Alice Hardy > Bindmans LLP > London, England > Lawyer Profile

Bindmans LLP Offices

Bindmans LLP
236 GRAY'S INN ROAD
LONDON
WC1X 8HB
England
Visit website 020 7833 4433 020 7837 9792

Living Wage

Alice Hardy

Alice Hardy photo
+44 (0)20 7833 4433 [email protected] View profile View profile

Work Department

Public Law and Human Rights.

Position

Partner, Public Law and Human Rights team.

Alice 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.

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.

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.

 

Career

  • 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.

Memberships

  • Centre for Women’s Justice Femicide Working Group and Legal Reference Panel.
  • Inquest Lawyers Group, Steering Committee.
  • Police Action Lawyers Group.

Education

  • 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.

Lawyer Rankings

London > Public sector > Civil liberties and human rights

Boasting a ‘unique pedigree’ in pioneering civil liberties work, Bindmans LLP is lauded for its strong credentials in immigration law, actions against the police and state, protests and freedom of assembly matters, inquests, inquiries, and victims’ rights in criminal trials. A reliable adviser for applications to the ECtHR, the team is engaged in a wide range of individual and group claims with high public interest and national impact. The esteemed John Halford, whose interests lie in judicial review litigation, heads up the general public law team, supported by ‘skilled tactician’ Alice Hardy, who joined the firm from Hodge Jones & Allen in June 2023, and acts for a wide variety of clients encompassing NGOs, environmental groups, and vulnerable individuals. Jules Carey demonstrates ‘creative flare’ in leading the actions against the police and state team, assisted by Anna Thwaites, whose ‘razor sharp legal mind’ is best deployed in high-profile and contentious inquests. On the criminal law front, Tayab Ali is active in human rights claims at both national and international level. Rachel Harger is a ‘formidable opponent’ in actions asserting the right to protests, while Shirin Marker acts prolifically in citizen deprivation appeals. Salima Budhani left the firm in April 2024.

London > Public sector > Administrative and public law

Bindmans LLP houses ‘an outstanding admin and public law team with exceptional practitioners covering a full range of public law issues’. The practice is headed by John Halford, who is highly recommended for his skills in judicial review and public law challenges. Paul Ridge is ‘a great lawyer with huge knowledge of inquiries’, while the ‘outstanding’ Emma Varley is noted for her experience acting for children in education-related judicial reviews. Shirin Marker and Jessie Brennan are further standout members of the team. Marker regularly acts for victims of trafficking and age-disputed minors, while Brennan has experience with immigration detention cases. The team has been strengthened with the addition of Alice Hardy, who joined from Hodge Jones & Allen in June 2023. Hardy has particular expertise in matters relating to women’s rights and protest law. Nancy Collins joined the firm from Hodge Jones & Allen in September 2024. Salima Budhani left the firm in May 2024

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