ERROL REID
YEAR OF CALL: 1978 (Gray's Inn) | St Lucian Bar, West Indies
Practice Areas
Family Law, Civil, Wills and Probate, Property, Immigration and Regulatory Authorities and the Health and Care Professional Council, Prison Adjudications, Housing, Solicitors Disciplinary, Landlord and Tenant
Education:
BA (HONS) Law, LLM (Essex), Attorney at Law and notary royal
Qualified to obtain instructions directly from members of the public under the Bar Counsel’s Public Direct Access Scheme
Experience
Errol Reid was called to the Bar in 1978 and was. Member of Chambers in common law practice at 9 Stones Building, Lincoln's Inn, he left the Bar in 1982 to serve, as a lawyer, in Law Centres, Advice Centres and in Local Government as a Prosecutor for a London Authority. He brings to practice a vast amount of experience and “know how” for the benefit of clients. His current practice is mainly Family Law, representing parents in Care Proceedings and Private Law Family Applications. Errol has a small Civil law practice in County Court, High Court and some criminal defence. He has acted as agent for the Crown Prosecution Service and is familiar with representation in Tribunals, representing prisoners in Prison Adjudications, Prison Law, Housing, Landlord and Tenant, some immigration and appearing in Regulatory matters before the Solicitors Regulatory Authority and the Health and Care Professional Council. Errol has an International Law Practice and has advised and represented clients in such matters as State Immunity. Apart from his outstanding success in Crown Court trials. Errol has appeared at Coroners Inquests for families. He was a Committee Member of INQUEST in the period, when there were many unexplained death in Police custody and organised a joint meeting between Anti- Slavery Society and INQUEST to draw concern about the Australian's Government failure to protect Aborigines who were perishing in custody. Errol has campaigned with INQUEST for legal aid to be granted to bereaved families and would like to see this as an important human right and adopted internationally as part of a United Nation Declaration and norm, that the State provides to bereaved families to support “ the right to life “ He also accepts Direct Public Access clients. Errol is an Attorney at Law, Notary Royal and Member of the Bar in St. Lucia and holds a current practising certificate he is able to represent clients in the Caribbean.
For further information please contact clerks in Chambers on 0207 978 8482 or via email info@claphamlawchambers.co.uk
Success and Passions
As a Local Authority Lawyer, he represented the Council in Care and Adoption Proceedings and established over 80% success rate in prosecution for Food Hygiene, Environmental Protection, Weights and Measures, Planning Enforcement and Housing Act prosecutions.
Errol's most recent success was in the High Court in a Family Case in the context of an application pursuant to Article 21 of the Hague Convention 1980,appearing for the mother, he persuaded the Court that in relation to cross allegations the mother was the victim, and her evidence was more credible. This case is reported [2024]EWHC 968 (Fam) Errol has been successful in other High Court cases and has similar success pursuant to the Child Abduction and Custody Act 1985 in which he argued successfully , before the Court that it would be intolerable to send a child and her parent, outside the jurisdiction, despite the protection afforded by 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil aspects of International Child Abduction. This is reported [2017] EWHC 514 (Fam).
One noteworthy case that Errol Reid appeared in the lower court and prepared affidavits for the divisional court, is the case of R v Thames Metropolitan Stipendiary Magistrates ex parte London Borough of Hackney reported in 1992 Local Government Law 39, here the Divisional Court held that food hygiene offences are continuing offences, committed a fresh each day that, the regulation is not complied with by the offender.
Errol Reid's passion is Human Rights and International Law, he was one of the first batch of students to be awarded the LL.M in International Human Rights Law at the University of Essex established by Professor Malcom Shaw. He is a former Member of Human Rights Network, Justice, Amnesty International and one of the founding members Interights (The International Legal Centre) and also ,Executive Committee Member and a Director. He was a Committee Member of INQUEST. Errol was a Committee Member and Trustee of Anti-Slavery Society and Anti- Slavery International, also a Chair of the Publications Sub- Committee. He is one of the founding members and current Chair of the Non-Governmental Organisation the, International Society of African Lawyers and Editor of the African Journal of International Law. He is currently in the forefront to launch the African Journal of International Law and Political Science which will be published this October 2021. He has campaigned and organised meetings to protect Aborigines in Australia ,Slavery in Sudan and West Papua and Child Soldiers in Africa. Between 2004 and 2006 he was an Independent Member of the Educational Admission and Exclusion, Committee Panel for London Borough of Haringey. Elected as Councillor in 2006-2014, he was Chair of the Area Committee and Area Forum for the Crouch End, Hornsey and Stroud Green and served on Children’s Committee, having responsibility as a Corporate Parent for Looked – After Children, Licensing, Planning and Standards Committee and several other Committees while a Councillor.
Hobbies and Interests
Errol is committed to access to justice and is a campaigner for more legal aid for litigants especially families of the bereaved in inquests. He is keen cricketer, a current member Alexandra Park Cricket Club, loves and writes poetry drama and theatre. He is a regular church goer and is active in the church.
Contact: errol@claphamlawchambers.co.uk