Jo Delahunty is a Door Tenant at Parklane Plowden Chambers specialising in Family: Children Law.

Called: 1986Alongside her practice in the Family Division, Jo Delahunty QC worked alongside Mike Mansfield QC and Barristers from Garden Court Chambers and Doughty Street to represent 77 families at the Hillsborough inquests. On 26.4.16 the longest running Inquest in English legal history came to an end and the jury found that the 96 victims of the disaster who died on 15.4.89 were unlawfully killed and that no fan behaviour caused or contributed to the deaths. Jo Delahunty QC was responsible for leading the team on behalf of 77 families that successfully exposed the failures of the South Yorkshire Ambulance Service to respond to the disaster and the jury found that those failings were so fundamental that they led to or caused loss of life.

Association of Women Barristers

Family Law Bar Association

The Temple Women’s Forum (steering committee) 2011 – present

Centre for Child and Family Reform (CCFLR) committee 2012–present

Patron of AMEND (The Association for Multiple Endocrine Disorders)

Jo specializes in contentious and highly complex cases at High Court level and above involving:

• The death of/catastrophic injuries to a child

• Non-Accidental Head Injury (NAHI)/ Shaken baby allegations (TRIAD cases)

• Vitamin D/Rickets/EDS/ genetic disorders and congenital malformations which can mimic child abuse

• Fabricated Induced Illness (FII) allegations

• ISIS cases: alleged radicalisation of children/ risk of flight to Syria

• Sexual abuse (Intergenerational/ Inter sibling/ maternal rape/ genital mutilation/ internet exploitation)

• Ritualized child abuse/cultural practices such as Kndoki

• Child protection cases involving concurrent criminal prosecution attempted murder/ child cruelty and neglect/ sex offences

• Parent or subject child with disabilities (with a particular interest in Child in Need and the rights of, and services for, a disabled child and /or adult parent within care proceedings)

• Cases involving cross examination of a child or vulnerable adult

• Re-litigation/challenge to historic findings of abuse based on emerging science/ fresh factual evidence.

Complex private law proceedings involving allegations of physical, sexual and emotional abuse and neglect (alcoholism/ psychiatric issues) involving transfer of residence applications and contact disputes are a natural corollary to her practice. 

MA (Oxon) Jurisprudence