Admitted 1998, Called 1990, Silk 2020, Bencher 2021
First black woman elected as Chair of the Bar Council, in the 131-year history of the organisation
Barbara Mills KC, is Joint Head of Chambers at 4PB and the former Chair of the Bar Council of England and Wales 2025, is a leading Family Law Barrister. Called to the Bar in 1990 and appointed Silk in 2020, she has developed a specialist practice in complex and sensitive cases involving children. Her work focuses on high-conflict disputes, often involving allegations of serious abuse and parental alienation.
Committed to non-court solutions, Barbara has established a highly regarded mediation and arbitration practice, receiving referrals from High Court judges, KCs, and other professionals. An accredited mediator with over 20 years of experience and a trained arbitrator, she is qualified to consult children whose parents are in mediation. Her recent mediations include disputes between internationally acclaimed musicians and assisting a foreign royal couple in resolving arrangements for their children across two countries. She is widely recognised in HNW circles for providing “gilt-edged expertise” in mediation.
Barbara has been a Recorder since 2011, a Deputy High Court Judge since 2023, and is a Bencher of The Inner Temple.
