Alex is a solicitor in our Public Law and Human Rights team. He acts in a range of matters against public authorities.
He also specialises in a range of education law cases, and has experience in bringing challenges to the decisions of public bodies including schools, local authorities and police forces.
He has a particular interest in education law, including cases concerning special educational needs provision, discrimination, children missing education and school disciplinary powers.
Alex also has experience of cases arising from decisions made in the criminal justice system. His work includes challenges to the proper prosecution of vulnerable people, the rights of children in the police station and the criminal records system.
His work includes high profile successes in the appeal courts, as well as changes to national law through negotiation with government departments. Alex has worked with organisations striving to make legal change and takes a holistic approach to these cases. He understands how to maximise the impact of strategic work by bringing together a legal case with public communications and policy influencing.
Most recently, he secured changes to education regulations introduced in response to the Covid-19 pandemic which risked discriminating against disabled learners.
Alex recently spoke at the UCL Student Pro Bono Committee event, discussing Human Rights in Law Firms. He spoke to students interested in pursuing a career in human rights about life as a human rights lawyer, the pathways to a career in human rights, and what needs to be done to improve human rights law.
Education and career
- Alex obtained an undergraduate degree in law in 2012, passing with a 2:1. He then completed a masters degree in Public International law in 2013, passing with merit. Both degrees were studied at the University of Kent
- From 2009 – 2013 Alex volunteered with the University of Kent Law Clinic and the charity Samphire, providing a range of legal support to members of the community including people facing immigration detention and removal
- In 2016 Alex passed the LPC with commendation
- He trained at Just for Kids Law, qualifying as a solicitor in 2019
- In 2020 Alex passed the Civil Higher Rights of Audience Accreditation, qualifying as a Solicitor Advocate
- Before training Alex worked as a paralegal a London-based firm in the Medical Negligence and Patient’s Rights teams
Professional memberships
- In 2017 Alex became a fellow of the Legal Education Foundation’s Justice First Fellowship
- He also chaired a working party group for the charity Justice, which reported in 2019 on the need for reform of the school exclusion process
- Alex was a member of the steering group for the Special Educational Consortium between 2019 and 2021, sitting on the working group for behaviour and school exclusions
- Alex sat as a reference group member on the All Party Parliamentary Group for School Exclusions and Alternative Provision between 2020 and 2021, providing evidence to the APPG on the need for reform of the legal process for excluding children
Publications
- In 2018 Alex wrote ‘Police Records: A Guide for Professionals’, which is hosted by the Youth Justice Board
- In 2018 Alex published ‘School Exclusions Can Be Life-Changing. All Children And Their Families Should Have The Right To Legal Advice’ in HuffPost as well as articles in Bright Blue, openDemocracy and Legal Voice
- In 2019 Alex created and launched the School Exclusions Hub, a comprehensive online toolkit for frontline workers supporting young people facing exclusion
- In 2020 Alex published ‘Excluded, Exploited, Forgotten: Childhood criminal exploitation and school exclusions’ for Just for Kids Law. This report featured in national news outlets including Sky News and led to calls for change at the Department for Education
