About
Anthony has a busy practice representing a wide range of clients in public and private law children matters. He has a vast amount of experience separately representing children and young people in public and private law proceedings in the Family Court.
Anthony began his career as a Solicitor Advocate specialising in all matters under the Children Act 1989 and as a member of the Law Society Children Panel Accreditation Scheme. He joined Coram Chambers in July 2024.
Experience
Anthony has over 10 years of experience in the field of Family and Children Law. He was admitted to the Roll of Solicitors in 2014.
Anthony obtained Law Society Children Panel Accreditation in 2015 and is a highly skilled solicitor and advocate. He also obtained Higher Rights of Audience – Civil.
Anthony represents all clients in the Family Court at all levels, from the Lay Bench to the High Court.
Anthony deals with cases of a wide-ranging level of complexity – from case management hearings to contested interim hearings and multi-day final and fact-finding hearings.
He has been regularly instructed by Cafcass Guardians since 2015 to represent the voices of children in private law and public law children.
As a result of his background as a solicitor, Anthony has a strong understanding of Legal Aid Agency rules regarding Children Act 1989 matters.
Anthony joined Coram Chambers as he shares our passion for supporting families, children and social justice.
Practice Areas
Anthony also has experience dealing with issues in both public and private law children including;
- Forced Marriage
- Domestic Abuse and Coercive Control
- Chronic Neglect
- Sexual Abuse
- Substance Misuse
- Non-Accidental Injury
- Fabricated Illness
- Serious Criminal Offences Including Terrorism and Murder
- Parental Alienation
- Children Beyond Parental Control
- Mental Health
- Wardship
- Deprivation of Liberty Orders
- Secure Accommodation Orders
- Jurisdiction Disputes
- Adoption Breakdown
- Special Guardianship Orders
- Human Rights
Education and Professional Memberships
Barbri Altior – Higher Rights Civil
College of Law – LPC
University of Kent – LLB and LLM
Law Society – Children Panel Accreditation
Association of Lawyers for Children
Cases
2024 – Court finds no evidence for Local Authority’s claim parents failed to protect child from abuse. Anthony Forde represented the Children’s Father, instructed by Fathema Khanom & Shanice Edwards-Smith of Edwards Duthie Shamash Solicitors.
The case involved allegations of inter-sibling sexual abuse. Flowing from these allegations, the Local Authority alleged that the parents failed to protect the children. At the conclusion of the fact finding, minimal findings were made against the parents and the case proceeded to a final welfare hearing.
2024 – Court dismisses application against parents after challenge to medical view in care proceedings. Anthony Forde represented the subject child via her Guardian, Peggy Sipeer, instructed by Zak Routledge of The Head Partnership in Bracknell Forest Council v Mother & Ors [2024] EWFC 68 (B).
The case involved a young girl, “CA”, who appeared at hospital with six marks when three weeks old. A number of treating clinicians formed the view that the marks were bruises. In the absence of parental explanation for such ‘bruises’, it was deemed to be a possible non-accidental injury which the parents disputed.
There was no evidence the treating clinicians considered cutis marmorata, and at the conclusion of the fact finding hearing, the Court found that Local Authority was unable to discharge the burden of proof required to satisfy the Court that the marks were in fact bruises – there was insufficient evidence for the Court to make any findings against the parents, and the application was dismissed.
2023 – Acted for the Father in London Borough of X v M & Ors [2023] EWFC 171. The case involved allegations of inter-sibling sexual abuse, the Local Authority alleged that the parents failed to protect the children. At the conclusion of the fact finding, minimal findings were made against the parents and the case proceeded to a final welfare hearing.
2021 – Acted for children in a case involving contested vaccination of children subject to interim care orders.
2020 – Represented teenager separately from his Guardian as a victim and perpetrator in a sexual abuse case. Successfully sought an amendment to Threshold Findings removing the client as a perpetrator.
2019 – Represented a client in a fabricated illness case.
2019 – Represented the children in a complex fact-finding hearing in a private law matter and sought findings of coercive control, rape and domestic abuse.
2018 – Represented the surviving children in a case involving siblings murdered by their parents.
2018 – Represented the children in a case involving a family cult where interim separation was sought by the Guardian in a case pleaded solely on emotional harm. Anthony personally represented the children in this case through 14 case management hearings and a 15-day fact-finding/final hearing.
2018 – Represented the children through their Guardian in a case that ran concurrently with criminal proceedings as a result of a murder.
2017 – Represented the Child separately in a complex secure accommodation and Deprivation of Liberty (DoLS) proceedings where the issues included religious radicalisation. Anthony achieved an outcome whereby the Court refused the Local Authority and Guardian’s approach and authorised the placing of the child back in parental care.
2015 – Acted for the Mother in a case before the High Court (Abduction Proceedings) that concluded the Mother can remain in the UK.