Alice is a partner in our Public Law and Human Rights team. She specialises in human rights claims and public law challenges against government bodies and detaining authorities, with particular interest in women’s rights, protest law, discrimination and coronial law.
Alice represents victims of sexual violence and domestic abuse and other individuals who have been poorly treated by the State, including the criminal justice system. Her caseload includes civil claims and judicial reviews against the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Justice, prosecuting agencies and local authorities.
She also acts for environmental and political activists and campaigning groups, challenging unlawful decisions and injunctions that restrict the right of protest and freedom of speech. She has acted in challenges to injunctions issued by Shell, Esso, Exxon, Valero, National Highways Limited, Transport for London, North Warwickshire Borough Council, Thurrock County Council and Three Countries Agricultural Society.
Alice also represents bereaved families at inquests and in judicial review challenges and civil claims, where their loved one has died in custody or in other circumstances in which the State is implicated in the death.
In 2022-2023 Alice acted for Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, whose daughter Ella died of asthma in 2013. She was the first person in the world to have air pollution listed as a cause of death on her death certificate.
In 2021-2022 she acted for the mother of Saskia Jones, who died in the Fishmongers Hall terrorist attack in November 2019.
Between 2016 and 2021 she represented a number of Hillsborough families in their claims against the Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police following the Hillsborough tragedy in April 1989.
Alice gave oral evidence to the House of Commons Justice Committee in 2015. She regularly delivers training on protest law, coronial law and women’s rights. She participated, by invitation, in the Law Society round table event to inform its response to the Independent Human Rights Act Review in 2021.
Education and career
- Alice graduated from New College, Oxford in 1999 with a BA English Literature
- She obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Law in 2001 and completed the Legal Practice Course in 2002, both at BPP Law School
- Alice qualified as a solicitor at a large solicitors firm in 2005. She moved to another firm in 2006 and worked on cases arising out of the war in Iraq at the Court of Appeal and House of Lords (as it then was)
- She moved to a large London firm in 2007 where she specialised in actions against the police and deaths in custody. She became a partner at a different large firm specialising in civil liberties in 2016. She joined Bindmans as a partner in the public law team in 2023
Experience
Alice’s reported cases include:
- Numerous challenges to injunctions issued against environmental activists, by Shell, Exxon, Esso, Valero, National Highways Limited, Transport for London, North Warwickshire Borough Council, Essex and Thurrock County Councils, Three Counties Agricultural Society. All successful in achieving amendments and restrictions to the scope of the injunctions, with some helpful developments on the ability of non-parties to bring such challenges without becoming named defendants, CPR 40.9
- Skelton v West Sussex Coroner (2020): Judicial review of the coroner’s refusal to hold an Article 2 inquest into the death of Susan Nicholson to examine policing failings following her murder by her partner
- LXD and ors v Chief Constable of Merseyside Police (2019): Judicial review of police refusal to offer adequate protective measures to a mother and her children in light of threats to kill them
- Minio Paluello v Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis (2011): claim by a protester whose arm was broken by a police officer during a lawful demonstration
- Al-Haq v Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (2007): Judicial review in relation to the UK government’s compliance with international law in respect of Israel’s attacks on the Gaza Strip in 2008-2009
- R (Gentle and Clarke) v Prime Minister and others (2008): Judicial review at the House of Lords brought by the mothers of two soldiers who died in Iraq of the government’s refusal to order a public inquiry into whether reasonable steps were taken to establish the legality of the Iraq war
- R (Al-Skeini & others) v Secretary of State for Defence (2007): Judicial review on behalf of a number of Iraqi civilians in the House of Lords challenging the refusal of the Secretary of State for Defence to apply Article 2/3 standards to investigations of civilian deaths at the hands of British soldiers in Iraq
- R (Al-Jedda) v Secretary of State for Defence (2007): Judicial review in the House of Lords on behalf of a British citizen detained for three years without charge in Iraq
Alice’s notable cases include:
- Civil claim and subsequent inquiry relating to a Cambridge college’s decision to transfer a student accused of rape to another college, without consulting the complainant (2023, inquiry ongoing)
- Civil claim for breach of Article 3 against the Metropolitan Police relating to the investigation and prosecution of a serious domestic assault (2023)
- JR of police refusal to investigate gang rape of a 17-year old soldier by other soldiers at army barracks (2023)
- Civil claim on behalf of a young woman groomed and abused by a serving police officer in Cambridgeshire Constabulary (2022)
- JR of coroner’s refusal to recuse himself on grounds of bias and delay (2022)
- JR of a prostitute caution issued to a vulnerable woman, which had prevented her from working (2021)
- JR of a school and local authority’s effective failure to provide education to children during Covid-19 lockdown (2021)
- JR of Student Finance England’s decision to recoup funding to a student whose parents had made a mistake in his asylum application ten years previously, resulting in a short gap in his period of indefinite leave to remain (2020)
- Inquest and related civil claim arising out of the Fishmongers Hall terrorist attack, on behalf of the mother of one of the victims (2021)
- Civil claims on behalf of a number of Hillsborough families in their claims against South Yorkshire Police following the Hillsborough tragedy in April 1989 (2021)
Recognition
Legal directories
Chambers and Partners 2024
- Alice is ranked Band 1 in Police Law: Mainly Claimant.
- Clients say, ‘She is compassionate, diligent and knowledgeable.’
- Alice is ranked Band 2 in Inquests.
- Feedback says, ‘Alice cuts through the issues effectively.’
- Alice is also ranked Band 4 in Civil Liberties & Human Rights.
- Clients note that, ‘Alice is compassionate, diligent and knowledgeable.’
- ‘Alice is excellent with clients. She is also really bright and hard-working.’
Chambers and Partners 2023
- “Alice is client-focused and sensitive to the needs of often very vulnerable clients in distressing situations. She is an excellent lawyer. Alice is a bright and caring individual with great client care skills”
Legal 500 2023
- “Alice Hardy is particularly strong in cases involving women’s rights. she is passionate about achieving the best outcome for her clients”
What clients say
Professionally thorough, helpful, supportive and friendly… throughout I felt so at ease and confident with everything. You were really helpful and even when I got anger because of things being postponed, the solicitor knew I wasn’t anger at her, she was understanding, she listened and she knew I was just frustrated with the police
I was fully satisfied…I believe Alice…did everything possible to win my case…I was totally happy with the service Alice…provided
I found Alice Hardy very compassionate and very empathetic in such a dreadful time in my life. She was extremely capable with great guidance even through extreme pressure. She was quite capable to implicate in layman’s terms with a great deal of patience. Although it was the most horrendous experience I could not of wished for anyone to help me through it
Professional memberships
- Centre for Women’s Justice Femicide Working Group and Legal Reference Panel
- Inquest Lawyers Group, Steering Committee
- Police Action Lawyers Group
Publications
- How the Government and Wealthy Corporations work together to stifle protest (2022)
- Insulate Britain are on the right side of history; the Government’s injunctions are not (2021)
- The real agenda behind the Independent Review of Administrative Law (2020)
- Policing the Coronavirus: Protecting the Collateral Victims (2020)
Alice has drafted numerous consultation responses, including:
- The Bill of Rights (2022)
- Strengthening police powers to tackle unauthorised encampments (2021)
- Independent Review of Administrative Law (2020)
- Independent Public Advocate (2018)
More about Alice
Alice is interested in representing individuals and campaigning groups to make complaints and challenge public decisions or failures to act on environmental matters, including air and water pollution. She is also interested in acting for groups or individuals wishing to challenge government policy and practice in relation to the arms trade.
