Michael is a family law barrister specialising in financial remedies and private law children disputes.
Financial work is the core of his practice. He acts at every stage of financial remedy proceedings, from First Appointment and FDR to final hearing and appeal, and is instructed in cases involving freezing injunctions, enforcement of financial orders, assets held overseas, pensions, and business, intervenor and third-party claims. He takes on interim applications, including maintenance pending suit and legal services payment orders, and applications to set aside or vary financial orders. He also acts in applications for financial relief following an overseas divorce and in the recognition and enforcement of foreign financial orders in England.
His practice also extends to TOLATA and cohabitation disputes, Schedule 1 applications and claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975.
In private law children proceedings, Michael appears at every stage, from FHDRA to appeal. His caseload includes fact-finding hearings involving allegations of domestic abuse, relocation disputes within the UK and abroad, child abduction and Hague Convention proceedings, prohibited steps and specific issue applications, enforcement of child arrangements orders and entrenched contact disputes, and injunctions under the Family Law Act 1996.
Michael also accepts instructions in public law children proceedings, representing local authorities, parents and children’s guardians at all levels, from urgent removal applications to final hearing and appeals.
Before transferring to the Bar of England & Wales, Michael practised as a family and estates solicitor in Sydney and Melbourne. He is dual-qualified in both jurisdictions, with over a decade of experience in family and estate law.
Most family cases settle, and Michael works hard to settle them. He is a constructive negotiator at round-table meetings, FDRs and dispute resolution hearings, and prepares every case well enough to fight it if agreement cannot be reached.
His style with clients is calm and plain-speaking. People in family proceedings are often dealing with the hardest period of their lives, and Michael takes the time to explain where they stand, what the options are and what to do next, without jargon and without false promises.
Michael accepts instructions on a direct access basis. For more information please visit michaeljconnor.com.
Michael Connor
New Court Chambers, Temple, London, EC4Y 9BE
ICO Registration number: ZB333365
Policy became operational on: 7 NOVEMBER 2025
Next review date: 7 November 2026
In order to provide legal advice and representation, I need to collect and hold personal information. This may be your personal data or information relating to other parties involved in the matter. I will take all possible steps to protect personal information. I will ensure that I do not do anything that may infringe your rights or undermine your trust. This privacy notice describes the information I collect about you, how it is used and shared, and your rights regarding it.
I, Michael Connor, am a member of New Court Chambers. I am registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) as a Data Controller for the personal data that I hold and process as a barrister. My registered address is New Court Chambers, Temple, London, EC4Y 9BE and my ICO registration number is ZB333365. If you need to contact me about your data or this privacy notice, you can reach me at clerks@newcourtchambers.com.
The vast majority of the information that I hold about you is provided to, or gathered by, me in the course of your case and/or proceedings. Your solicitor and/or I will tell you why we need the information and how we will use it. In addition to the information you may provide to me or your solicitor, I also obtain information from other sources as follows:
Depending on the type of work, I collect and process both personal data and special categories of personal data as defined in the UK GDPR. This may include:
Where relevant, I may also need to process special category personal data that reveals your:
On occasion, I may also process personal data relating to criminal convictions and offences.
In order that I can provide legal services and representation for you, I must process your personal data. The UK General Data Protection Regulation (the UK GDPR) requires that where I process personal data, I must have a lawful basis for doing so. The lawful bases identified in the UK GDPR that I seek to rely upon are as follows:
Examples of legitimate interests include but are not limited to:
The UK GDPR specifies that where I process special category data, I must rely upon certain exemptions in order to do so lawfully. The following exemptions are applicable in my practice
On occasion, I process data relating to criminal offences where it is necessary for:
I use your personal information for the following purposes:
In the course of processing your information to provide legal services to you, I may share your personal data with:
I transfer personal data in order to store case files digitally through cloud storage.
I store my case files on Microsoft One Drive which is a cloud hosted environment. Data is stored within the UK.
I am satisfied that such transferred data is fully protected and safeguarded as required by the UK General Data Protection Regulation.
I retain your personal data while you remain a client unless you ask me to delete it. My Retention and Disposal Policy (copy available on request) details how long I hold data for and how I dispose of it when it no longer needs to be held. I will delete or anonymise your information at your request unless:
I will typically retain case files for a period of 7 years following the conclusion of a case/matter or receipt of final payment, whichever is the latest. This reflects the period required by the Bar Mutual Indemnity Fund relating to potential limitation periods.
Where various pleadings and documents have been drafted, they may be retained for learning purposes and legal research. Where this is the case, I will anonymise the personal information/redact information which may identify an individual/risk assess the continued retention of the documents.
The UK GDPR gives you specific rights in terms of your personal data. For example, you have the right of access to the information I hold and what I use it for;
You can ask for a copy of the personal information I hold about you.
You can ask me to correct any inaccuracies with the personal data I hold, and you can ask me to stop sending you direct mail or emails or, in some circumstances, ask me to stop processing your details.
Finally, if I do something irregular or improper with your personal data, you can complain to the ICO if you are unhappy with how I have processed your information or dealt with your query. You may also seek compensation for any distress you are caused or loss you have incurred.
You can find out more information from the ICO’s website:
https://ico.org.uk/for_the_public/personal_information
You may request access to, correction of, or a copy of your information by contacting me at clerks@newcourtchambers.com.
You may opt out of receiving emails and other messages from my practice by following the instructions in those messages.
I will occasionally update my privacy notice. When I make significant changes, I will notify you of these. I will also publish the updated notice on my chambers website profile.
New Court Chambers has forged its reputation on a commitment to provide consistently high standards of advice, representation and clerking services.
An excellent set with talented practitioners.
A set with substantial strength in public and private children law matters, and the further capability to handle financial proceedings.
Well versed in highly sensitive matters involving non-accidental injury, child death, sexual abuse, FGM, fictitious illness and child trafficking.
The barristers at New Court Chambers distinguish themselves from others due to their hands-on handling of cases.
Accreditations
