Professor Stephen Gilmore

Professor Gilmore is a University Professor in Family Law, Director of the Cambridge Family Law Centre, and CC Ng Fellow in Law and Director of Studies at Jesus College Cambridge. He was formerly Professor of Family Law and a Vice-Dean in the Law School at King’s College London, and prior to that taught Family Law in the University of Oxford, and at UEL.

Professor Gilmore has written extensively on issues in family law and child law, but with a particular interest in the law relating to parental responsibility, the resolution of parental disputes, and children’s rights. His work has examined the legitimacy of the bases upon which the courts exercise discretion in family law, and he is particularly interested in the connections between law and social science research evidence relating to child well-being. Recent work has also explored the issue of a parent's implacable hostility to a child’s contact with the child’s other parent.

Professor Gilmore is co-author of several editions of a leading Family Law text, Hayes and Williams’ Family Law (7th Edn, 2020), the leading text on child law, Children: The Modern Law (4th Edn, Family Law, 2013) and of Great Debates in Family Law (Palgrave Macmillan, 2012, and 2nd Edn, 2015). He is editor of Parental Rights and Responsibilities (Routledge, 2017) and co-editor of Family Matters: Essays in Honour of John Eekelaar (Intersentia, 2022), Re-writing Children's Rights Judgments: From Academic Vision to New Practice (Hart Publishing, 2017), Landmark Cases in Family Law (Hart Publishing, 2011) and Responsible Parents and Parental Responsibility (Hart Publishing, 2009).

Professor Gilmore is co-editor of the journal Child and Family Law Quarterly and an editorial advisor for the Family Court Reports. He is a member of the Executive Council of the International Society of Family Law. His work has been cited in Parliament and judicially, and he has advised academically in several legal cases, including on argument before the Supreme Court. Professor Gilmore maintains connections with legal practice as an Associate Academic at 1 Garden Court Family Law Chambers in Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London.

PUBLISHED WORKS

Books

S. Gilmore and L. Glennon, Hayes and Williams’ Family Law (7th Edition, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2020).

S. Gilmore and L. Glennon, Hayes and Williams’ Family Law (6th Edition, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2018).

S. Gilmore and L. Glennon, Hayes and Williams’ Family Law (5th Edition, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2016), 779 pp, ISBN 9780198753087.

J. Herring, R. Probert and S. Gilmore, Great Debates in Family Law (2nd edn, Palgrave Macmillan, 2015).

S. Gilmore and L. Glennon, Hayes and Williams’ Family Law (4th ed, Oxford University Press, July 2014), 916 pp.

Stephen Gilmore and Andrew Bainham, Children – The Modern Law (4th Edn, Jordan Publishing, 2013), 984 pp.

Stephen Gilmore and Lisa Glennon, Hayes and Williams’ Family Law (3rd Edition, Oxford University Press, 2012) (ISBN 9780199282364), 745 pp.

Jonathan Herring, Rebecca Probert and Stephen Gilmore, Great Debates in Family Law (Palgrave MacMillan, 2012) (ISBN 9780230292918).

Edited Books

Jens M. Scherpe and S. Gilmore (Eds), Family Matters – Essays in Honour of John Eekelaar (Cambridge, Intersentia, 2022), 1125 pp.

Helen Stalford, Kathryn Hollingsworth and Stephen Gilmore (eds), Rewriting Children’s Rights Judgments: From Academic Vision to New Practice’ (Oxford and Portland Oregon, Hart Publishing, 2017), 579 pp.

Stephen Gilmore (ed), Parental Rights and Responsibilities (Oxford, Routledge Taylor and Francis, 2017), 570 pp, ISBN 9781472463371.

Stephen Gilmore, Jonathan Herring and Rebecca Probert (Eds), Landmark Cases in Family Law (Hart Publishing, 2011 and 2016).

R. Probert, S. Gilmore, and J. Herring (eds) Responsible Parents and Parental Responsibility (Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2009) ISBN 978-1-84113-880-0.

Chapters in books/journal contributions

Stephen Gilmore, 'Trans Men Desiring to Carry a Child: Are They Living "In the Acquired Gender"?'(2026) 85(1) Cambridge Law Journal (forthcoming).

Stephen Gilmore, 'Erroneous Birth Registration and Acquisition of Parental Responsibility - Sense Restored' (2025) 47(3) Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law (forthcoming).

Stephen Gilmore, 'Revocation of Parental Responsibility and Marital Status - Legitimate Discrimination?' (2024) 83 (2) Cambridge Law Journal 230-233.

Stephen Gilmore ‘Losing (and Restoring) the Big Picture! Assisted Conception and Legal Parenthood’ (2024) 83 (1) Cambridge Law Journal 14-16.

