Robert Sharp

Pupil Barrister

Tag: Open Justice

Open Justice and Journalist Access to the Courts

17 February 2026 / / 0 Comments

I have written another judgment summary over at Family Law Week, this time for the case of Jessica Bradley v CM & Ors [2026] EWHC 125 (Fam).

This was an application by a journalist for access to the reports of a clinic psychologist in four separate child arrangements proceedings. The application went beyond what journalists are routinely allowed access to under the ‘template transparency order‘.

This case is in many ways a companion judgment to Re AB (Disclosure of Position Statements) [2025] EWCOP 25 (T3) in the Court of Protection. This was another judgment of Poole J, in which disclosure of documents from previous hearings (that an observer had not attended) was ordered on the open justice principle. That judgment is under appeal.

I am aware that access to documents in order to understand hearings is not limited to the Family Court and Court of Protection. Last month I noted that criminal court reporters were grumbling about lack of access.

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Appealing a Court of Protection Judgment

4 February 2026 / / 0 Comments

Over at the Open Justice Court of Protection Project, I have written a long explainer about appeals in the Court of Protection.

Any contested hearing in the Court of Protection will leave at least one party disappointed by the outcome.

Often, the disappointed party (whether that is a family member, a public body, or the protected person themselves) will accept the judge’s decision and work within the terms of the order that has been made.

On other occasions, the disappointed party may consider that the judge has made a mistake which may be corrected on appeal.

This post offers a basic introduction to Court of Protection appeals. It covers (1) the general principles that govern appeals and why appeals fail at an early stage (2) the procedure for making an appeal and some common reasons and (3) some alternatives to an appeal.

Visit the Open Justice Court of Protection Project blog to read the whole thing.

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