Pippa Pudney

Experience & Expertise

Pippa is a specialist Court of Protection and child protection barrister with a particular focus on the deprivation of liberty of children, young people and young adults. Her approachability and problem-solving attitude allow her to navigate cases with complicated issues and vulnerable clients with ease. She is meticulously prepared for every case with a thoughtful understanding of the issues at play and a command of the relevant case law.

Court of Protection

Pippa has a developed Court of Protection practice, dealing regularly with novel and tricky health and welfare issues. Her background in child protection work lends itself to ‘transitions’ cases for 16- and 17-year-olds alongside her continued practise within the Family Division dealing with deprivations of liberty of children under the inherent jurisdiction. She is well-versed in the protective frameworks which surround children as they mature into adulthood and require continued state involvement in their private life. Pippa also has a keen interest in the interplay between the COP and the Mental Health Act 1983 or include aspects of medical treatment.

Examples of her recent standout work include:

• Re IG (2026) – representing P in a section 16 application concerning her residence, care, and family contact, in the context of findings of fact against her son and former carer which included physical abuse, coercion, and neglect. The case required careful consideration of the weight to be afforded to P’s expressed wishes, the capacitous decisions she had previously made, and a risk appraisal of available options.
• Re XU (2025) – representing P in an application for closed material and a closed hearing where there were significant ongoing concerns about the psychological, sexual, and emotional abuse of P. The case developed to involve in-depth consideration of P’s capacity in various domains including contact and sexual relations, focussing on whether the evidence substantiated the causative nexus and the interplay of Ps unique life experience into the assessment of her capacity. The case had particularly novel features including P’s diagnoses, life experience and cultural and religious upbringing.
• Re YY (2024) – representing P in a case concerning their residence and proposed removal from the jurisdiction. The case involved a fact find to determine allegations made by family members against the ICB and care provider, as well as an investigation into P’s settled status in the UK. It raised a novel issue of how far the Court of Protection can and should intervene in the internal processes of an ICB, with the court ultimately finding in favour of the Official Solicitor’s position to undertake a proportionate investigation into the care standards assessment undertaken by the ICB.
• Re BN (2024) – representing an ICB in a section 16 application concerning the residence and care arrangements of a young man. The case included a period of fact-finding following allegations made by P’s mother against the care provider and cross-allegations of P’s mother’s conduct. P’s presentation was particularly complex and required careful consideration of contact arrangements and managing family dynamics in the context of both the proceedings and sustaining P’s residence arrangements. Cross-examination of P’s mother required Pippa to engage in sensitive witness-handling, as P’s mother required support with her own cognitive and physical impairments.
• Re DM (2024) – representing a local authority in proceedings concerning the discharge plan for P following her detention under the MHA 1983. The case was challenging to navigate owing to P’s dysregulation, hostility, and overwhelming paranoid beliefs. It required consideration of the powers of the Court of Protection to make decisions concerning P’s tenancy and access to a property for which she held a tenancy, and the practical enforceability of orders concerning access to a property not owned by P.
• Re WH (2023) – representing an ICB in an application for P to be vaccinated against influenza and Covid-19. The family resisted vaccination on medical and religious grounds. The application was successful and vaccination determined to be in P’s best interests.

Child Protection

Pippa began her practise in the field of child-protection law, representing local authorities, parents, children, and NHS bodies in Children Act 1989 proceedings. She draws upon that background in continuing her work in cases involving the deprivation of liberty of a child and has extensive knowledge of tricky issues such as restraint, consent, and state responsibility.

Pippa is the co-author of The Deprivation of Liberty of Children and Young People (Bloomsbury Professional, 2024). This key text summarises the law in relation to deprivations of liberty for under 18s, including how they are authorised and how they intertwine with the child protection and Care Act 2014 frameworks.

Publications

• Lexis Family Law Journal (March 2025) – The Deprivation of Liberty of Children: What Can We Do Better?
• The Deprivation of Liberty of Children and Young People (Bloomsbury Professional, 2024), available here
• The Butterworths Family Law Journal – Co-editor of Chapter 6 on ‘The Mental Capacity Act 2005’
• The Barrister Magazine, October 2020 – A Junior Barrister’s Perspective, Diversity at the Bar

Memberships

• Family Law Bar Association
• Court of Protection Practitioners’ Association, Committee Member for Yorkshire and Humber
• Court of Protection Barristers’ Association
• North Eastern Circuit’s Diversity Outreach Programme
• Leeds Law Society

Privacy

Pippa adopts and adheres to the provisions of her privacy policy which can be found here.

Further Information

For further details of Pippa’s practice please contact a member of the clerking or client service team.

Bar Council Membership No: 71842
Registered Name: Miss Philippa Ruth Pudney
VAT Registration No: 343752106