Denis Edwards practises mainly in civil law and is recognized as a specialist in public law, regulatory law and EU law. He is an accredited mediator, dual-qualified as an Advocate in Scotland and the co-author of a leading text book on judicial review.
Denis has appeared in courts and tribunals at all levels throughout the UK, including in cases decided by the House of Lords and the Supreme Court. His civil and commercial practice focuses on disputes which up to now have been governed by EU law. These include cases in the fields of public procurement law, VAT, environmental law and the law relating to free movement of persons and services.
In public law and regulatory law, Denis has extensive experience advising and representing claimants and defendants in education matters and in cases concerning community care, mental health, disability discrimination and mental capacity law.
Internationally, Denis spends some time in Hong Kong where he is a professional consultant with the law faculty of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. His work in Hong Kong includes advocacy training and teaching ADR, conflict resolution and clear writing skills to law students.
Some of Denis’s leading cases include Fleming v. HMRC (described by the FT as the ‘VAT case of the decade’), St Prix v. DWP (concerning discrimination against pregnant workers), the Scottish Coal Company liquidation (about the environmental obligations of liquidators of a mining company) and Bostridge v. Oxleas NHS Trust (concerning the rights of detained persons to challenge the legality of their detention).