Our work covers all areas of family law, with particular expertise in the following areas:
Call: 2009
'Victoria brings a wealth of experience and expertise to her cases, demonstrating not only an extensive legal knowledge, but also a notably compassionate and assured approach. She is always thoroughly prepared, with a calm and reassuring manner that puts clients at ease while maintaining the resilience and rationalism necessary to navigate high-conflict and often abusive situations.'
The Legal 500 UK Bar 2026
Victoria Flowers is a composed and persuasive family law barrister. She enjoys an established, specialist practice across children and financial remedies cases.
Victoria is considerate and empathetic with clients, whilst at the same time providing clear and pragmatic advice focused on the outcomes they seek.
She is an accomplished trial advocate with strengths in cross-examining witnesses whose evidence is key to the outcome of a case and making compelling, articulate submissions.
Victoria is frequently instructed in complex private children law cases involving allegations of alienating behaviours. She has many years of experience of appearing in fact-finding hearings and multi-day final hearings. She has considerable skill in both securing findings of, and resisting allegations of, serious abuse.
Victoria has particular expertise in surrogacy law and the relocation of children, both domestically and internationally.
In 2019 Victoria was appointed as a Recorder and she sits on family cases on the South Eastern Circuit.
Victoria also sits as a fee-paid Judge of the First-tier Tribunal within the Special Educational Needs and Disability jurisdiction.
To instruct Victoria or for more information…
Call: 020 7353 6961
Email: clerks@harcourtchambers.co.uk
Victoria offers clients in private law disputes specialist and practical advice focused on the outcomes they seek, alongside compelling and persuasive advocacy skills.
She regularly appears in intractable contact disputes and cases raising allegations of alienating behaviours.
She has considerable expertise in private law cases involving domestic abuse, and the sensitive and meticulous approach required.
Clients particularly appreciate her familiarity with the potential complexities which arise in cases concerning children with additional needs and neurodivergence, and her careful focus on the impact of child arrangements on each individual child.
Her established public law practice enables Victoria to be a very effective advocate in private law cases with children’s services involvement.
Victoria has recent experience of securing a lengthy section 91(14) order as sought by her client, and of successfully resisting an application for permission to appeal with a costs order being made against the appellant.
Victoria is adept at the different skills required for each stage of a private law dispute. She approaches each hearing with a sharp focus on the client’s priorities in each child’s interests.
Victoria has a confident courtroom presence in family finance cases. She provides realistic advice to clients whilst being sensitive to the emotional backdrop of the case.
She has a keen eye for detail and is an effective negotiator at FDR, including at private FDRs.
Her advocacy is measured and focused on the results the clients seek to achieve, whilst being appealing and engaging for the Judges whom she appears before.
Victoria’s experience in family finance cases includes applications to vary and enforce orders, as well as cases raising issues of unmatched contributions, disputed earning capacity, overseas assets, serious non-disclosure and conduct.
Victoria has a particular strength in relocation applications and the forensic attention to detail required. She appears in cases involving Hague and non-Hague states, as well as domestic relocation and holidays abroad.
Victoria’s effective cross-examination skills come to the fore in these cases, the outcomes of which will often have a fundamental impact on family life. She brings a focused and thoughtful approach and is always pleased to be involved from the initial stages to assist with the strategic direction of these cases.
Victoria brings considerable legal expertise to surrogacy cases.
Alongside her court work in surrogacy, she has co-authored a book ‘Surrogacy: Law, Practice and Policy in England Wales’ (cited in the Law Commission consultation paper). Her expertise in surrogacy law and parental order applications has led to her regularly delivering seminars on the topic to legal colleagues. She appeared in a debate chaired by Mr Justice Hayden about whether the Law Commission’s surrogacy reform proposals should be accepted. Her article on the proposed changes ‘Changes Afoot? An Outline of the Law Commission’s Proposals for the Reform of Surrogacy Law’ was published by Seen and Heard, the Journal for Nagalro, the Professional Association for Children’s Guardians, Family Court Advisers and Independent Social Workers.
Victoria welcomes approaches from clients at the early stages of surrogacy cases, to ensure the process of securing parental orders is as smooth as possible in the circumstances.
Victoria is a knowledgeable and established practitioner in public children law. She appears for children through their guardians, parents from all corners of society, local authorities and other intervening parties.
Victoria offers empathetic but realistic advice.
She brings skilful cross-examination of witnesses, including experts, to these acutely difficult cases.
Victoria has appeared in proceedings raising issues of significant gravity, including fabricated or induced illness, non-accidental injury, forced marriage and sexual abuse. Victoria regularly works with vulnerable clients and those with mental health difficulties and has completed advocacy and the vulnerable training.
She is frequently instructed when authorisation of restrictions upon a child’s liberty is sought under the Inherent Jurisdiction of the High Court. Her knowledge of the Court of Protection enables her to be an effective advocate in cases involving transition from the DoLs list.
Victoria’s practice in recent times includes cases involving questions of whether children should give evidence, separately represented children, and successfully resisting an application for permission to appeal to the Court of Appeal.
Care proceedings in relation to a 16 year-old with mental health difficulties, issued following concerns that the family were not engaging with support services.
Hearing focused on the balancing open justice and protecting the children’s anonymity through the terms of a transparency order.
Care proceedings concerning 2 children aged 15 & 10. Parents found to have caused them significant harm & care orders made. Held that the parents should not be identified.
Victoria represented the local authority in this application for a reporting restriction order following care proceedings. Hayden J decided that the mother should be prevented from speaking in the media about any aspect of ‘gender dysphoria or gender identification’ in so far as they related to the child.
Court of Protection & Medical Treatment
Victoria has a keen interest in the welfare aspects of Court of Protection work, and can bring her expertise in children law to this closely related area. Victoria has co-authored a book ‘Dementia and the Law’ and her contributions included the chapter on remedies in the Court of Protection.
She is an ongoing and regular contributor to the Court of Protection Law Reports journal published by Bloomsbury.
Victoria appeared as a junior at first instance in this case concerning the deprivation of liberty of 16 and 17 year olds who lack capacity.
Victoria is able to provide Early Neutral Evaluation for clients, both individually and together with the other party in the case, in private children law cases. She will provide an independent and expert opinion on the merits, which may greatly assist to narrow or resolve issues and avoid protracted litigation. Victoria’s Early Neutral Evaluation advice can be given remotely via video technology as well as in writing.
Victoria is qualified to accept instructions directly from members of the public under the Direct Access Scheme in appropriate circumstances.
"Victoria is an outstanding advocate, who is incredibly passionate about all of her cases and fights fearlessly for her clients. She is a leader who excels within her field, providing both exceptional written work and formidable advocacy based on meticulous preparation and a wealth of knowledge of the law.
She is well-liked and trusted by clients due to her compassionate approach, whilst continuing to provide pragmatic and realistic advice to tackle even the most complex of cases with ease."
Solicitor
John Vater KC and Victoria Flowers spoke at yesterday’s Oxford Family Court Seminar, hosted by Oxfordshire Resolution and the Oxford Judiciary. The event was well attended by local practitioners, alongside…
Victoria Flowers represented the local authority in Re C (OCD: Parental Obstruction of Care) [2025] EWFC 261, a highly unusual case in which a care order was granted for a…
On Friday, we were delighted to welcome delegates to the return of our annual Public Law Conference, held at the iconic Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.
The day offered a…