Rachel Cooper

Barrister

“Rachel is an approachable and intellectual advocate.”
Legal 500, 2025

“She’s one of the outstanding individuals in the next generation of family barristers.”
Chambers & Partners, 2025

About

Rachel’s practice focus is on all aspects of financial remedy proceedings, including pre-nuptial settlements, Part III and variation applications, and, Schedule 1. She also specialises in private children matters, including cases with an international element (abduction or relocation), cases where there are serious and complex allegations of domestic abuse (including alienating behaviours), and alternative family cases involving the HFEA 2008 and surrogacy.

Rachel was voted the Lexis Nexis Young Family Law Barrister of the Year in 2020. Her approach has been described as “robust” and “a fearless advocate” by clients, who have also noted her warm, empathetic, pragmatic, and diligent approach to her cases.

Experience

Rachel has appeared in the Court of Appeal, most recently in the case of P, H-L (Children) (Mobile Phone Extraction) [2023] EWCA Civ 2016 and in Re C (Female Genital Mutilation and Forced Marriage Fact Finding) [2019] EWHC 3449 (Fam), and in the Supreme Court in In the matter of T (A Child) (Appellant) [2021] UKSC 35.

Rachel also sits as a private FDR adjudicator.

Rachel sits on the wellbeing committee in chambers and together with Amanda Bewley provides Resilience training to family law practitioners.

Rachel is the host of Family Law Week’s Family Law podcast, which after a break is about to return with Season 8.

Outside of work, Rachel can be found walking her two dogs around London, cooking the latest New York Times recipe, or listening to Radio 4. Rachel has a good command of French and Spanish.

Practice Areas

Finance and Private Client

Private Law Children

Alternative Families

Human Rights

International Family Law

Testimonials

“Rachel is an approachable and intellectual advocate.” Legal 500, 2025

“She’s one of the outstanding individuals in the next generation of family barristers.” Chambers & Partners, 2025

“Rachel Cooper does an amazing job in unusual and difficult cases.” Chambers & Partners, 2025

“She is pragmatic and a very safe pair of hands.” Chambers & Partners, 2025

“Rachel grasps the fine detail of each case.” Chambers & Partners, 2025

“Rachel was amazing, very understanding, easy to speak to and made me a lot less stressed about the day as soon as I met her. Can’t thank Rachel or yourself enough with regards to today – I’m over the moon! Thanks again!” Lay client, via Slater & Gordon solicitors

“I instructed Rachel Cooper on a matrimonial finance matter as she was recommended to me by a colleague. Rachel has a fantastic manner in addition to the delivery of very sound, responsive, and user-friendly advice. I was able to bring my issues to a fairly swift conclusion and my only regret is that I did not instruct her much earlier. I would not hesitate to recommend her in the future.” Direct Access client

“I would like to thank Rachel for her assistance direction and time with the case involving my daughter. It has been a really testing and nerve challenging time for the past few years and yesterday finally felt like a line was drawn under the matter, largely thanks to Rachel. Her help on my case was greatly appreciated. I hope that she will continue to rescue many lost fathers and mothers that find themselves in difficult custody situations.” Lay Client, via Makwanas Solicitors

Publications

Wellbeing in family law: practical advice for avoiding burnout in lockdown. Blog published on Coram Chambers’ website, Jan 2021.

Non-molestation orders: Valid Service in the time of Coronavirus (Part 2) (Family Law Week, co-authored with Michael Horton, July 2020)

‘Pre-nuptial agreements: a decade since Radmacher’ (co-authored with Hannah Minty, Russell Cooke). A 2-part series published in the Resolution Review (Jan/Feb 2020 and Mar/Apr 2020)

Domestic abuse and service (Family Law Week, co-authored with Michael Horton, June 2020)

‘Surrogacy: BBC Radio 4’s ‘The Archers’ storyline highlights legal issues for parents’ (Family Law Week, October 2019)

Private law update (Legal Action magazine, co-authored with Sarah Tyler, Jan 2020)

In addition to her busy practice Rachel hosts the Family Law Week podcast and her publications include:

Resolution Family Law Handbook (3rd edition, published 2020)
‘Prenuptial agreements: a decade since Radmacher’ co-authored with Hannah Minty, partner at Russell-Cooke solicitors

Non-molestation orders: Valid Service in the time of Coronavirus (Part 2) (Family Law Week, co-authored with Michael Horton, July 2020) https://www.familylawweek.co.uk/site.aspx?i=ed212030
Domestic abuse and service (Family Law Week, co-authored with Michael Horton, June 2020)
https://www.familylawweek.co.uk/site.aspx?i=ed211488
‘Surrogacy: BBC Radio 4’s ‘The Archers’ storyline highlights legal issues for parents’ (Family Law Week, October 2019) https://www.familylawweek.co.uk/site.aspx?i=ed203434

Cases

Rachel appeared for the children as junior counsel in the case of Re C (Female Genital Mutilation and Forced Marriage Fact Finding) [2019] EWHC 3449 (Fam). This case concerned allegations of inter-generational forced marriage and FGM.