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"He's brilliant - careful in his approach, yet practical and thorough. Easy to work with, likeable and knowledgeable." The Legal 500 2023

“Brilliant on paper… Quickly gets to grips with factually difficult cases and not afraid to take on far more senior counsel. One to watch for the future.” The Legal 500 2022

Adam practises primarily in public law, human rights, regulatory and environmental law. He is a member of the Attorney General’s C Panel of Counsel and is listed as a 'leading junior' in public law by The Legal 500 2023.

Adam has appeared in a wide range of courts and tribunals, including the High Court, Upper and First-tier Tribunals, Court of Protection, County Court and before a major public inquiry, both led and unled.

Adam graduated from Balliol College, Oxford, with a first class degree in History and Politics. He obtained a distinction on the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL), an outstanding on the Bar Professional Training Course, and was an Inner Temple Princess Royal Scholar.

Areas of expertise

Administrative and Public

Adam acts for a wide variety of clients in administrative and public law, in areas ranging from community care and healthcare to age assessments, consultation challenges and financial services. He has particular experience in judicial review and is instructed by both claimants and defendant public bodies. He has twice been listed as a “rising star” in public law by The Legal 500.

Cases of note:
 

  • R (Get Real Marketing Company) v Culture Recovery Board and Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport [2022] EWHC 1137 (Admin) - Adam appeared for the Culture Recovery Board and Secretary of State, led by Stephen Kosmin, in this challenge to a decision to refuse a loan application. The application related to a fund created to help organisations in the cultural and heritage sectors recover from the impact of Covid-19. The claim was dismissed. 
  • R (Wallpott) v Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee [2021] EWHC 3291 - Adam appeared for the claimant, led by Vikram Sachdeva QC, in this urgent challenge to a decision to refuse funding for a potentially life-saving cancer treatment. Mrs Justice Steyn found that the defendant had misinterpreted its policy on individual patient funding requests, breached its duty to give reasons, made a mistake of fact and failed to have regard to a material consideration. The decision was quashed and remitted. 
  • R (AA) v Rotherham MBC [2019] EWHC 3529 (Admin) - Adam appeared for the defendant local authority, led by Jenni Richards QC, in this application for judicial review of a decision to close a day centre for adults with learning disabilities. The claim was directed at the second of two consultations relating to the reconfiguration of learning disability services. Mrs Justice Jefford dismissed the claim. 
  • R (O’Carroll) v Financial Ombudsman Service CO/926/2019 - Adam advised and appeared for the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) in this application for judicial review of a large number of linked decisions relating to advice by a financial adviser. Some of the decisions concerned the FOS’s jurisdiction and others related to the merits of the underlying complaints. Part of the claim was compromised; permission for the remainder was refused on the papers and again at an oral renewal hearing.
  • R (JH) v London Borough of Merton JR/7715/2018 - Adam acted for the claimant, who had arrived without documentation from Afghanistan and sought asylum in the UK, in this challenge to the defendant’s assessment of his age. Having obtained permission from the Administrative Court for the claim to proceed, Adam represented the claimant in a four-day fact-finding hearing in the Upper Tribunal. 
  • R (Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee) v Secretary of State for Health) [2017] EWHC 1147 (Admin) - Adam acted for the claimant, led by Alison Foster QC, in this challenge to a decision concerning the funding of community pharmacy services following a consultation. The grounds of challenge included that the consultation was unfair as a result of a failure to disclose material information, that the Secretary of State had breached his Tameside duty to inform himself about the impact of the decision, and that there had been a failure to comply with the public sector equality duty. 
  • R (Hoareau and others) v Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs [2016] EWHC 2102 (Admin) - Adam acted for the Secretary of State, led by Kieron Beal QC and Penelope Nevill, in this challenge to a consultation and related decision on the potential resettlement of individuals removed from the Chagos Islands. The claimant contented that the consultation was unfair because it failed to consult on certain options for resettlement, and that a decision not to provide a particular form of financial support to Chagossians was irrational and contrary to the public sector equality duty. Permission was refused on the papers and again following an oral renewal hearing. 

Court of Protection

Adam has significant experience of Court of Protection proceedings. He is instructed by a wide variety of clients, including the Official Solicitor, clinical commissioning groups  (CCGs), hospital trusts, local authorities and family members. He has acted in cases covering a broad range of conditions, including Korsakoff’s syndrome, acquired brained injury, dementia and autism , and raising a variety of capacity and best interests issues. His experience also includes personal welfare deputyship applications.

