News

Martha Gray in A (A Child) (Application for Return From Ghana) [2026] EWHC 627 (Fam)

Martha Gray, led by Charles Hale KC of 4 Paper Buildings, was instructed by Goodman Ray Solicitors on behalf of the first respondent mother in A (A Child) (Application for…

Judgment handed down by Court of Appeal in landmark Parental Responsibility cases

The Court of Appeal has handed down judgment in Re J, Re M, Re P (Loss of Parental Responsibility) [2026] EWCA Civ 344, three conjoined appeals dealing with legal parentage.

John Vater KC and Victoria Flowers speak at Oxford Family Court Seminar

John Vater KC and Victoria Flowers spoke at yesterday’s Oxford Family Court Seminar, hosted by Oxfordshire Resolution and the Oxford Judiciary. The event was well attended by local practitioners, alongside…

James Dove’s article on Section 20 and Deprivation of Liberty published in Family Law Journal

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 in Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead v Mother & Ors [2026] EWFC 16

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…

Harcourt Chambers is delighted to be sponsoring Resolution’s 2026 National Conference

We are delighted to be sponsoring Resolution’s 2026 National Conference in Brighton, one of the biggest gatherings of family justice professionals in the calendar. This conference provides an excellent opportunity…

Eleanor Howard in Re H [2025] EWFC 485

On 29 October 2025, Her Honour Judge Downey handed down judgment in Re H [2025] EWFC 485, following the grant of a Special Guardianship Order to H’s maternal aunt by…

Harcourt Chambers’ Public Law Newsletter — February 2026 Edition

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…

We are pleased to announce that Matthew Brett has successfully completed a course in Civil Mediation and is now an associate member of the Civil Mediation Council

Matthew is now available to act as a mediator in any civil or family dispute using the facilitative model of civil mediation. Matthew’s practice as a barrister encompasses a wide…

Professor Rob George KC, Edward Bennett and Mavis Amonoo-Acquah in Z (Abduction: Re-hearing After Set Aside), Re [2025] EWHC 3564 (Fam)

Professor Rob George KC led Edward Bennett, instructed by Goodman Ray Solicitors, for the Respondent mother and Mavis Amonoo-Acquah, instructed by RWK Goodman for the Applicant father, was led by…

We are delighted to announce that Aidan Vine KC has been appointed as our new Head of Chambers

We are delighted to announce that Aidan Vine KC has been appointed as our new Head of Chambers, taking over from Nick Goodwin KC who has stepped down after leading…

Frances Harris and Sian Cox article on neurodivergence published in Family Law Journal

Sian Cox and Frances Harris have had an article published on NCDR and Neurodivergence in this month’s Family Law.  The article aims to set out the different models of non-court…