Wednesday 8th July 2026
If you’ve never watched a COP hearing before, scroll down this page (to below Featured Hearings) and read the steps under the heading “How to access a hearing”. If you’d like help, email us at openjustice@yahoo.com but we can’t send out links.
If you want to observe a hearing in the regional courts, you can find them by checking CourtServe. (Please note that you need to make a free account in order to access these lists). You may find it useful to read our blog about navigating the CourtServe website. When contacting the court, you may like to use our template email (see point 3 of “How to access a hearing” at the bottom of this page).
Case: COP 14028041, In the matter of Patricia
Before: Mr Justice Peel
Sitting at: Court 40, Royal Courts of Justice (hybrid: also via CVP)
Time and date: 10:30am, Wednesday 8th July 2026
Issues before the court: These proceedings have a long history. In 2023, Mr Justice Moor ordered, in accordance with Patricia’s views, that it was not in Patricia’s best interests to receive nasogastric tube feeding with restraint or any other medical treatment against her wishes. He said, ‘Despite the fact that I take the view that I, in the Court of Protection, have jurisdiction to deal with this case, I repeat, and I repeat loud and clear for Patricia to hear, that I am still of the view that she should have her autonomy on the basis that it is not in her interests to force-feed her against her wishes, as it would be futile and cause her nothing but distress and turmoil’ (para 22, [2023] EWCOP 42).
In 2025, Mrs Justice Arbuthnot heard an application on behalf of Patricia’s parents and aunt to discharge (and substitute) the declarations made by Moor J. Patricia was initially unaware of this application. The overriding purpose of the application was so Patricia could receive treatment at a Specialist Eating Disorder Unit (SEDU), which was not an option if the 2023 orders remained in place. Arbuthnot J concluded the following:
‘Having considered the balance of the imminent risk of death versus the harm which will be caused psychologically and emotionally by the lifting of the orders, the balance is in favour of trying to save her life. The removal of the orders will allow the clinicians to work out what is best for Patricia, without the restrictions that currently prevent this’ (para 182, [2025] EWCOP 30 (T3)).
Contact for access: To observe in person, go along to the court. Leave enough time to get through airport-style security and find the courtroom. To ask for the CVP link, email: rcj.familyhighcourt@justice.gov.uk and cc. to rcj.familylisting@justice.gov.uk Put this in the subject heading of your email: “Observer Request: “COP 14028041 Peel J. The suggested contents of your email are included towards the bottom of this page, under the heading of “How to access a hearing”. If you don’t hear back by half an hour before the listed start of the hearing, chase by email with “URGENT” in the title, and try phoning 0207 9477351 (though we don’t always get an answer!)
Listing Information provided by: Court and Tribunal Hearings (CaTH)
Case: COP 13043376
Before: Tribunal Judge Kaufman
Sitting at: First Avenue House (High Holborn, London)
Time and date: 10:30am, Wednesday 8 July 2026 (time estimate: 1 day)
Issues before the court: The case is listed as a final hearing. We blogged about this case (in reverse chronological order below) when the case was in the High Court in 2023. We do not know what this hearing will be about. There was also a published judgment at this time: Barnet Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust & Anor v K & Ors [2023] EWCOP 35
Contact for access: This is listed as an in person hearing. Simply attend the court, leaving enough time to get through airport style security and find the courtroom. To ask if there is a remote link, email: courtofprotectionhearings@justice.gov.uk. Put this in the subject heading of your email: “Observer Request: “COP 13043376 TJ Kaufman” The suggested contents of your email are included towards the bottom of this page, under the heading of “How to access a hearing”. If you don’t hear back by half an hour before the listed start of the hearing, chase by email with “URGENT” in the subject. You can also try phoning 0300 456 4600 and selecting line number 5 (but in our experience this is less successful).
Listing Information provided by: CourtServe
Case No:
Before:
Sitting at:
Time and date:
Issues before the court:
Contact for access: To observe in person, go along to the court. Leave enough time to get through airport-style security and find the courtroom. To ask if a remote link is available (there might not be) email: rcj.familyhighcourt@justice.gov.uk and cc. to rcj.familylisting@justice.gov.uk Put this in the subject heading of your email: “Observer Request: “COP. The suggested contents of your email are included towards the bottom of this page, under the heading of “How to access a hearing”. If you don’t hear back by half an hour before the listed start of the hearing, chase by email with “URGENT” in the title, and try phoning 0207 9477351 (though we don’t always get an answer!)
