Our work covers all areas of family law, with particular expertise in the following areas:
James Dove’s article Liberty, capacity and the age boundary: section 20 and deprivation of liberty for 16- and 17-year-olds appears in this month’s Family Law Journal. This article examines the increasingly…
James Dove, instructed by Fort & Co, appeared for the Respondent Mother before HHJ Richard Case sitting as a Deputy High Court Judge in care proceedings concerning three children.
The…
February has brought several decisions with direct day to day consequences for local authorities, children’s guardians, and advocates in care proceedings and inherent jurisdiction work.
Each judgment carries a clear…
Happy New Year from everyone in Harcourt Chambers’ Public Law Team.
January has, as ever, arrived with a full list, a backlog, and the strong sense that we have all…
An article by James Dove, originally written for the Harcourt Chambers newsletter, has been published by Local Government Lawyer.
The piece considers the Court of Appeal’s decision in Re E…
Welcome to the December edition of our Public Law Newsletter. Two Court of Appeal decisions, Re N and Re E, provide clear guidance on proportionality, evidential discipline and professional accountability.…
Managing Sexual Risk & Procedural Fairness — Lessons from the Court of Appeal
By James Dove, Harcourt Chambers
Welcome to this month’s update from the Public Law Team…
In this Family Law article, James Dove examines how the Supreme Court’s decision in Abbasi v Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Haastrup v King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation…
James Dove acted for the Local Authority and Alison Williams acted for the Guardian, instructed by Oxford Law Group Ltd, in Oxfordshire County Council v M & Ors [2025] EWFC 256 (B).…
On Friday, we were delighted to welcome delegates to the return of our annual Public Law Conference, held at the iconic Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.
The day offered a…
James Dove delivered training on Wardship to Milton Keynes Council on 1 July 2025. The training covered the fundamental principles of wardship, how to apply, and when it might be…
James Dove writes for LexisNexis on Inherent Jurisdiction Orders in relation to Children in Family Courts. The full article is published in the June edition of Family Law. Click here…