Chet Desai Marks Two Decades as a Law Society Children Panel Accredited Specialist

Cartwright King is proud to celebrate a landmark moment for Chet Desai, Regional Director and Head of Care (East Midlands), who has successfully completed his Law Society re-accreditation for the Children Panel, marking an outstanding 20 years as an accredited specialist in child law.

Chet has held Children Panel accreditation since 2005 and, with over 25 years of legal experience, has built a reputation as one of the East Midlands’ most respected practitioners in care proceedings. Based in the East Midlands and surrounding areas, he has represented children, parents, grandparents, and interveners across the full range of courts, from the Magistrates Court right through to the High Court and Court of Appeal, taking on some of the most complex and sensitive cases in family law.

Chet’s areas of specialism cover neglect, domestic and sexual abuse, non-accidental injury, substance misuse, emotional harm, fabricated or induced illness, torture cases , modern slavery,  child sexual exploitation and trafficking. The calibre and range of this work demonstrates the trust clients and courts place in him. Notable cases have included High Court proceedings involving the death of an infant, cases at the intersection of child protection and international trafficking law and undertaking advocacy on behalf of a child in a sexual abuse trial.

Over the years, Chet has earned considerable recognition within the profession. For example, he has been listed as a Notable Practitioner in the Chambers Legal Directory continuously from 2016 through to 2026 and was named a Recommended Lawyer in the Legal 500 in both 2017 and 2018. He was also recently ranked in the Chambers Legal Directory 2026. Chet also takes the time to contribute to the profession through in-house training for other Lawyers within the child protection field as well as providing external training to Cafcass, from whom he receives many instructions.

As Head of the East Midlands Care Department, Chet has grown and led a dedicated team, bringing the same commitment to his colleagues that he gives to his clients. Clients have described him as someone who genuinely cared, who was always available for advice, and who went out of his way when it mattered most.

That kind of dedication, sustained over two decades, is what this milestone truly represents.

To find out more about Chet and his work, visit his profile at cartwrightking.co.uk