Jonathan Rees

Jonathan joined Chambers in 2023 following a successful career as a solicitor and advocate within Local Government.

Jonathan practises in all aspects of Family Law, both Children Act and Family Law Act proceedings.

In Public Law, Jonathan represents Local Authorities, Parents and Guardians in care proceedings and other types of public law cases. Jonathan is regularly instructed on a repeat basis, and clients appreciate his calm and pragmatic advice, and his advocacy abilities during contested hearings. 

Jonathan acts in complex cases involving non accidental injury or where there are allegations of abuse. Jonathan regularly conducts multi-day fact finding and final hearings.

Jonathan has a specific interest in Deprivation of Liberty proceedings relating to children in the High Court.

In Private Law, Jonathan represents parents and Guardians in any application relating to children at interim hearings and during fact finding and final hearings where serious allegations are raised, such as alienating behaviours (also known as parental alienation) and domestic abuse.

Jonathan is regularly praised for his approach to negotiation and dispute within proceedings and is sought after within his client base to provide advice and representation and is regularly reinstructed on matters to provide continuity. 

Jonathan recently concluded a 12-month long contentious case with an agreed final order, without a finding of fact hearing and a positive outcome for his client.

A recent testimonial said about Jonathan and his instructing solicitor:

Thank you both for your care, professionalism, and support throughout the fact-finding hearing. Your guidance and reassurance meant a great deal to me during a very difficult and emotional time.

In particular, I would like to say how outstanding Jonathan’s advocacy was. His calm and precise questioning was extremely effective, and it was clear that this came from genuine skill and experience. Jonathan truly is the best at what he does, and I feel very fortunate to have been represented by him.

Jonathan is able to accept instructions directly from members of the public as a Direct Access qualified barrister. Jonathan also sits as a Legally Qualified Advisor in Police Misconduct Proceedings. He is the Joint Head of Pupillage in chambers and supervises trainee barristers.

Outside of work: Jonathan grew up in London and went to University in Wales before travelling in the USA. He Jonathan worked as a civil servant in criminal justice for a number of years, before starting his legal career

Jonathan and his wife live in Hampshire and are servants to three cats and many houseplants.

In his free time he enjoys travel to anywhere that he can scuba dive, learn about wine, cooking, and cinema. He also enjoys being an armchair fan of Cricket and the NFL.