Marilyn Stowe
Encyclopedia
Marilyn Stowe is an English
solicitor
. She has been described by The Times as "one of the most formidable and sought-after divorce lawyers in the UK", and described as "one of the country's leading divorce lawyers". She is also known for unearthing the medical evidence that freed Sally Clark
, the victim of a famous British
miscarriage of justice
. She was educated at Leeds Girls' High School
and the University of Leeds
, and is a senior partner in Harrogate law firm Stowe Family Law. Marilyn Stowe is a Fellow of the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers ("IAML"), a worldwide association of family lawyers who are recognised by their peers as the most experienced and expert family law specialists in their respective countries.
was convicted of the murder of two of her sons. Her first son had died suddenly within a few weeks of his birth in 1996. After her second son died in a similar manner, she was arrested in 1998 and tried for the murder of both infants. The convictions were upheld at appeal in October 2000.
Marilyn Stowe volunteered her involvement in the case, providing her services free of charge because she felt that "something was not right". She obtained key medical reports, which showed that one of the babies could have died from natural causes. This evidence had been known to the prosecution's pathologist, Alan Williams, since February 1998, but had not been shared with other medical witnesses, police or lawyers. The Clark family's solicitor described Marilyn Stowe as "the woman who's going to get Sally out of prison".
Sally Clark's convictions were overturned in a second appeal on 29 January 2003. The prosecution's pathologist, Professor Sir Roy Meadow
, was found guilty of "serious professional misconduct" by the General Medical Council.
She contributes a monthly family law column to legal trade magazine Solicitors Journal, entitled Family Business. Stowe is also family law columnist for The Times
website's 'The Experts' panel, which forms part of the newspaper's online Law section.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
. She has been described by The Times as "one of the most formidable and sought-after divorce lawyers in the UK", and described as "one of the country's leading divorce lawyers". She is also known for unearthing the medical evidence that freed Sally Clark
Sally Clark
Sally Clark was a British solicitor who became the victim of an infamous miscarriage of justice when she was wrongly convicted of the murder of two of her sons in 1999...
, the victim of a famous British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
miscarriage of justice
Miscarriage of justice
A miscarriage of justice primarily is the conviction and punishment of a person for a crime they did not commit. The term can also apply to errors in the other direction—"errors of impunity", and to civil cases. Most criminal justice systems have some means to overturn, or "quash", a wrongful...
. She was educated at Leeds Girls' High School
Leeds Girls' High School
Leeds Girls' High School was an independent, selective, fee paying school for girls aged 3–18 located in Headingley, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
and the University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
, and is a senior partner in Harrogate law firm Stowe Family Law. Marilyn Stowe is a Fellow of the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers ("IAML"), a worldwide association of family lawyers who are recognised by their peers as the most experienced and expert family law specialists in their respective countries.
Sally Clark
In November 1999, Sally ClarkSally Clark
Sally Clark was a British solicitor who became the victim of an infamous miscarriage of justice when she was wrongly convicted of the murder of two of her sons in 1999...
was convicted of the murder of two of her sons. Her first son had died suddenly within a few weeks of his birth in 1996. After her second son died in a similar manner, she was arrested in 1998 and tried for the murder of both infants. The convictions were upheld at appeal in October 2000.
Marilyn Stowe volunteered her involvement in the case, providing her services free of charge because she felt that "something was not right". She obtained key medical reports, which showed that one of the babies could have died from natural causes. This evidence had been known to the prosecution's pathologist, Alan Williams, since February 1998, but had not been shared with other medical witnesses, police or lawyers. The Clark family's solicitor described Marilyn Stowe as "the woman who's going to get Sally out of prison".
Sally Clark's convictions were overturned in a second appeal on 29 January 2003. The prosecution's pathologist, Professor Sir Roy Meadow
Roy Meadow
Sir Samuel Roy Meadow is a British paediatrician and professor, who rose to initial fame for his 1977 academic paper on the now controversial Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy and his crusade against parents who, he believes, wilfully harm or kill their children. He was knighted for these works...
, was found guilty of "serious professional misconduct" by the General Medical Council.
Publications
Stowe is the author of two books about life after divorce:- Divorce - a New Beginning, published in 1993
- No Looking Back, published in 2002
She contributes a monthly family law column to legal trade magazine Solicitors Journal, entitled Family Business. Stowe is also family law columnist for The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
website's 'The Experts' panel, which forms part of the newspaper's online Law section.
See also
- Anne-Marie Hutchinson
- Fiona ShackletonFiona ShackletonFiona Shackleton, Baroness Shackleton of Belgravia LVO is an English solicitor, who has represented members of the British Royal Family and celebrities, including Sir Paul McCartney and The Duke of York...
- James StewartJames Stewart (solicitor)James Stewart , is a London based solicitor and collaborative lawyer, who acts for celebrities and others in often high-profile and international divorce and family law cases. A partner at Manches, he is top ranked in the Legal 500, Spears WMS Legal Index and in Chambers UK 2011...
- Helen Ward (solicitor)Helen Ward (solicitor)Lady Ward, a partner at Manches, is a London lawyer.Ward was born in Golders Green. Her mother was a painter and her father a successful businessman. Helen Gilbert, as she was, attended the fee-paying King Alfred school before studying law at Birmingham University...
- International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers
- Collaborative Family Law
- DivorceDivorceDivorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
Further reading
- Profile: Marilyn Stowe The Daily Telegraph, 9 July 2005.
- Marilyn Stowe's blog