Yaa Dankwa practises exclusively in Children law. Her busy practice encompasses the spectrum of private and public law proceedings in which she acts for all parties.  Yaa Dankwa spent time as in house lawyer with oneSource working on behalf of Havering and Newham Councils and gained in depth knowledge in public law proceedings. She has since distinguished herself as a lawyer representing modern families.

Yaa Dankwa is a people person and is passionate about helping her clients find the best possible solutions to their family related problems and will often ‘go the extra mile’ to achieve this. She is a personable and approachable individual, often commended for her ability to put lay clients at ease, and to instil absolute confidence and trust in those instructing her. She is particularly skilled in assisting nervous clients and litigants in person.

Yaa Dankwa is regularly instructed on behalf of parents in cases where there are significant and often entrenched disputes about where children should live and how much time they should spend with a non-resident parent. She has experience and expertise in cases involving domestic abuse and where serious allegations of abuse (physical, sexual, or emotional) and parental alienation/hostility are made.

Yaa Dankwa also acts in cases with an international dimension. She has appeared in cases involving catastrophic non-accidental injury where there is complex and conflicting medical opinion.

Yaa Dankwa accepts instructions to represent clients at all stages of family law proceedings, from initial advice on merits and procedure through to contested Final Hearings and everything in between. Recent instructions have included proceedings featuring the following:

• Applications for Child Arrangements Orders
• Applications to vary Child Arrangements Orders
• Contested non-molestation order against ex-partners
• Applications to discharge an undertaking and to grant a non-molestation order
• Applications to relocate a child outside of the jurisdiction
• Contested non-molestation order against parents of the applicant
• Contested non-molestation order against siblings
• Contested Occupation Order applications
• Application for Depravation of Liberty Orders
• Fact-Finding Hearings in cases involving Non-Accidental Injury

Yaa Dankwa currently receives instructions as a qualified legal representative appointed by the court under section 31W(6) of the Matrimonial and Family Proceedings Act 1984 (the 1984 Act) and section 85K(6) of the Courts Act 2003 (the 2003 Act).

Appointments

• Attorney General’s Civil Panel (Government Legal Department) Junior Juniors Scheme
• LexisPSL’s Case Analysis Expert Panel
• Advocate Pro Bono Champion for Lamb Building Chambers
• Currently instructed as Junior Counsel to the Cabinet Office in the UK Covid-19 Inquiry
• HMCTS Qualified Legal Representative

Education

• 2009 – Ghana School of Law – Admitted, Barrister and Solicitor to the Supreme Court of Ghana
• 2005 – 2007 – Inns of Court School of Law – Bar Vocational Course
• 2004 – 2005 – University of Birmingham – Graduate Diploma in Legal Studies
• 1993 – 2003 – Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology – BA Hons (Economics / History)

Memberships

• Honourable Society of Inner Temple
• Family Law Bar Association of England and Wales
• Women in Family Law
• Resolution
• South Eastern Circuit
• Advocate (formerly Bar Pro Bono Unit)
• Association of Lawyers for Children

Further Professional Information

• Elected Member, The Bar Council of England and Wales
• Social Mobility Advocate, The Bar Council of England and Wales
• Co-opted Member, The Bar Liaison Committee – The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple
• Co-opted Member, National Committee – Family Law Bar Association
• Member, Education and Traning Committee – The Bar Council of England and Wales

Languages

• Twi and Ga (Ghanaian languages)

Family

• Children (Private Law)
• Children (Public Law)
• Domestic Violence & Injunctions
• International Family Law
• Modern Families
• Surrogacy

E -v- R: – Successfully represented a father in his application to permanently relocate his daughter from UK to the USA. Successfully persuaded the court irrespective of the opposing opinions by the Guardian and the Expert that the child should relocate permanently to the USA with his father.

L -v- G and E: – Successfully representing the birth mother in a contested application against the non-biological mother for a Child Arrangement Order involving parental alienation.

R -v-R and R: – Successfully representing the biological mother in contested applications for Child Arrangement Order made by the non-biological mother and her parents.

P -v- P: – Successfully represented a non-resident father to bring finality to a long-drawn custody battle about how much time the child spends with the non-resident parent.