Tom has a broad common law practice and has experience in civil litigation, public law, health and social care, mental capacity, family law, inquests and inquiries.
Civil: Tom’s civil practice principally relates to claims brought against public bodies in negligence and under the Human Rights Act 1998. His case load involves claims arising from alleged mistreatment in prisons, claims for false imprisonment and claims against local authorities for failures in children and adult social services functions. He acted for two local authorities in the Supreme Court in HXA v Surrey County Council; YXA v Wolverhampton County Council [2023] UKSC 52, concerning the question of whether local authorities assume responsibility to protect children from harm through their conduct.
Court of Protection: Tom has a busy practice in the Court of Protection where he is instructed in disputes relating to serious medical treatment, residence, care and contact. He recently represented the applicant in Health Body A v JW and another [2024] EWCOP 40 in which declarations were sought that it was in the best interests of a patient to undergo a dental extraction under general anaesthetic.
Children: Tom’s family practice principally relates to cases involving children. He has appeared in cases of neglect, substance misuse, non-accidental injury and cases involving the medical treatment of children and young people. He represented the health board in A Health Board v AZ and Ors (Termination of Childhood Pregnancy: Guidance) [2023] EWHC 2517 in which the applicant sought declarations that it would be in the best interests of an 11-year-old girl to undergo a termination of pregnancy.
Public: Tom is a member of the Attorney General’s Civil Panel of Counsel (C Panel) and recently appeared for the Secretary of State for the Home Department in Re G (Disclosure of Fact-Finding to the Secretary of State for the Home Department) [2023] EWHC 450 (Fam), which sets out guidance for the disclosure of material within confidential family proceedings to the Secretary of State where there are parallel asylum proceedings.
Inquests: Tom is regularly instructed to attend inquests on behalf of government departments, local authorities, health bodies, the police and private individuals. He has experience in healthcare cases, cases involving mental health provision, cases involving article 2 and jury inquests. Tom is currently instructed by ‘Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice’ in the national Covid-19 inquiry.
Tom was called to the bar in 2015. Prior to joining Deka Chambers, Tom worked for the Law Commission of England and Wales on its review into the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. In 2019, he was seconded to the Welsh Government. Tom frequently gives lectures and training on a variety of aspects of his practice.
Administrative Law Bar Association
Court of Protection Practitioners Association
Family Law Bar Association
Trustee, Lord Edmund Davies Legal Education Trust
LLB Law and French (Cardiff University);
LLM European Law (College of Europe);
BPTC (City Law School - Lord Justice Holker Scholarship, Norman Tapp Memorial Prize, Peter Bristow Scholarship).