is emerging of greater confidence in children’s rights as a tool for effective as well as ‘right’ governance at local levels. Jane will reflect on the potential of a Welsh municipal law on children’s rights and whether this local re-telling of the story may in practice have the best chance of producing real effects on the lives and life chances of people in Wales.
Speakers Biography

‘Jane Williams is an Associate Professor at the College of Law and Criminology, Swansea University, formerly a practicing barrister and UK and Welsh Government legal adviser. With the Wales UNCRC Monitoring Group, which she joined in 2002, and with practitioner and academic colleagues, she influenced the legislative policy for the Rights of Children and Young Persons (Wales) Measure 2011. In 2012 she co-founded the Wales Observatory on Human Rights of Children and Young People, which now operates from both Swansea and Bangor Universities. The Observatory works with academic, statutory and third sector partners, and with children and young people, to embed rights in public policy and practice, contribute to the research base for policy and law reform and to support accountability for children’s rights.’

Those wishing to attend the talk should email info@gorwel.co

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Lord Judge’s talk will take place on 3 December 2015 at 18.30 hrs.

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“The Senior President of Tribunals, the Right Honourable Lord Justice Sullivan, has appointed John Dylan Brooks as a Salaried Judge of the First-tier Tribunal, assigned to the Tax Chamber. He will be based at the Royal Courts of Justice in London with effect from 2 March 2015.”

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