Practice Areas

Care Proceedings

Four Brick Court is a leading set of chambers in care proceedings.

We provide representation and advice in all areas of public law and accept instructions from all parties to care proceedings.

Members of chambers frequently appear in cases involving complex facts or legal arguments at all levels of court. We are often instructed in lengthy fact-finding hearings or final hearings involving.

Infant death and non-accidental injury
Parental murder
Sexual abuse, including multi-generational abuse and inter-sibling abuse
Fabricated and induced illness
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
Honour-based violence/killing
Neglect
Drug and alcohol abuse
Domestic violence

Four Brick Court provides solid and effective representation. It has an established reputation for representing local authorities, professional clients (such as children’s guardians), parents, and other family members in difficult circumstances. We can assist vulnerable clients who may require the assistance of an official solicitor or other support services.

We also advise and provide representation in related areas of law, including press/media interests and injunctions to preserve anonymity in care proceedings.

We also provide legal advice and representation for kinship carers, foster carers and prospective adopters.

Members have been involved in essential landmark rulings within care proceedings, including the 2008 House of Lords ruling concerning the standard or proof and cases in which the court considered the interaction between care proceedings, the England & Wales courts and children from abroad. Members were also involved in the highly publicised proceedings regarding the reliability of alcohol hair-strand testing.