Natalie Wood
CALLED TO BAR: July 2001
INN OF COURT: Middle Temple (Blackstone Entrance Exhibition Scholarship)
EDUCATION: University of the West of England LL.B (Hons), University of Bristol Postgraduate Advanced Adwards: Aspects of Medical Law; Issues in Family Law; Crime, Law and Process; Environmental Law; Evidence
PRACTICE AREAS: Civil, Family, Crime, Courts Martial, Prison Law

• Grade 3 Prosecutor
• Member of the Western Circuit
• Conversational French and German
• Prior to her career at the Bar, Natalie worked at the Treasury Solicitor’s Department.
• Direct Public Access: authorised to accept direct public access work directly from a member of the public or organisation
   

For further information, please contact clerks@2kbw.com or ring 0207 353 1746. Alternatively, use the secure email clerks@2kbw.com.cjsm.net

Profile

Before starting her career at the Bar, Natalie worked as a legal advisor in a busy firm of solicitors undertaking all aspects of civil litigation following which she was employed in-house at the Treasury Solicitor’s Department dealing with debt recovery on behalf of the MoD, the Cabinet Office, the Highways Agency and other government departments. She has since undertaken a secondment in a local authority legal department.

Natalie is a dedicated and ambitious barrister and a passionate advocate who always strives to deliver the best in client care and to achieve an advantageous result in every case. She is effective and persuasive both on paper and in the courtroom and has been praised for her tenacious cross examination and well structured submissions. Natalie’s attention to detail and thorough preparation combined with her ability to engage with clients from all walks of life enable her to gain clients’ trust and confidence.

Natalie enjoys a varied mixed common law practice.

Family work includes ancillary relief proceedings and property disputes between co-habitees and co-owners, private law contact and residence disputes, non-molestation and occupation orders and public law care proceedings.

Civil work on all tracks includes personal injury cases incorporating accidents at work, highway accidents, occupier's liability and road traffic accidents, contractual disputes, landlord and tenant and debt recovery.

Natalie's busy Crown Court practice encompasses all aspects of criminal law and she deals routinely with cases involving serious violence and weapons offences, public order offences, drugs supply, robbery, burglary, fraud and sexual offences. Natalie has also acted as Junior Counsel for both the prosecution and defence in long-running drug conspiracy cases and was instructed as Junior Counsel for the defence in a serious case of domestic violence, including offences under section 18 OAPA 1861 and perverting the course of justice.

Natalie is a direct access barrister who is experienced in dealing with road traffic cases and ancillary relief proceedings for members of the public.

Notable Civil cases include:

• Re O. Successfully represented private adopters in contested Adoption Proceedings in their application for an Adoption Order which was opposed by the birth Father.
• Re H. Private Law contact dispute. Representing the Mother on her residence application who makes allegations of domestic violence including rape and assault and having been trafficked into the United Kingdom for work in the sex trade as a dominatrix.
• Re J. Private law residence and contact dispute. Represented the Mother in this complex case. The Mother was a sex worker with a traumatic history of being groomed by a paedophile whilst in care as a teenager.
• Re O (Care proceedings). Represented the parents in a chronic neglect case in respect of applications for care and placement orders.
• Re J (Care proceedings). Instructed to represent the Father in a case involving allegations of child sex abuse where he is the alleged perpetrator.
• Re S. (Care proceedings). Represented the Mother in long running care proceedings.
• Re D. Instructed to represent the Father in an application for contact with children in care.
• In the estate of M. Chancery case. Advised on the liability of an executor in a will and the recovery of a debt owed to the estate by the executor.
• W v W. Direct access ancillary relief proceedings. Represented the husband in proceedings involving dissipation of assets following lossed on the stock market and lavish spending and issues surrounding the true earning capacity of a software expert.

 Notable Criminal cases include:

• R v J - defending in a section 18 OAPA 1861 case involving a Defendant armed with two knives. This case involved the instruction of a Consultant Psychiatrist.
• R v C - defending in an aggravated burglary case where victim held at knife point. Fitness to plead and fitness to stand trial issues involved.
• R v S - prosecuting a Defendant who suffers from mental health issues charged with sexual assault on a stranger.
• R v P - led junior defending in a domestic violence incident with allegations of two section 18 attacks and perverting the course of justice.
• R v DPP - reported case. Representing the Appellant on an appeal by way of case stated following conviction for breach of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order.
• R v H - defending in a multi-handed robbery where sentence successfully appealed to the Court of Appeal.