Victoria Gethin

Biography

Victoria is the Head of Family Law at Stephensons. She became a Partner in 2010.

For the majority of her training contract obtained at Stephensons and since qualification in 2002, Victoria has specialised exclusively in children and domestic abuse matters. She is named as a leading individual by the Legal 500. 

Victoria became a member of the Children Panel Accreditation Scheme in 2006.

Victoria has extensive experience of acting for local authorities, parents and children in complex cases. She also provides support and advice to victims of domestic abuse, a field in which she is Resolution accredited. As a Resolution and Children Panel accredited specialist she is one of only around 300 family lawyers in the country to hold these dual accreditations.

Victoria is a member of the Greater Manchester Family Criminal Interface Group, in addition to the Greater Manchester Family Courts Forum Domestic Violence Subgroup and was involved in the drafting of the Protocol for Service of Family and Civil Orders on Greater Manchester Police. Victoria has given training to domestic abuse organisations and Citizens Advice Bureau advisers.

Victoria has been involved in several notable, reported cases:

• Re X (Children) and Y (Children) (No 1) [2015] EWHC 2265 (Fam)
• Re X (Children) and Y (Children) (No 2) [2015] EWHC 2358 (Fam)
• Re X (Children) (No 3) [2015] EWHC 3651 (Fam)
• Wigan BC v M and Others (Sexual Abuse: Fact Finding) [2015] EWFC 6
• Wigan Council v M & Others (Veracity Assessment) [2015] EWFC 8

Victoria has appeared on ITV Granada Reports commenting on the draft domestic abuse bill and the proposal to enshrine 'Clare’s Law' in statute and its role in better protecting victims of domestic abuse. She also appeared on The Rundown podcast by PoliticsHome alongside David Gauke, former Justice Secretary, Rob Preece from the Howard League for Penal Reform, and Richard Atkinson, vice president of the Law Society for the 'Justice In Crisis' episode: Listen Now.

Chambers & Partners

Victoria is recognised as a notable practitioner by Chambers & Partners:

Victoria Gethin is head of family law at Stephensons. She specialises in child care proceedings and has broad experience working across matters involving children and domestic abuse. 

"Victoria is very organised and experienced; you can rely on her to do the job properly." 

"She is fiercely efficient, works incredibly hard and really gets to grips with the case at an early point, figuring out what it needs from the outset. She's always well prepared and ahead of the game."

Legal 500

The ’superb‘ Victoria Gethin leads the family department and has significant experience acting for local authorities, parents, and children in a broad range of children law cases, and she is also an expert in domestic abuse cases. - 2025

Team head Victoria Gethin is revered for her ability to handle complex cases requiring liaisons with foreign bodies, applying for unique protective orders and personal data, and challenges to human rights violations. Gethin manages an ‘expanding department’ which is also geared to act on high-value matrimonial finance matters,

"Stephensons family law department is one of the strongest in the UK with an extensive amount of legal experience but what sets them out is the fact they all really care. They are hugely passionate about each and every care they deal with across the spectrum of work they cover. Their Head of Department Victoria Gethin is very highly regarded and viewed as one of the best in the business. Their attention to detail, case preparation and client care is without fault."

"Victoria Gethin is a very talented solicitor now managing an expanding department. She is inspiring to her team and compassionate with clients". - 2024

Stephensons Solicitors LLP represents families in complex financial disputes, financial remedy proceedings, and parental alienation and domestic abuse matters. Victoria Gethin specialises in advising victims of domestic abuse and complex public law cases... Gwyneth John is another key contact regarding children law. Notably, Tim Galbraith and Jackie Price were both promoted to partner in April 2021, with Galbraith noted for his work on complex care proceedings, while Price covers serious non-accidental injuries and allegations of physical and sexual violence. - 2023

Stephensons Solicitors LLP is noted for the breadth of family law matters in which it is instructed, ranging from complex care proceedings to high-value financial remedy claims.  Victoria Gethin specialises in matters involving children, public and private... Gwyneth John is another key partner in the area of children law. The practice also has a strong bench of associates, with Tim Galbraith focusing on complex care proceedings and Jackie Price's broad practice covering all areas of children and matrimonial law. 2022

Stephensons Solicitors LLP has an extensive track record in representing children, parents, couples, guardians and local authorities in high-profile and complex cases. Led by the 'level-headed, knowledgeable and experienced' Victoria Gethin, the group has experience acting for clients in public and private law children proceedings, including international issues and cases involving abduction, allegations of non-accidental injury and sexual abuse, radicalisation and extremism elements, domestic violence, and drug and alcohol abuse. Other names to note... Tim Galbraith, who is a 'calm and cerebral children specialist'. 2021

Stephensons Solicitors LLP has an ‘outstanding reputation in respect of family law’. Victoria Gethin, Head of the Department, is ‘efficient and caring’. Gwyneth John deals with all aspects of the law affecting children and is ‘extremely thoughtful and warm yet able to be assertive when needed’. Tim Galbraith  is a ‘very astute lawyer with a keen eye for detail who masters complex issues with ease and presents them simply and accurately to clients and professionals alike’. Jackie Price is efficient and compassionate’. This is a team that is ‘well respected by other professionals and by the judiciary’. 2020

