Edward Devereux

PROFILE

Edward Devereux practises in all areas of international family law.  He is regarded to be one of the leading barristers of his generation in this area and has appeared in many of the most important international family law cases in recent years.

He has appeared in the United Kingdom Supreme Court on three occasions in the last three years: in In the matter of S (A Child), (in March 2012), in In re E (Children) (Abduction: Custody Appeal) [2011] UKSC 27, [2012] 1 AC 144, (in March 2011), and in In re I (A Child) (Contact: Application: Jurisdiction) (Centre for Family Law and Practice and another intervening) [2010] 1 AC 319, (in December 2009, that being the first family case – and second case ever – to come before the Supreme Court). Prior to the creation of the United Kingdom Supreme Court, he appeared before the House of Lords in In re M and another (Children) (Abduction: Rights of Custody) [2008] 1 AC 1288.  He has also appeared on numerous occasions in the Court of Appeal (see below) and before the European Court of Human Rights in Carlson v Switzerland (no.49492/06), (in November 2008). Currently, he has appeared in over 25 reported cases concerning many different aspects of family law. 

He is recommended as a leading barrister by the Chambers UK Guide to the Legal Profession, The Legal 500 and Legal Experts and 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, Oxford).

Edward was the only barrister to attend, as part of the United Kingdom government’s delegation, both parts of the sixth special commission meeting of the Hague conference on private international law which took place in the Hague in June 2011 and January 2012 and which reviewed the practical operation of the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction and the 1996 Protection of Children Convention.

WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT HIM

"Edward Devereux focuses his practice on international family work and is described by sources as 'a master of child abduction cases'": Chambers UK Guide to the Legal Profession, 2012.

"Very intelligent, tenacious and creative"; "one of the rising stars of international children work", The Legal 500, 2011.

“Edward Devereux has an ever growing reputation for international child abduction”: Chambers UK Guide to the Legal Profession, 2011.

“Recommended”:The Legal 500, 2010.

“Viewed as a rising star of the Family Bar”: Chambers UK Guide to the Legal Profession, 2010.

“Edward Devereux is highly recommended as an exceptional junior with an impressive in depth knowledge of international children’s law”: The Legal 500, 2009.

“An expert on child abduction”: Chambers UK Guide to the Legal Profession, 2009.

EDUCATION AND PRACTICE

Edward was educated at Peterhouse, Cambridge, (where he was an exhibitioner), was a scholar of the Middle Temple, and was runner up in 2001 in the Rosemund Smith competition for mooting (ie legal argument) in his year of call in the Middle Temple.    
 
He principally practises in the following areas:

• International movement of children (with a particular focus on 1980 Hague Convention cases and non HagueConvention cases)

• International disputes relating to divorce jurisdiction

• Proceedings under the inherent jurisdiction

• Proceedings involving Council Regulation (EC) No 2201/2003 of 27  November 2003 Concerning Jurisdiction and the Recognition and Enforcement of Judgments in Matrimonial Matters and in Matters of Parental Responsibility (Brussels II Revised/Brussels II bis)

• Complex private law Children Act 1989 proceedings (with a particular focus on relocation disputes)

• Forced marriage cases

• Complex care and adoption proceedings

• Publicity and disclosure proceedings

• Proceedings relating to vulnerable adults in the Court of Protection

During his time at the Bar, Edward has appeared before every level of civil or criminal court in England and Wales and before many other specialist tribunals including the Parole Board, the Court of Protection (in its current and previous form) and various licensing, educational and employment tribunals.

Edward was instructed as the advocate to the court in D v N and D (by her Guardian ad Litem) [2011] 2 FLR 464.

RECENT MAJOR CASES

• Re G (Care Proceedings: Placement for Adoption) [2006] 1 FLR 47 (Court of Appeal)

• Re P and S (Children) (Termination of Direct Contact) [2006] EWCA CIv 736, All ER (D) 396 (Court of Appeal)

• In the matter of S (A Child) EWCA Civ 738 (Court of Appeal)

• MM v VM [2007] Fam Law 888 (High Court, Roderic Wood J)

• In the matter of M (Children) [2007] 3 FCR 564 (Court of Appeal); (“Abducted girls returned to Africa”, BBC News, 12 September 2007)

• In re M and another (Children) (Abduction: Rights of Custody) [2008] 1 AC 1288 (House of Lords)

• Re C (Abduction: Separate Representation of Children) [2008] 2 FLR 6 (High Court, Ryder J)

• BG v BG (Abduction: Acquiescence) [2008] 2 FLR 965 (High Court, Coleridge J)

• F v M and N (Abduction: Acquiescence: Settlement) [2008] 2 FLR 1270 (High Court, Black J)

