Star Individuals
Provided by Jo Delahunty KC
Court of Protection - Vulnerable Adult
International Children Law
Private Children Law
Public Children Law
Jo deals with both public and private law children’s cases, with the common thread being complexity and sensitivity.
Public Children Law:
Jo is frequently instructed in cases involving extreme child abuse cases involving death or serious injury, shaken baby cases, injuries mimicking abuse (including those linked to extreme prematurity, vitamin D deficiency/rickets, or Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome), factitious or induced illness, child-on-child rape, baby rape, internet paedophilia, ritualised abuse, and FGM.
Private Children Law:
Jo is often instructed by high-net-worth clients facing or making allegations of abuse, whether against an ex-partner or involving a child.
Jo is Gresham Emeritus Professor of Law, and her streamed lectures attract UK and international audiences numbering in the thousands. She was made a Freeman of the City of London in 2019 for her contribution to the law and was recognised by Middle Temple as one of their 100 Women of Distinction of the past 100 years. She is a Recorder (Family) and a Bencher of Middle Temple. In 2024, Jo was appointed a Reader for the Queen Elizabeth II Prize for Education. She also speaks regularly on the international corporate circuit.
Professional speaking, publications and outreach:
Jo is a member of the charity Speakers for Schools, visiting academies to speak to students aged 14+ about pursuing careers beyond those they see around them. She shares her experiences as a child from a single-parent, working-class background who attended a state school and was the first in her family to take A levels and go to university.
As an Ambassador and supporter of Bridging the Bar, Jo continues to mentor individuals and lecture to each year’s intake. As a Patron of the Association of Women Barristers, she mentors colleagues applying for silk and judicial appointment.
A vocal champion of legal aid, Jo regularly lectures for the FLBA on expert non-accidental injury (NAI) issues (for example, at Cumberland Lodge 2024 with Prof. Owens and Dr. Cartlidge), and speaks nationally on the controversial SiHIs (NAHI/experts) pilot and the issue of “PA”, now more accurately termed “Reluctance, Refusal, or Resistance.”
She writes invited articles for Family Law and other publications, including Counsel, The Times, NAGALRO, and Local Government Lawyer. Jo continues to train the judiciary and legal profession pro bono — for example, at the NAGALRO Conference (March 2023) and in Jersey (November 2023) on domestic abuse and coercive control.
Jo has also taken the lead on the often-hidden issue of disability and speaks openly about her neurodiversity (ADHD) as a platform for inclusion and change across all levels of the Bar, from students to silks. She was profiled as a “Champion for Change” in Counsel magazine.
She is listed in the Pro Bono Celebrant’s Recognition List and was awarded the Panth Seva Medal by the Legal Association of Sikhs in 2024 for her contribution to the community.
Jo has two books due for publication in 2025:
We Set the Bar (Bristol Press) – a personal account of the challenges faced in the profession
Domestic Abuse in the Family Courts: A Procedural and Practical Guide (Bloomsbury)
In 2025, Jo has been nominated for numerous awards including the Chambers & Partners DEI Outstanding Contribution Award and Family Silk of the Year at the Family Law Awards
IAFL
ALC
Provided by Chambers
Jo Delahunty KC is a highly sought-after specialist children silk entrusted with the most significant and demanding national cases. She regularly handles matters concerning the most serious injuries and fatalities resulting from sexual assault, radicalisation and abuse. She is particularly experienced in cases involving non-accidental injury to children.
Provided by Chambers
She strives to deliver a client-focused outcome and stops at nothing to ensure this happens. Jo is empathetic, tenacious and someone with an incredibly analytical mind.
She is highly intelligent, always meticulously prepared and someone who works well with solicitors.
Watching Jo on her feet cross-examining witnesses is akin to watching gold being spun. She is a master of dynamics in the courtroom.
She strives to deliver a client-focused outcome and stops at nothing to ensure this happens. Jo is empathetic, tenacious and someone with an incredibly analytical mind.
She is highly intelligent, always meticulously prepared and someone who works well with solicitors.
Watching Jo on her feet cross-examining witnesses is akin to watching gold being spun. She is a master of dynamics in the courtroom.