Listing Information provided by: Court and Tribunal Hearings (CaTH)
This list of Featured Hearings is provided for people who may be unfamiliar with observing hearings in the Court of Protection. This is just a selection from about 20-30 hearings that are scheduled to take place across England and Wales each day. You can check out our Find More Hearings page for links to further hearings in the Court of Protection). We also tweet interesting hearings we know about, so check our X ( ex Twitter) feed (@OpenJusticeCOP).
Bearing in mind that many hearings in county courts are vacated, one idea – if you really want to observe a hearing – is to pick a judge with lots of hearings and pick a first choice hearing you’d like to observe, but say that if that one is vacated could you have a different one instead.
How to access a hearing
1. Check what hearings are listed.
2. Pick one you want to observe. In choosing a hearing you may want to consider (obviously) what time it is listed for, but also whether it is remote (i.e. video-platform or phone – phone can be difficult and many people find hearings on video-platforms much easier to follow) or whether you need to go along to the court to observe. You may also want to consider what the issues are to be addressed (this information is not always provided and can be inaccurate). Also consider the estimated length of the hearing – most are an hour but some can be much longer (and again we don’t always have this information). Note: Quite a lot of hearings are vacated or adjourned (i.e. they don’t happen) so it’s wise to have a second choice hearing as a ‘back up’ plan, i.e. one an hour or so later that you can ask to observe if you don’t get your first choice. If there isn’t one listed on this page, pick one from our Twitter feed).
3. If the hearing is ‘in person’ (some are only ‘in person’ and there is no video link) you can just go along. There’s no requirement to contact the court in advance – but we recommend that you send an email or call them to check that the hearing is going ahead. If you want to attend a hearing remotely, you need to send an email to the address given. Put the words “Observer Request” in the subject header along with the Case Number (copy and paste it to avoid errors) + the name of the judge.
Here’s a template letter you can send
“Dear Court Staff,
Please may I have the link to observe Case No. xxxx before Judge Y, at [time] on [date]. My reason for wanting to observe is to support the judicial aspiration for open justice and transparency in the Court of Protection.
In accordance with the Court of Appeal decision in Gardner (Re Gardner (Deceased) [2026] EWCA Civ 640, please can I be sent “all three of the documents listed at PD4B para.4.2(a)-(c) COPR 2017, namely: (a) the case summary, (b) a chronology of relevant events, and (c) the issues for determination at the hearing“.
Thank you for your support of transparency in the Court of Protection.”
Make sure that you’ve included your full name at the bottom of the email.
4. They will send you a video-link (or phone you if it’s a phone hearing). (Sometimes we get no response to these requests. That’s why you might want a back-up plan!). Video hearings are either via MS Teams or Cloud Video Platform (CVP) (for info about how to use CVP, click here). (NB If you join CVP as an “observer” (which does seem the obvious thing to do!), you will not be able to switch your camera or your mike on, so the court won’t be able to see or hear you. This is fine, unless the judge asks you to confirm that you speak – e.g. to say you’ve read the Transparency Order. We’ve had cases where people haven’t been able to confirm this audibly to the court, so have been ejected from the hearing. We tend to join with video and audio ON and switch them off manually.)
5. Allow yourself plenty of time to get to the hearing. If you’re attending ‘in person’ you will need to allow time to get through airport-style security and find the courtroom. If you’re attending remotely, we recommend joining about 10mins before the listed start time, because you may find you have connection problems. You should join hearings with your mic and camera off – only turn them on if the court staff or judge asks you to do so.
6. We’re often asked “will I be expected to say anything in court?”. Mostly, no. But sometimes before the beginning of the hearing, court staff are trying to make sure they have everyone they need in the hearing and they may ask who you are (just say “I’m a public observer”). At an ‘in person’ hearing you are usually asked, by court staff, to fill in a form (before the hearing begins) with your name and address – this doesn’t happen with remote hearings because they already have your name email address. You may be asked to turn on your mic to confirm to the court staff that you are able to hear the proceedings. Occasionally, the judge asks observers to confirm that we’ve received and understood the reporting restrictions order (or transparency order): often we’ve not been sent it, so that’s quite useful and if we say ‘no’ the judge directs someone to send it!
You can find our project Policy and Supporting Guidance for Bloggers on the About the Project page.
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We promote Open Justice in the Court of Protection.
We share court listings – with details of scheduled hearings open to the public.
We provide links to published judgments.
We report on hearings we’ve observed.
We offer information and practical support to anyone who wants to observe the Court of Protection in action.
We provide updates on developments in the court.
Find out more about the project here.
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