Spear’s Review

Professor Rob George KC, a silk at Harcourt Chambers, is most often instructed by solicitors encountering complex children cases with an international dimension. Recently, these have involved child protection work, relocation and wardship powers. ‘Most of my cases are cutting-edge – we’re testing what the law can do,’ he tells Spear’s. 

George points to a case that went to the Court of Appeal in 2025 involving a British boy sent to boarding school in Ghana by his parents. ‘My client was the 14-year-old child, and he was bringing an application against both of his parents to challenge their decision,’ he says. ‘It tested the law by asking the extent to which a child can use the courts to challenge their parents’ decision-making.’

George is also a qualified arbitrator and a professor at University College London. His writing has been cited by senior courts, much to his satisfaction. ‘It’s very gratifying and, in some ways, quite humbling to see when the work that you’ve been doing starts to influence things.’

Notable cases

• Re S (Wardship: Removal to Ghana) [2025] EWCA Civ 1011
  
• Re Archie Battersbee [2022] EWCA Civ 935