Stephen Gilmore: ‘Editorial: Reflections on Future Directions in Family Law: Family Law and Social Science Research Evidence: Coordinating and Regulating their Interface’ (2023) 35(2) Child and Family Law Quarterly, 99-104.

Stephen Gilmore, ‘Teaching Family Law in England and Wales: the challenge of expanding content and perspectives’ in H. Kha and M. Henaghan (eds), Teaching Family Law: Reflections on Pedagogy and Practice, Oxford: Routledge, 2023, pp. 178-193 (publication August 2023).

Stephen Gilmore, ‘A Black Cloud over the Age of Discretion and the Scope of Parental Responsibility’, in Jens M. Scherpe and S. Gilmore (Eds), Family Matters – Essays in Honour of John Eekelaar (Cambridge, Intersentia, 2022), pp. 655-669.

Stephen Gilmore, ‘“Hang on, what about the child in this case?” Lady Hale, Champion of Children’s Rights’ in R. Hunter and E. Rackley (eds), Justice for Everyone: The Jurisprudence and Legal Lives of Brenda Hale (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press), pp. 241-252.

Stephen Gilmore, ‘Justice and Implacable Hostility to Contact: Parental Beliefs, Factual Foundation and Justification’ (2020) 136 Law Quarterly Review 99-120.

Gillian Douglas and Stephen Gilmore, ‘The (il)legitimacy of guideline judgments in family law; the case for foundational principles’ (2020) 31(1) King’s Law Journal 88-120.

Stephen Gilmore, ‘Use of the UNCRC in Family Law Cases in England and Wales’ in M. Freeman (Ed), Children’s Rights New Issues, New Themes, New Perspectives (Brill Nijhoff, 2018), pp 224-242.

Stephen Gilmore, ‘The Supreme Court and Family Law’ in G. Douglas and V. Stephens (eds), Essays in Honour of Nigel Lowe (Intersentia, 2018).

Helen Stalford, Kathryn Hollingsworth and Stephen Gilmore, ‘Introducing Children’s Rights Judgments’, ch 1 in Helen Stalford, Kathryn Hollingsworth and Stephen Gilmore (eds), Rewriting Children’s Rights Judgments: From Academic Vision to New Practice’ (Oxford and Portland Oregon, Hart Publishing, 2017), 3 – 16.

S. Gilmore, ‘Use of the UNCRC in Family Law Cases in England and Wales’ (2017) 25(2) International Journal of Children’s Rights 500-518.

Stephen Gilmore, ‘Stephen Gilmore, ‘Less of the ‘P’ discipline and more of the ‘H’ word – putting Payne in its place! Re F (A Child) (International Relocation Cases) [2015] EWCA Civ 882’ (2016) 38(1) Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law.

Stephen Gilmore ‘Withdrawal of Parental Responsibility: Lost Authority and a Lost Opportunity’ (2015) 78(6) Modern Law Review 1042 – 1056.

Stephen Gilmore and Andrew Bainham ' The English Children And Families Act 2014' (2015) 46 Victoria University of Wellington Law Review 627 - 648.

Stephen Gilmore, ‘The Legal Status of Transsexual and Transgender Persons in England and Wales’ in J.M. Scherpe (Ed), The Legal Status of Transsexual and Transgender Persons (Intersentia, 2015) 183-206.

Stephen Gilmore, 'Review of the Routledge Handbook of Family Law and Policy, edited by John Eekelaar and Rob George, Abingdon, Routledge, 2014 (ISBN: 9780415640404)' (2015) 37(2) Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law

Stephen Gilmore and Jonathan Herring, ‘Listening to Children...Whatever’ (2014) Law Quarterly Review.

Stephen Gilmore ‘Re J (Care Proceedings: Past Possible Perpetrators in a New Family Unit) [2013] UKSC 9: Bulwarks and logic - the blood which runs through the veins of law - but how much will be spilled in future? [2013] Child and Family Law Quarterly 215 -236.

Stephen Gilmore and Jonathan Herring, ‘Children’s Refusal of Treatment: The Debate Continues’ [2012] Fam Law 973.

Stephen Gilmore, '"Why Should They Cite Us?": Lessons from an "Uncommon" Family Lawyer's Influence on the Common Law' in R. Probert and C. Barton (Eds), Fifty Years in Family Law Essays for Stephen Cretney (Cambridge: Intersentia, 2012), 57 - 70.

Stephen Gilmore, ‘The Payne Saga: Precedent and Family Law Cases’ [2011] Fam Law 970 - 78.

