Publications

03 June 2026

Supreme Court decision in Attorney General for Northern Ireland’s Reference (Deprivation of Liberty)

Rebecca Handcock considers the Supreme Court's ruling in Attorney General for Northern Ireland’s Reference (Deprivation of Liberty) [2026] UKSC 16 - the most significant Court of Protection judgment in more than a decade. She sets out its implications for anyone acting in a protected party’s interests, or for a local authority responsible for arranging their care and residence.

06 February 2026

Open Justice Court of Protection Project publishes Robert Sharp’s summary of how appeals work in Court of Protection proceedings

Our pupil barrister Robert Sharp has written a summary for Open Justice Court of Protection Project on appeals in the Court of Protection.

20 October 2025

Who can show up?

Andrew Burrell and Francis Hoar set out the key considerations for determining the composition of local government committees in an article for Local Government Lawyer.

25 September 2025

Family Law Week judgment summaries: The Trust v Z [2025] EWHC 2100 (Fam) and An NHS Foundation Trust -v- J [2025] EWHC 2247 (Fam)

Pupil barrister Robert Sharp summarises 2 judgments for Family Law Week. The cases considered the role of parental views in 2 withdrawal of treatment applications before the High Court Family Division brought by hospital trusts seeking permission to withdraw treatment from seriously ill babies.

31 July 2024

Permission in age assessment judicial reviews: application of legal tests for procedural fairness and factual challenges

Joshua Swirsky discusses R(MAA) v LB Hounslow in which he acted for the local authority in successfully resisting permission for judicial review in an age assessment case. The High Court applied the established the legal tests for permission on procedural fairness grounds and factual grounds.

03 July 2024

Interim relief in age assessment cases – revisited

Joshua Swirsky discusses R(YI) v LB Hackney in which he acted for the successful local authority. Upper Tribunal Judge Smith once again had to consider the balance of convenience in an age assessment case when interim relief is sought.

20 November 2023

Family Law Week judgment summary: Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust v Gregory & Ors (Re Inherent Jurisdiction – Indi Gregory) [2023] EWHC 2798 (Fam)

Savannah Laurent summarises a judgment for Family Law Week - Peel J made a final 'best interests' decision about where 8-month-old Indi Gregory should be extubated in line with her care plan

15 November 2023

Short-form age assessments: a cautionary note for local authorities

Joshua Swirsky reminds local authorities conducting short-form age assessments to spell out their reasons for finding that an applicant is an adult. Following R(HAM) v LB Brent (in which Joshua acted for the successful local authority), the local authority in R(LF) v Birmingham Children's Trust (for whom Joshua acts) had conducted an abbreviated age assessment of a young asylum-seeker