Sam Hillas KC specialises in financial remedy work at St John’s Buildings in Liverpool. In January 2026 Sam was elected as Leader of the Northern Circuit. She is also a Bencher of Inner Temple with responsibility for student engagement and support, a patron of Wirral Women and Children’s Aid, a co-editor of Family Affairs, the FLBA’s tri-annual publication, a fellow of the IAFL, a judicial officer for the RFU and World Rugby, and in 2024, she received the Pro Bono KC of the Year award from Advocate, the Bar’s advocacy charity.
Leader of the Northern Circuit Sam Hillas KC on authenticity, the joy of mentoring and where she stands on the kindness v professionalism debate
In the first of a series celebrating the Bar Pro Bono Award winners, Advocate introduces Tinessa Kaur, Samantha Hillas KC, Haydee Dijkstal and Joseph Sinclair who share the stories behind their awards
Not the first to switch between law and food, but Nisha Katona is a rarity, leaving at the height of her legal career and fast becoming a household name. The family barrister turned restaurateur talks to Sam Hillas KC
The age of criminal responsibility, extreme weather and conflict resolution – plus, new protocol for reporting bullying at the Bar
By David Green
Mário Barroso, Head of R&D and Method Development at AlphaBiolabs, examines the forensic science underpinning hair drug testing, its evidential scope and limitations, and why it remains the gold standard for evidencing patterns of drug use in family proceedings
Unlocking your aged debt to fund your tax in one easy step. By Philip N Bristow
Clement Cowley, Partner at The Penny Group, discusses the upcoming changes to pensions and Inheritance Tax and the potential impact on your financial future
Save the Children UK is the latest charity to benefit from a £500 donation from AlphaBiolabs via the company’s Giving Back initiative
Barrister apprenticeships – shortly to provide the fourth pathway to the Bar – are an ideal opportunity to support local talent and ‘grow your own’, say Tim Coulson and Dr Jane Dennehy
Oliver Lewis spotlights an overlooked yet rapidly evolving area of law – coercive and controlling behaviour within care contexts
Solicitor General Ellie Reeves KC MP discusses her decade as a trade union and employment law barrister, the demands of life as a Law Officer and the number one priority shaping her work. Interview by Anthony Inglese CB
A decade of reviews and research has disrupted accepted thinking in the search for causality. Suicides following abuse have overtaken domestic homicides. Is the law keeping up? Professor Susan Edwards KC (Hon) examines recent cases and the obstacles to successful prosecution
At least not that way, says Richard Paige
