Isabella Ennis KC specialises in child and family law and in public law child protection. She is instructed in cases on appeal and at first instance. She has appeared in the House of Lords, the Court of Session [Inner and Outer House] Sheriff’s Appeal Court and in Sheriff Courts across Scotland. Throughout her career she has acted in high value claims for financial provision on divorce, cohabitation cases and in many child care cases, particularly involving international child abduction and child protection. Her clients have included local authorities and parents.
Reported cases she has been involved in include:
- McMahon v McMahon 2025 Fam LR 122. High value financial provision on divorce featuring business valuation evidence and dissipation of matrimonial property.
- S v S 2025 SCLR 606.Advising on question of jurisdiction in a potentially high value divorce action. Consideration of a mandatory, which failing discretionary, sist.
- “A” Petitioners [2025] CSOH 78. Acting for a local authority in an important child protection case. Determination of liability for expenses.
- M v N 2022 Fam LR 102. Divorce, contact, allegations of domestic abuse.
- Slight v Tait’s Executors 2021 SLT (Sh Ct) 495. Financial provision following breakdown of civil partnership.
- JK v SS 2019 SCLR 790. Petition under Hague Convention on International child abduction for return of child to Ireland.
- Douglas v Douglas 2019 Fam LR 12. Complex financial provision on divorce, question of apportionment of pensions.
- G v G 2017 SLT (Sh Ct) 169. Post decree Minute seeking incidental order and variation of agreed financial provision.
- CM v ER [2017] CSIH 18. Appeal in respect of an order for return following international child abduction from Australia.
- S v S 2015 SC 513. Appeal in respect of dispute about relevant date in high value financial provision case where the main asset was a family company.
- A v N 2015 SLT 289. Reparation action seeking damages for injury as a consequence of historic child sexual abuse.
Isabella also undertakes personal injury reparation work, resulting from breaches of health and safety legislation, common law breaches and as a consequence of professional negligence. She has acted for both individuals and institutions. Isabella has conducted a number of fatal accident inquiries, including on behalf of the Scottish Prison Service into a death in custody and on behalf of the Crown in respect of the deaths of two babies who died following repeated admissions to A&E.
Isabella completed three years in Crown Office, leaving as a senior advocate depute in 2025. In that time she prosecuted trials across the spectrum of the most serious criminal offending. She also contributed to the Lord Advocate’s review of Crown Office Guidance on diversion from prosecution of offenders in serious sexual offences cases.
Isabella has provided training and education seminars on behalf of the Law Society of Scotland, at local Bar associations, at her Stable conferences, family law conferences and in- house training events. She is appointed by the Court as a child welfare reporter and curator ad litem. She is an accredited Family Law Arbitrator and is a member of the Faculty Dispute Resolution Service. She is a trainer on the Faculty’s Intrant training Programme and has participated in the Faculty “Mini-Trials” initiative. She is a reviewer for the Faculty’s Free Legal Services Unit. She is currently on the Board of Governors of Dean & Cauvin’s Trust and is a Library Curator. Isabella was previously a committee member and then Chair of Family Law Arbitration Group Scotland and committee member of the Advocates’ Family Law Association.
Mobile: 07739 639 024
Email: Isabella Ennis KC
