3PB Family 2026 Public Law Conference

3PB's Family Law Group presents our Annual Public Law Conference on Thursday 12 November 2026, 8:45am - 4pm at The Harbour Hotel, Southampton.

We are delighted to announce our amazing line-up of speakers for our 3^rd Annual Public Law Conference in Southampton on Thursday 12 November and to confirm our programme.

• From 3PB’s specialist family law team, conference will hear from: head of group Vanessa Meachin KC, June Venters KC, Lucy Hendry KC, Gemma Farrington KC, co-heads of 3PB’s children group Gemma Chapman and Matiss Krumins, Mark Calway, Emma Griffiths, Grant Keyes, Andrew Duncan and Kellie Salter.
• Lord Justice Baker will deliver our keynote address and take part in a panel discussion with HHJ Simmonds and HHJ Barlow.

Chaired by 3PB's Lucy Hendry KC, this year's conference will include talks from legal and sector experts on the following topics:

Conference programme

• Registration and breakfast. Sponsored by LEAP.
  
  
• Capturing the Lay Client's Account: Best Foot Forward Panel Discussion with Gemma Chapman, Mark Calway and Kellie Salter, who will explore the key elements of the lay client’s account including strategy, building credibility, chronology, fact-checking and the impact of AI.
  
  
• Public Interest Immunity, Withholding of Information and Application by the Police: a Practical Guide, presented by Matiss Krumins and Grant Keyes.
  
  
• A Talk from Headline Sponsor DNA Legal.
  
  
• Keynote Presentation by Lord Justice Baker.
  
  
• Q&A Panel on AI, Transparency and Confidentiality. Chaired by Lucy Hendry KC, members of the judiciary including Baker LJ, HHJ Simmonds and HHJ Barlow, together with Vanessa Meachin KC, June Venters KC and Gemma Farrington KC will consider the application of AI in care proceedings. The panel will also debate confidentiality and transparency in the age of social media.
  
  
• Vulnerable parties’ assessments: a panel of experts will discuss how intermediary and communication assessments and psychological assessments complement each other. What is needed in a LOI to provide the best guidance and analysis of the client’s strengths and weaknesses? How are vulnerable parties impacted if they are not supported during proceedings and when does this become unfair?
  
  
• Realistic Applications for Intermediaries: 3PB's Andrew Duncan will consider how the recommendations made in the previous session can be put into practice, including top tips and discussion over resistance to these applications.
  
  
• A Public Law Update with a difference: What are we learning from the latest public law cases, including practical applications for care practitioners, presented by Emma Griffiths and Gemma Chapman.

Our conference will conclude with drinks in the roof top bar.

Join us for the day, starting with a networking breakfast from 8:45am. Early Bird tickets are available for £75+VAT.

Profits will be donated to our chosen charity hamptontrust.org.uk. Hampton Trust are a leading provider of bold and innovative interventions and training that help break the cycle of abuse. The interventions, based both in the community and embedded within the criminal justice system, create safe spaces for victims and hold perpetrators to account to drive behaviour change and help rebuild lives. Hampton Trust’s primary objective is to prevent harmful behaviours from becoming entrenched and being passed down through generations by addressing the root cause of criminality. The Hampshire-based charity operates across England and Wales and celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.

We will be joined on the day by our wonderful sponsors and exhibitors:

• Headline sponsor - DNA Legal
DNA Legal is the UK's leading provider of DNA, drug and alcohol testing. They help clients find the truth, with hair strand testing for drugs and alcohol, legal paternity testing, relationship testing for immigration, forensic technology and more.

• Breakfast sponsor - LEAP
LEAP provides legal practice management and document automation within a single cloud-based platform, for all practice areas of law. Enhanced by the power of award-winning AI, LEAP enables firms to practice law more efficiently.

• Delegate pack sponsor - OurFamilyWizard
OurFamilyWizard is the world's largest co-parenting platform with a mission to help families living separately thrive. They provide both families and the professionals who serve them with the tools necessary for more seamless and successful co-parenting.

• Exhibitor - Analytical Expert Labs
Analytical Expert Labs delivers accredited laboratory services and expert interpretation across a wide range of sectors. Their clients include law enforcement, coroners, legal professionals, family courts, healthcare providers, private individuals, and pharmaceutical companies.

• Exhibitor - Lextox
Lextox provides hair drug and alcohol testing, blood alcohol testing, DNA testing and SCRAM Continuous Alcohol Monitoring® for family law cases and childcare proceedings. Since Lextox’s inception, it has and continues to set the bar for quality service and has built a client base of over 17,000 family law professionals and local authorities across the UK.