• F v M (Abduction: Grave Risk of Harm) [2008] 2 FLR 1263 (High Court, Ryder J)

• Re S (Abduction: Children’s Representation) [2008] 2 FLR 1918 (High Court, Charles J)

• Carlson v Switzerland (no. 49492/06), 8 November 2008, (European Court of Human Rights)

• B v D (Abduction: Inherent Jurisdiction) [2009] 1 FLR 1015 (High Court, Baron J)

• Re A (Family Proceedings: Electronic Tagging) [2009] 2 FLR 891 (High Court, Parker J); (“Court orders mother in child residency dispute to be tagged…extraordinary family court ruling”, The Times, 16 May 2009)

• Y v I and QI [2009] Fam Law 805 (High Court, His Honour Judge K Barnett sitting as a Deputy High Court Judge)

• RS v KS (Abduction: Wrongful Retention) [2009] 2 FLR 1231 (High Court, Macur J)

• Re I (A Child) (Jurisdiction: Habitual Residence outside European Union) [2009] Fam Law 1134 (Court of Appeal)

• Re H (Abduction: Jurisdiction) [2010] 1 FLR 598 (High Court, Ryder J)

• In the matter of E (A Child) [2009] EWCA Civ 1103 (Court of Appeal); (“Tug of love mother must fly to court in Tenerife to fight for daughter, 5, after being accused of abducting her”, The Daily Mail, 18 September 2009)

• In the matter of O (A Child) [2009] EWCA Civ 1273 (Court of Appeal)

• In re I (A Child) (Contact Application: Jurisdiction) (Centre for Family Law and Practice and another intervening) [2010] 1 AC 319 (Supreme Court)

• W v W (Abduction: Joinder as Party) [2010] 1 FLR 1342 (High Court, Baker J)

• Re W (Abduction: Acquiescence: Children’s Objections) [2010] 2 FLR 1150 (High Court, Black J)

• Re W (Abduction: Child’s Objections) [2010] 2 FLR 1165 (Court of Appeal); (“Girl, 6, makes legal history as judge in child abduction case allows her to choose whether to live with her mummy or daddy”, The Daily Mail, 15 April 2010; “Legal first as girl, 5, consulted in ‘tug of love’ court case”, The Daily Telegraph, 15 April 2010)

• Re A (Abduction: Interim Directions: Accommodation by Local Authority) [2011] 1 FLR 1 (Court of Appeal)

• WF v RJ and BF and RF (Abduction: Child’s Objections) [2011] 1 FLR 1153 (High Court, Baker J)

• Islington London Borough Council v E [2011] 1 FLR 1681 (High Court, Eleanor King J)

• C v S (Divorce Jurisdiction) [2011] 2 FLR 19 (High Court, Hedley J)

• Re E (Children) (Abduction: Custody Appeal) [2011] 2 FLR 724 (Court of Appeal)

• Re W (Jurisdiction: Mirror Order) [2011] EWCA Civ 703 (Court of Appeal)

• In re E (Children) (Abduction: Custody Appeal) [2012] 1 AC 144 (Supreme Court)

• Re AJ (Brussels II Revised) [2011] EWHC 3450 (Fam), (High Court, Baker J)

• A v B [2012] 1 FLR 768 (High Court, Sir Nicholas Wall, President of the Family Division)

• In the matter of S (A Child) [2012] UKSC 10 (Supreme Court)  
  

RECENT PUBLICATIONS AND LECTURES

Edward is the author of the chapter on child abduction in the volume, Child Case Management Practice, (general editor, The Hon. Mr Justice Ryder), (Jordans, 2009), and has written many articles for various legal publications including the following: “Ethics and Legal Education”, Counsel, June 2002; “An unlikely rebel: a profile of Mr Justice Andrew Collins”, Counsel, June 2003; and “Discretion, Settlement and Child’s Objections: Re M (Abduction: Zimbabwe)”, Family Law, March 2008.

He frequently gives lectures on many different aspects of family law.  Recently, he has delivered lectures to the following, amongst others:

• The LawAsia conference on children law in Singapore in May 2009

• The Butterworths-Lexis Nexis Child Care Law conference in London in September 2009

• The International Bar Association conference in Madrid in October 2009

• The Association of Lawyers conference in Manchester in November 2009

• The Jordans Children Law and Practice conference in London in June 2010

• The International Child Abduction, Relocation and Forced Marriage conference at London Metropolitan University in June 2010

• The Butterworths-LexisNexis Child Care Law conference in London in January 2011

• The Butterworths-LexisNexis Child Care Law conference in London in June 2011  

He has also featured on a College of Law Legal Network Television DVD (Family: Children Private Law Update, May 2008) speaking on international child abduction.

MEMBERSHIPS

• Family Law Bar Association