Harcourt Chambers

Harcourt Chambers is committed to all aspects of equality and diversity within the workplace. We provide an environment in which individuals from a wide range of backgrounds can fulfil their potential. Offers of pupillage and tenancy are made solely on the basis of merit, as are Chambers’ staff appointments and promotions.

Our aim is always to meet the highest standards of ethics and professionalism.

We are proud to support Reunite http://www.reunite.org the leading UK charity specialising in parental child abduction and the movement of children across international borders. Over the years our members have contributed many hours of free advice and written and oral advocacy. We also drafted the submission for Reunite to Parliament which sought to change the criminal law of child abduction to make retaining children outside the UK a criminal offence. This submission was accepted and, when parliamentary time allows, the law will be changed in accordance with that submission.

We also support Family Rights Group https://www.frg.org.uk a UK charity which advises families about their rights and options when social workers or courts make decisions about their children’s welfare.

Our members have appeared pro bono for both of these charities before the Supreme Court, the most recent case being In re N (Children) (Adoption: Jurisdiction) (AIRE Centre and others intervening) [2016] 2 WLR 1103.

For many years we have supported Advocate, formerly known as the The Bar Pro Bono Unit, a charity which helps to find free legal assistance from volunteer barristers.

Where the circumstances merit our members will act pro bono for private clients. A recent example of this is Birch v Birch [2017] UKSC 53