Michael practices in the area of family law, in both public and private law proceedings relating to children. He also practices Court of Protection practice and has a particular interest in cases involving the deprivation of liberty of children, in the context of both proceedings brought within the Court of Protection and under the inherent jurisdiction.

Michael has a particular interest in wardship proceedings and in public and private law Children Act proceedings involving an international element. He has experience of representing local authorities, parents and children in cases involving issues such as that of jurisdiction, placement of children outside of the United Kingdom and the transfer of proceedings pursuant to Article 15 of the Brussels II Revised instrument. He has a solid working knowledge of the procedures in relation to communicating with foreign authorities, obtaining information, evidence and assessing extended family outside of the jurisdiction.

Michael is regularly instructed in public law proceedings involving serious injuries to children and has appeared in a number of cases in the High Court involving abusive head trauma and brain injury to infants and fabricated and induced illness in children. His experience in Children Act proceedings also encompasses issues such as international relocation and the international movement of children. More recently Michael has acted as junior counsel and alone, in care proceedings involving purported radicalisation.

Michael’s work also encompasses an increasing amount of work in the Court of Protection. He is experienced in dealing with applications relating to deputyship, welfare issues and has represented public authorities in cases involving serious medical treatment before Judges of the Family Division. He often represents both local authorities and litigation friends.

In 2015 Michael was awarded a Pegasus Scholarship from Middle Temple. He undertook a 10-week placement in New Zealand, working in the capacity as junior Crown Counsel for the initial part of the placement, where he acted in an advisory capacity to various government departments; he worked on cases involving issues in relation to international jurisdiction and judicial review. He also spent time working in the Ministry of Social Development, the government body responsible for child protection within the New Zealand Court system.

In addition to his Court practice, Michael has written for a number of legal publications both online and in print and is the author of the practitioner’s textbook “Children: the Inherent Jurisdiction and Wardship”. He is able to offer advice on issues in relation to wardship, both prior to issue and within proceedings. He also has an interest in the use of the inherent jurisdiction in the context of medical treatment cases relating to children.

Publications

Articles

“To assess or not to assess: Section 38(6)” (Family Law Journal, October 2011)

“Section 20 v Private Fostering” (Family Law Journal, May 2012)

"The Inherent Jurisdiction: what place does it have in the future of family justice?" (Family Law Journal, November 2015)

“Deprivation of a child’s liberty: Section 25 and the need for legislative reform” (Family Law Journal, June 2017)

Michael is also a regular contributor to Family Law Week online, in respect of both case summaries and topical legal articles and contributed to other publications such as Counsel Magazine.

Books

“Children: the Inherent Jurisdiction and Wardship” (Jordan’s Publishing, 2016)

Interests

Michael enjoys endurance sports, in particular running, swimming and cycling. He practices martial arts and has represented England at an amateur level at the WKC world championships in 2009. He also has a keen interest in cinema, music and cooking (often with mixed results).