Alice Irving is a civil and public law practitioner, specialising in housing and social welfare, community care and education.

Alice was a finalist for Legal Aid Newcomer of the Year at the LALYs 2021 and is ranked as a Rising Star in Education Law in the Legal 500.

Alice receives instructions across all areas of housing law. She has represented vulnerable clients in resisting possession claims, anti-social behaviour injunctions and closure orders. She has experience advising on and litigating disrepair claims, and challenging homelessness decisions. Alice has also provided advice to disabled clients in relation to Disabled Facilities Grants and other avenues for obtaining suitable accommodation. She has particular experience working with clients assessed as lacking capacity to litigate.

Year of call: 2018

Alice regularly represents families in the First-tier Tribunal in appeals of Education Health and Care Plans and disability discrimination claims. She recently appeared before the Upper Tribunal in the first case concerning the First-tier Tribunal’s approach to social care recommendations, with the National Autism Society intervening.

Alice has represented clients in a range of public law challenges, as sole and junior counsel. She has worked on strategic challenges concerning the rights of disabled individuals and carers. She has also represented individuals in challenges to social care packages, failures to deliver educational provision, and the use of sensitive personal data in social care documentation.

Before coming to the bar, Alice completed a Bachelor of Arts in Community and Family Studies, which is the academic portion of a social work training. She also holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Law and was a lecturer at the University of Oxford. Alongside lecturing, she worked as a research assistant for academics, barristers and the Law Commission.

Alice has published articles in the Guardian, Huffington Post, UK Human Rights Blog, Counsel Magazine, Legal Action Group Magazine and has contributed content to Special Needs Jungle. She also contributes regularly to webinars, including free webinars hosted by Contact and Special Needs Jungle. She maintains an active professional Twitter account: @AliceLIrving.

Alice has been praised for her manner toward clients and her accessible style when giving written advice. She has experience working with vulnerable clients across all areas of her practice.

What others say:

“No doubt as a result of pursuing an academic career prior to the Bar, she has brilliant attention to detail skills, and doesn’t shy away from getting to grips with the finer points of case law.”

“From assisting on strategic legal challenges to individual discrimination claims, Alice is always a pleasure to work with. She is committed to her cases and is wonderful with clients. Her drafting and written work is thoughtful and thorough and shows she has a real understanding of the legal issues.”