News & Events
News & Events
The Court of Appeal has recently handed down judgment in Hampshire County Council v GC & GC [2026] EWCA Civ 20. Alex Line and Monique Bouffé were instructed to represent the Appellant local authority. Alex also appeared in the Upper Tribunal below. The decision provides important points of clarity about legal duties under the Children and Families Act 2014 that will affect children and young people with SEND, and local authorities, nationally. The case had unique facts, concerning a service family who were living abroad due to the father’s position in the navy. The period of absence was due to be three years but it transpired to be two. The local authority decided to cease to maintain their child’s EHC…
News 28 Jan, 2026
Chambers and Partners UK Bar have today launched their 2026 Guide and we are delighted to share the highlights from this year’s rankings, including two new Band 1 awards for Personal Injury: Animal Claims and Cryptocurrency. We are thrilled to share that Outer Temple Chambers has been awarded 12 set rankings in this year’s Chambers & Partners UK Bar Guide, including 4 new set rankings, and over 110 individual rankings. This is our best set of rankings yet, as our individual rankings see 14 new entries and 27 elevations, and 2 new Band 1 set rankings. A huge congratulations to all of our barristers and clerks for another year of excellent results. A particular thank you to all our clients…
News 16 Oct, 2025
OTC is delighted with an outstanding set of rankings in the Legal 500 UK 2026 Guide
News 7 Oct, 2025
In R (BIA, BKT, BKD, BLT) v (1) Islington Borough Council (2) Governing Body of St Jude and St Paul’s School (3) Parochial Church Council of St Judge and St Paul’s School (4) London Diocesan Board for Schools, Alex Line and Imogen Egan successfully represented the Defendant local authority in a challenge to its decision to close a local voluntary aided primary school. In April 2025 the local authority decided to close the school pursuant to powers under the Education and Inspections Act 2006, following a consultation process which started in late 2024. The school was a small primary school which had been significantly undescribed for several years. The Defendant concluded that it no longer remained viable and so took…
News 1 Jul, 2025
The judgment of Linden J in R (AB) v Bristol City Council; R (ES) v Devon County Council; and R (JX) v Devon County Council [2025] EWHC 893 (Admin) was handed down on 10th April 2025, following a rolled up judicial review hearing held over three days. Alex Line represented the Secretary of State for Education, the Interested Party, in all claims. The judgment can be found here: AB, R (on the application of) v Bristol City Council. The cases concerned young people living in the Bristol and Devon areas. They each had special educational needs and were entitled to services through Education Health and Care Plans provided by the local authorities pursuant to the Children and Families Act 2014…
News 14 Apr, 2025
We are delighted to welcome Jessica Franklin and Sapandeep Singh Maini-Thompson to Outer Temple Chambers as new junior tenants. Jessica Franklin and Sapandeep Singh Maini-Thompson joined the Outer Temple team in October, further bolstering our junior cohort of specialists to fulfill ever-growing demand. Jessica Franklin joined the Bar in 2021 after a successful career in advertising and marketing. She now specialises in personal injury law and employment law. Jessica’s employment practice is particularly focused on discrimination, unfair dismissal and whistleblowing claims. She has a particular interest in personal injury claims brought in the Employment Tribunal and she has been instructed in claims involving not only psychiatric injuries but also physical injuries arising out of discrimination. Her personal injury practice extends to…
News 22 Oct, 2024
Chambers and Partners UK Bar 2025 have today launched their 2025 Guide and we are delighted to share the highlights from this year’s rankings, including two Band 1 awards for our Pensions Law team and Travel Law team. We are delighted to share the news that Outer Temple Chambers has yet again been awarded 9 set rankings in the 2025 Chambers & Partners UK Bar Guide and over 110 individual rankings. In what is our best set of rankings ever, our individual rankings see 12 new entries and 16 elevations, whilst we are delighted with two new Band 1 set rankings. A huge congratulations to all of our barristers and clerks for another year of excellent results. A particular thank…
News 17 Oct, 2024
The Legal 500 2025 rankings have just been announced and Outer Temple Chambers is delighted with another year of excellent results including a Tier 1 Pensions ranking We are proud to announce that we have been recognised as a Top Tier Set in Crypto & Blockchain Assets again, as well as achieving a Top Tier Set ranking in Pensions. These Tier 1 rankings mean we are now ranked for excellence in nine practice area rankings with 73 individual members ranked across 27 practice areas. A huge congratulations to all of our barristers and clerks within these teams for another year of excellent results. A particular thank you to all our clients and colleagues for taking the time to provide references.…
News 2 Oct, 2024
Education Law Specialist, Alex Line, has recently been involved in an important Upper Tribunal decision concerning families of armed forces personnel who have children with special educational needs. Alex Line recently appeared in the Upper Tribunal in Hampshire County Council v GC & GC [2024] UKUT 128 (AAC), acting for the local authority. This is an important case (described by Upper Tribunal Judge West in his decision as a ‘test case’) concerning a family who moved to Dubai for two years because the father was deployed there as part of his naval service. The local authority ceased to maintain their child’s EHC Plan pursuant to s.45 of the Children and Families Act 2014, on the basis that the family were…
News 5 Jun, 2024
Alex Line, instructed by the government legal department, recently represented the Secretary of State for Education in Averre-Beeson v Secretary of State for Education [2024] UKFTT 00385 (HESC). This was an appeal under s.129 of the Education and Skills Act 2008, which went to the Health, Education and Social Care Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal (in its Care Standards jurisdiction). These were long running proceedings emanating from a high profile and widely reported collapse of a large multi-academy trust. The Appellant, a well-known figure in the schools industry, held various positions of responsibility within the trust. Following the trust’s demise, the Department for Education investigated concerns into his conduct including relating to the nature and propriety of the commercial relationships…
News 24 May, 2024
![The Upper Tribunal has recently handed down judgment on the case of Governing Body of T School v AA and RA [2023] UKUT 311 (AAC). Education law specialist, Alex Line, represented the appellant in this case concerning disability discrimination in schools.](https://www.outertemple.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Alex-Line-successful-in-Upper-Tribunal-appeal-concerning-disability-discrimination-in-schools-1-1-550x370.png)
The Upper Tribunal has recently handed down judgment on the case of Governing Body of T School v AA and RA [2023] UKUT 311 (AAC). Education law specialist, Alex Line, represented the appellant in this case concerning disability discrimination in schools. In Governing Body of T School v AA and RA [2023] UKUT 311 (AAC), Alex Line represented the successful appellant in a case which provides important analysis of the time limit provisions of the Equality Act 2010 concerning schools (a point covered extensively in relation to Employment Tribunal jurisdiction, but hitherto not in relation to the First-tier Tribunal’s jurisdiction under that Act). The primary time limit for bringing a claim for disability discrimination against the governing body of a…
News 1 Mar, 2024
The High Court has recently handed down judgment in an important case relating to school admissions arrangements, and the Office of the School Adjudicator’s (‘OSA’) functions when considering complaints about them. Alex Line acted for London Borough of Bromley. Alex Line acted for the second Interested Party, London Borough of Bromley, in a judicial review that was brought against the OSA by Mr Sharpe. Another interested party, the Impact Multi Academy Trust (which was the admissions authority in relation to the schools considered in the case) was also involved. The Secretary of State for Education intervened. The decision can be viewed here: Robert Sharp, R (on the application of) v The Office of the Schools Adjudicator. The case, had it…
News 26 May, 2023
