Christine Harmer 

Members of Chambers and staff were saddened to learn of the death of our dear retired colleague Christine Harmer who died peacefully at home. 

Christine was called to the Bar in 1973. She has rightly been described as a trailblazer for women and was one of the first female barristers in the North East to specialise successfully in family work. Christine practised in public law, private law, matrimonial finance and in the Court of Protection, appearing in courts across the region, the Court of Appeal and the House of Lords. She was also instructed in the Cleveland Inquiry which led to the passing of the landmark Children Act 1989. 

Everyone who worked with Christine appreciated her calm, common sense and compassionate approach to family work. She had an outstanding ability to negotiate fair and practical solutions even in the most contentious cases, particularly in the interests of children. 

When Dere Street Barristers was formed it was Christine who, typically, hosted our first  Chambers party at her home. Christine had many interests outside work including her family farm where she adopted traditional free range methods for keeping poultry and rare breed pigs. 

All at Dere Street send our condolences to Christine’s family.