What Victoria's clients think

"After nearly 10 years of very complex private family proceedings, I engaged with Stephensons when my son was made party to care proceedings. I had paid privately for many years, so I was understandably cautious when engaging with “funded” representation…but my caution was soon quelled. From initial engagement through to the final hearing, Stephensons were superb. I initially had contact with Vicky Gethin, who guided me in the early stages of proceedings; her support, advice and help was invaluable. I had consistent representation throughout, which went further to give me reassurance. Everyone I engaged with at Stephensons gave me balanced and measured advice and without their help and support, I don’t know how I would have coped, through what was a complex and difficult process. In the latter months, my legal representative was Jack Chapman - he was exceptional. He was always contactable and went that extra mile, to ensure any fears I had were allayed - I will be eternally grateful for the support he provided to both me and my family; thank you Jack! I would recommend Stephensons without a second thought. Hopefully, my tough journey has come an end, but if you need representation in family matters, make Stephensons your first contact - they won’t let you down!"

‘Victoria Gethin, Jackie Price, and Gwyneth John are all solicitors with whom I have worked closely and all of whom have impressed with their thoughtful thoroughness and ability to be assertive as needed.’"

"I had the privilege of having Victoria Gethin represent me. The case that she was representing me in was a very long and complex legal case which involved the custody of my two boys. I can honestly say that if it were not for Victoria, I think that I may have given up fighting for them, even though I knew that is was in their best interest to be with me – their father. Victoria was on hand whenever I needed her and she was always very supportive. It was very evident from from the start that I had chosen the right person to represent me. Victoria is very diligent, smart, supportive and determined.’"

“Victoria did an outstanding job for our family on a matter which was both complex and unprecedented. She gave us good advice, was highly efficient and showed just the sort of backbone you would expect from a quality lawyer. This matter crossed international jurisdictions; something Victoria easily took in her stride.”

"I cannot thank Vicky enough for her responsiveness and kindness in helping me over the past two years of dealing with my case. She has been consistently involved, aware of all the issues, available for discussion of progress and reassuring. I have great admiration of her work style."

"Outstanding service, compassionate, professional and very helpful... I cannot speak highly enough about the help I received from Vicky - consistently solid support, advice and clear expectations of the process. She exceeded my expectations."

Victoria is head of the family department which specialises in care proceedings and adoption, in addition to all areas of relationship breakdown, including divorce, separation, domestic violence, residence and contact and international abduction.

Care proceedings and adoption

The family department has a large number of lawyers who are accredited on the Law Society's Children Panel including  Jackie Price, Nicola Clayton, Tim Galbraith, Rachel Benett, Victoria Melluish, Amy Jones, Stephen Jones and Victoria herself. We represent children, parents, extended family members and local authorities at all stages of the child protection process. We represent children, parents, extended family members and local authorities at all stages of the child protection process. We represent clients in relation to applications for care orders, supervision orders, emergency protection orders, placement orders, adoption orders, wardship, orders under the inherent jurisdiction, special guardianship orders and child arrangement orders and assist and advise clients at Child Protection Conferences and Public Law Outline meetings. We can see clients on an emergency basis where appropriate. We recognise the difficulties faced by parents and extended family members who find themselves needing legal advice and always give straight forward advice in a sensitive and empathetic way.

Divorce and finances

Operating from several locations, we are instructed nationwide to advise, assist and represent individuals who are experiencing relationship breakdown. We believe in listening to what our clients want and providing honest, straightforward and realistic advice whilst supporting our clients sensitively and effectively through the process. The family team see their roles as providing advice and support and enabling her clients to move successfully from their present situation onto the next stage in their lives. We aim to help clients achieve an outcome which is fair, is reasonable and equally as important, is cost effective. 

Private children cases

We are able to provide specialist advice to individuals experiencing relationship breakdown on the arrangements for their children and have extensive experience of children act applications including applications for child arrangements orders (formerly known as residence and contact), prohibited steps orders, specific issue orders and parental responsibility orders. The family department has a number of both Accredited Law Society Children Panel Specialists in addition to a number of Resolution Accredited Specialists in the area of private children work. In particularly complex children cases the court may join the child as a party to the proceedings and we are often instructed to represent children in these difficult cases.  As a result of our expertise we are best equipped to advise parents involved in disputes about arrangements for children and help steer them towards the right outcome. Tim Galbraith, Victoria Gethin and Jackie Price, are all accredited Resolution specialists, Jackie and Victoria in the fields of private children and domestic cases and Tim in the fields of private children and abduction, and also accredited Law Society Children Panel members; only a limited number of family lawyers in the country hold such dual accreditations.

Domestic abuse

We are able to support and help victims of domestic abuse and their children, to ensure they get the protection that they need. We offer emergency advice and representation for victims. Victoria Gethin and Jackie Price, who are both based in the Manchester department, are accredited in the area of domestic abuse and a number of our domestic abuse advisors have had training from SafeLives (formerly known as CAADA), a national charity dedicated to ending domestic abuse.

International abduction

Tim Galbraith advises on child abduction and is included in the lawyers network of Reunite, a charity involved in raising the profile of child abuse on the international stage and supporting parents where child abduction has occurred or where there is a risk of it occurring.