Cara Donegan

"A brilliant junior barrister who has all the tools to go to the top of the Family Bar."

Chambers & Partners 2027

"Cara is incredibly clever, clear in her advice and hardworking. She is a barrister who inspires confidence and has excellent client care skills."

Chambers & Partners 2027

"Cara is incredibly numerate and has an ability far beyond her limited call. There is a real buzz about her and the capability she brings, yet all the while she remains utterly accessible and charming to the client and solicitor alike."

Chambers & Partners 2027

"Cara is an up-and-coming junior. She is invaluable, and knows every page, every argument, and every detail. She works absurdly hard and is the glue for any team. A star of the future, and the future gets ever closer for her."

Legal 500 2027

Cara Donegan

"A brilliant junior barrister who has all the tools to go to the top of the Family Bar."

Chambers & Partners 2027

Cara is known for her meticulous preparation, compelling advocacy and ability to quickly establish a strong rapport with clients. She accepts instructions in all areas of private family law, including financial remedy proceedings, private children disputes and applications brought under TLATA and FLA 1996.

Cara regularly appears against counsel many years her senior, and has been led by silks from both QEB and other sets. Cara has appeared in the High Court several times, both as a junior and in her own right, and has been led in the Court of Appeal.

Cara was awarded Young Barrister of the Year at the Financial Remedies Awards 2026.

Cara is co-founder of Family BarLink, a pro bono duty scheme operating from the Central Family Court in conjunction with Advocate. Family BarLink was shortlisted for Pro Bono Initiative of the Year at the Bar Pro Bono Awards 2025. Cara also features in the Lady Chief Justice’s Pro Bono Recognition List.

Prior to joining QEB, Cara served as judicial assistant to Sir Jonathan Cohen and Mr Justice MacDonald in the High Court. Cara graduated top of her class in her law degree and third in her year at Bar school.

“Cara is incredibly numerate and has an ability far beyond her limited call. There is a real buzz about her and the capability she brings, yet all the while she remains utterly accessible and charming to the client and solicitor alike.”
Chambers & Partners 2027
“She is excellent, thorough and someone with incredible attention to detail. Much of her work was adopted by the other professionals involved in the case and she was a key part of the settlement. Cara is one to watch for sure.”
Chambers & Partners 2027
“A brilliant junior barrister who has all the tools to go to the top of the Family Bar. She has a calm and sympathetic demeanour with clients and offers first class support to leading counsel as a result of her keen eye for detail and ability to understand complex issues quickly. Cara has been an invaluable asset to our case as junior counsel.”
Chambers & Partners 2027
“Cara is incredibly clever, clear in her advice and hardworking. She is a barrister who inspires confidence and has excellent client care skills. More advanced than her year of call, she is unbelievably responsive and a real delight to work with. I would definitely choose her to be junior counsel on complex financial remedy cases as she's just brilliant.”
Chambers & Partners 2027
“A very good junior, who is confident with clients, realistic in her advice and good at both written work and problem-solving. She is very well-prepared and always happy to help.”
Chambers & Partners 2027
“Cara is an up-and-coming junior. She is invaluable, and knows every page, every argument, and every detail. She works absurdly hard and is the glue for any team. A star of the future, and the future gets ever closer for her.”
Legal 500 2027

Qualifications

  • LLB, Durham University (First Class Honours, ranked 1st in her year)
  • LLM, University of Cambridge (First Class Honours)
  • Bar Course, Inns of Court College of Advocacy (Distinction, ranked 3rd in her year)

Awards

  • Winner, Young Barrister of the Year, Financial Remedies Awards 2026
  • Prince of Wales Scholarship, Gray’s Inn
  • Residential Scholarship, Gray’s Inn
  • James Hunt Prize, Gray’s Inn
  • No. 5 Chambers Prize, Inns of Court College of Advocacy
  • Cambridge UK Masters Scholarship, University of Cambridge
  • Rosemary Murray Scholarship, University of Cambridge
  • Runner-up, Oxford v Cambridge Disability Mooting Championship 2019
  • Law of Family Relationships Prize, Durham University
  • Sweet and Maxwell Prize, Durham University
  • Gray’s Inn
  • Family Law Bar Association

Cara used to be a competitive swimmer at Irish national level. She still enjoys swimming when time allows, albeit now much more slowly. She is an avid reader and counts long train journeys back from court as essential to achieving her book-a-week goal.

Cara Donegan is regulated by the Bar Standards Board. To view our complaints policy please click here.

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