Alice Hardy

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)

Chambers and Partners UK 2025

• Alice is ranked Band 1 in Police Law: Mainly Claimant, Band 2 in Inquests & Band 4 in Civil Liberties & Human Rights.
• “Her client skills are really impressive, even in difficult situations, and she pays close attention to detail.”
• “Alice is extremely organised, she is a good leader of her team.”
• “Alice is really experienced in this area.”
• “Alice is very empathetic towards her clients.”
• “She finds the most practical solutions while showing perseverance, patience and extreme commitment to her client.”

Legal 500 2025

• Alice is recommended in the editorial commentary for Administrative and Public Law & Civil Liberties and Human Rights.
• “Alice Hardy is a deeply committed, sympathetic, and passionate individual, highly intelligent, perceptive, and a skilled tactician. She is not afraid to be outspoken and works tirelessly to achieve the best outcomes for her clients. She is an outstanding lawyer in every respect.”

Chambers and Partners UK 2024

• Alice was ranked Band 1 in Police Law: Mainly Claimant, Band 2 in Inquests & Band 4 in Civil Liberties & Human Rights.
• “She is compassionate, diligent and knowledgeable.”
• “Alice cuts through the issues effectively.”
• “She is compassionate, diligent and knowledgeable.”
• “Alice is excellent with clients. She is also really bright and hard-working.”
• “She combines high-level strategic thinking with an ability to represent clients in a way that is sensitive to their needs.”
• “She is incredibly well organised, easy to work with and knows the law very well.”
• “Alice is a really safe pair of hands.”

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.

• Alice Hardy quoted in Solicitors Journal on Court of Appeal’s judgment in favour of World Uyghur Congress – July 2024
• 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)

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

• 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.
• Alice joined Bindmans as a partner in the public law team in 2023

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.