Harcourt Chambers

Edward was called to the Bar in 2001 and was appointed a KC in 2017.  He was the youngest specialist family barrister to be appointed a KC in the last twenty years.  He is widely regarded to be one of the leading barristers of his generation.

He has been described as –

“a titan” (Chambers UK Guide to the Legal Profession (2020))

“one of the most impressive advocates at the family bar” (The Legal 500 (2021))

“one of the heavyweights of family law, a phenomenal advocate…terrifying to the other side when he cross-examines” (Chambers UK Guide to the Legal Profession (2020))

“a walking encyclopaedia on international children law” (Chambers UK Guide to the Legal Profession (2022))

“A master of strategy, incredibly intelligent, and his advocacy is simply superb.  No one can touch him” (The Legal 500 2022))

“Intellectually creative, always alive to appeal points and an excellent advocate” (Spear’s 500, 2022)

“Has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the law” (The Legal 500 2020)

“He has a compelling style of advocacy, which is delivered with sheer eloquence” (The Legal 500 2018)

Edward acted for Rocco Ritchie in disputes between his mother Madonna and his father Guy Ritchie (see Madonna Ciccone v Guy Ritchie and Rocco Ritchie [2016] 4 WLR 60 and Madonna Ciccone v Guy Ritchie and Rocco Ritchie (No 2) [2016] 1 WLR 3545), for the parents of Archie Battersbee in their efforts seeking to resist the application of a NHS Trust to withdraw life sustaining treatment from their son, Archie (see Barts Health NHS Trust v Dance and others, Court of Appeal, 6 July 2022, 25 July 2022 and 1 August 2022), and for the family of AH, who was said to be “the most complex Covid patient in the world”, who were also seeking to resist an application to withdraw life sustaining treatment from AH (see In re AH [2022] 1 WLR 2437).

Edward has a wide-ranging practice in family law.  Many of the cases in which Edward has argued (whether at trial or appellate level) have significantly changed the law in the UK or around the world.

Amongst many other significant cases, Edward represented one of the parties in the landmark alternative dispute resolution case of AI v MT (Alternative Dispute Resolution) [2013] 2 FLR 371; represented the applicant before the Court of Appeal in a case that concerned one of the largest ever reported monetary awards in the UK involving an unmarried couple (see In re A (A Child) (Financial Provision: Wealthy Parent) [2015] 3 WLR 48); led the legal team for the father before the UK Supreme Court in the recent case of G v G (Secretary of State for the Home Department and others intervening) [2021] 2 FLR 536; was the principal author of an Amicus Brief for Reunite Child Abduction Centre in the matter of Monasky v Taglieri (No. 18-935) before the United States Supreme Court; and has acted for the UK government in a number of domestic and international cases (see, for example, Regina (GA and others) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2021] 1 WLR 5966, H v R and another (No 2) (Attorney General for England and Wales intervening) [2021] 3 WLR 1175, Hampshire County Council v CE and another (Child and Family Agency and another intervening) [2019] 1 WLR 2019 (before the Court of Justice of the European Union).

Over the course of his career, he has appeared before, or presented submissions to, a large number of different national and international courts including the UK Supreme Court (on eleven occasions), the House of Lords, the Court of Justice of the European Union (on a number of occasions acting for the UK government), the European Court of Human Rights and the United States Supreme Court.  He has appeared in over 80 cases reported in the Family Law Reports.

Edward was an author and editor of the foremost book on the conflict of laws, Dicey, Morris and Collins, The Conflict of Laws (to which he contributed to the supplement to the fifteenth edition). He also, with His Honour Judge Hess and His Honour Judge Dancey, authored the Standard Family Orders Handbook, vol. 2, Children and Other Orders (2018) and wrote the chapter on child abduction for Child Case Management Practice (editors Lord Justice Ryder and Ian Goldrein KC).

In 2015, Edward won Junior Family Barrister of the Year at the Chambers and Partners Bar Awards. In 2014, he was shortlisted for International Family Lawyer of the Year at the Family Law Awards.  Edward was one of the barristers profiled in Family Law Advocacy How Barristers Help the Victims of Family Failure, Mavis Maclean and John Eekelaar (2009, Hart Publishing). Edward has given many lectures on family law over the last twenty years to a wide range of different audiences.

Called 2001, Middle Temple; Silk 2017. Contributing editor of Dicey, Morris and Collins, The Conflict of Laws, writing the chapters on domicile and residence, children, legitimacy, legitimation and adoption and mental incapacity. Has contributed a number of articles to ‘Family Law’. Author of the chapter on children abduction in ‘Child Case Management Practice’ (general editor, The Hon. Mr Justice Ryder (Jordans, February 2009). Was previously a member of the editorial board of ‘Counsel’ magazine.

Peterhouse, Cambridge University (History); City University (Law); College of Law, London. Middle Temple Scholarship. Runner up in the Rosamund Smith cup for the best mooter of his year of call (2001).

History, politics, writing, jazz, holidaying in Italy.