Who? Zoe Taxman, 31-year-old senior associate at Liverpool firm Gregory Abrams Davidson, who specialises in criminal defence work.

Why is she in the news? Represented Mrs P, a single mother from Liverpool whose conviction for failing without reasonable justification to ensure her son attended school was quashed by the High Court. The boy refused to go to school, saying he was being bullied, and magistrates found his mother guilty on the basis that she should have taken more steps to ensure his attendance. This was despite support from the 14-year-old's head of year, who said that Mrs P had done everything within her power to get her son to school. The bench suggested Mrs P should have tried to get help from the boy's father, but Mr Justice Collins said there was no evidence to suggest the father would have been any help. He held that the magistrates had wrongly reversed the burden of proof, ruling that once the defence of reasonable justification had been raised, it should have been up to the education authority to prove the mother had failed to secure her son's attendance.


Route to the case: 'The client and her family were already clients of the firm.'


Background: An English degree at University of Huddersfield, followed by the common professional examination at Chester College of Law and the legal practice course at Liverpool John Moores University. She trained at Liverpool firm RM Broudie and stayed there after qualifying in 2001. Two-and-a-half years ago, she moved to her present firm as an associate and was made a senior associate last year.


Thoughts on the case: 'This case clarified two points of law - where the burden of proof lies and what amounts to reasonable justification. The law is now clear that the burden is on the education authority to establish there is no reasonable justification, and it is not necessary for parents to explore every possible avenue. I hope this decision will have consequences for local education authorities throughout the country and make them think more carefully about who they decide to prosecute for this offence, which can carry a custodial penalty. We want to see fewer prosecutions in the future and more help offered to parents.'


Dealing with the media: 'For me, this was a new experience. Given the potential importance of this case, it was important to make sure the public and practitioners were aware of it. The press were supportive and helped get the message across.'