Cases of note:
 

  • Re EN - Adam appeared for the applicant CCG. The issues in the case included capacity to make decisions on residence, care and contact; best interests decisions for residence and care; and the deprivation of EN’s liberty. 
  • Re NT - Adam appeared for the respondent CCG in these proceedings concerning NT, who had treatment-resistant schizophrenia, a moderate learning disability and an eating disorder. The issues in the case included the proportionality of restrictions imposed on NT as a result of her eating disorder; restrictions on contact between NT and her family; and whether NT moving from a residential placement to the family home would be in her best interests. 
  • Re SGA - Adam acted for SGA, instructed by the Official Solicitor, in proceedings arising from a personal welfare deputyship application. The case involved a number of complex issues relating to the deprivation of SGA’s liberty, her residence and care and the appropriateness of a deputyship order, including as a result of cross-border arrangements between Scotland and England. 
  • Re JM - Adam acted for JM, instructed by his mother and litigation friend. The proceedings concerned JM’s best interests in relation to residence and care, against a lengthy background of problems in the provision of his care and in the context of a funding dispute between a local authority and CCG.
  • Re RCC - Adam acted for RCC, instructed by the Official Solicitor, in these s21A of the Mental Capacity Act proceedings (s21 proceedings). The issues in the case included whether it was appropriate to issue s21A proceedings following other comparatively recent applications; the proportionality of restrictions on RCC’s liberty; and the appropriate approach to identifying alternative placements in light of RCC’s complex needs and the previous proceedings. 
  • Re JW - Adam acted for JW, instructed by the Official Solicitor, in these s21A proceedings. The issues in the case included whether JW had litigation capacity and whether a return home would be in her best interests, in the context of a lengthy investigation into JW’s property and financial affairs. 
  • Re AD - Adam appeared for an NHS trust in this application concerning the discharge of a patient from hospital. The case involved significant difficulties in the relationship between AD’s family and the public bodies involved in her care. Adam was involved in successfully negotiating the conditions for AD’s discharge. 

Inquiries and Investigations

Adam has been instructed as junior counsel to the Infected Blood Inquiry, led by Jenni Richards QC, since early 2020. He also has experience of regulatory investigations. 

Cases of note:
 

  • Infected Blood Inquiry - Adam has been junior counsel to the Infected Blood Inquiry since January 2020. During that time, he has worked closely with Jenni Richards QC, lead counsel, and has become an important member of the core inquiry team. He has worked on a broad range of issues and tasks, both during and between inquiry hearings. As well as assisting Jenni Richards during hearings, Adam has also undertaken advocacy before the inquiry himself. 
  • Re a healthcare regulator - Adam assisted a healthcare regulator in responding to an external investigation report, covering issues including governance and fitness to practise procedures (led by Alison Foster QC). 
  • FCA review of interest rate hedging products - Adam acted in a team appointed as a s166 Financial Services Markets Act 2000 (FSMA) skilled person in a major Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) review of mis-sold interest rate hedging products. His work involved reviewing claims for consequential loss from businesses mis-sold such products. 

Environment

Adam has acquired a significant amount of experience in environmental law, as well as writing and speaking regularly on environmental matters. He is a contributor to the Journal of Environmental Law, assisted with the update of the current edition of Contaminated Land by Stephen Tromans QC, prepares updates on contaminated land issues and has presented at UK Environmental Law Association (UKELA) events (including its annual conference).

Cases of note:

  • Re a water resources management plan - Adam was instructed to advise a water company on the preparation of its water resources management plan (led by Stephen Tromans QC).
  • Itchen, Candover and Testwood Water Abstraction Inquiry - Adam acted for Southern Water, over a significant period of time, in a dispute with the Environment Agency on changes to water abstraction licences (led by Justine Thornton QC). The case involved issues across the Habitats Directive, Water Framework Directive, domestic environmental law and the legislative regime governing water abstraction. The proceedings were compromised shortly before the beginning of the inquiry and involved detailed negotiations with parties including the Environment Agency and Natural England. 
  • Re a sewerage undertaker - Adam was instructed in a number of claims against a statutory undertaker arising out of sewage flooding. 
  • Re a local authority - Adam assisted with advice on the hierarchy of environmental and planning law responsibilities for the clean-up of contaminated land. 

Recommendations

Adam is recommended by the legal directories and has twice been listed as a “rising star” in public law by The Legal 500. 

"He's brilliant - careful in his approach, yet practical and thorough. Easy to work with, likeable and knowledgeable." The Legal 500 2023

“Brilliant on paper… Quickly gets to grips with factually difficult cases and not afraid to take on far more senior counsel. One to watch for the future.” The Legal 500 2022

“Great at providing technical advice.” The Legal 500 2021