Stephen Gilmore and Jonathan Herring, ‘Children’s refusal of medical treatment: could Re W be distinguished?’ [2011] Fam Law 715 – 18.

Stephen Gilmore, ‘Corbett v Corbett – Once a man, always a man?’ chapter 4 in Stephen Gilmore, Jonathan Herring, and Rebecca Probert (Eds) Landmark Cases in Family Law (Hart Publishing, 2011).

Stephen Gilmore, Jonathan Herring and Rebecca Probert, ‘Introduction: A Journey Through the Landmark Cases of Family Law’ in Stephen Gilmore, Jonathan Herring, and Rebecca Probert (Eds) Landmark Cases in Family Law (Hart Publishing, 2011).

Stephen Gilmore and Jonathan Herring, ‘“No” is the hardest word: Consent and children’s autonomy’ (2011) 23(1) Child and Family Law Quarterly 3 - 25.

Stephen Gilmore, ‘Shared residence: a summary of the courts’ guidance’ [2010] Fam Law 285 – 292.

Stephen Gilmore, ‘State Intervention in Family Life’ in Lesley-Anne Long, Jeremy Roche and Debbie Stringer (Eds), The Law and Social Work - Contemporary Issues for Practice (2nd Edition, Palgrave Macmillan, 2010) ISBN-10: 0230543030

ISBN-13: 978-0230543034

Stephen Gilmore, ‘Shared parenting: the law and the evidence (Part 2) (2010) 20(1) Seen and Heard 21 – 35.

Stephen Gilmore, ‘Shared parenting: the law and the evidence (Part I)’ (2009) 19(4) Seen and Heard 19 – 30 ISSN 1744-1072.

Stephen Gilmore, Review of Responsibility, Law and the Family (Ashgate, 2008), edited by Jo Bridgeman, Heather Keating and Craig Lind (2009) 21(3) Child and Family Law Quarterly.

Stephen Gilmore (with R. Probert and J. Herring), ‘A More Principled Approach to Parental Responsibility in England and Wales?’, in J. Mair and E. Orucu (Eds) Juxtaposing Legal Systems and the Principles of European Family Law on Parental Responsibilities (Antwerp: Intersentia, 2009). ISBN-10: 9050959792

ISBN-13: 978-9050959797.

Stephen Gilmore, ‘The Limits of Parental Responsibility’, Ch 4 in R. Probert, S. Gilmore, and J. Herring (eds) Responsible Parents and Parental Responsibility (Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2009), pp 63 – 83.

Stephen Gilmore, Jonathan Herring and Rebecca Probert, ‘Parental Responsibility - Law, Issues and Themes’ Ch 1 in R. Probert, S. Gilmore, and J. Herring (eds) Responsible Parents and Parental Responsibility (Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2009), pp 1 – 20.

Stephen Gilmore, ‘The Assumption that Contact is Beneficial: Challenging the “Secure Foundation”’ [2008] Fam Law 1226 - 1229.

Stephen Gilmore, ‘Disputing contact: challenging some assumptions’ (2008) 20(3) Child and Family Law Quarterly 285 – 311.

Book Review: The Relationship Rights of Children, James G. Dwyer, New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006 (2008) 22(2) International Journal of Law, Policy and the Family 273.

Book Review: Child Contact (Law and Practice) by Miranda Fisher and Sarah Whitten, with Noel Arnold, The Law Society, Paperback £39.95, 272 pp [2007] Fam Law 658.

Stephen Gilmore, ‘Re B (A Child) (Contact: Parent’s Liability to Pay Child Support) - Horses and carts: contact and child support’ (2007) 19(3) Child and Family Law Quarterly 357 – 373.

Stephen Gilmore, ‘Court Decision-Making in Shared Residence Order Cases: A Critical Examination’ (2006) 18(4) Child and Family Law Quarterly 478 - 498.

Stephen Gilmore, ‘Contact/Shared Residence and Child Well-being: Research Evidence and its Implications for Legal Decision-Making’ (2006) 20(3) International Journal of Law, Policy and the Family 344 – 365.

Stephen Gilmore, ‘R (On the Application of Kehoe) v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions [2005] UKHL 48’ (2006) 28(2) Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law 180 - 190.

Stephen Gilmore, ‘The nature, scope, and use of the specific issue order’ (2004) 16(4) Child and Family Law Quarterly 367 - 386.

Stephen Gilmore, ‘The Gender Recognition Act 2004’ (2004) 34 Family Law 741.

Stephen Gilmore, ‘Re P (a child) (financial provision) – Shoeboxes and comical shopping trips – Child support from the affluent to fabulously rich’ (2004) 16(1) Child and Family Law Quarterly 103 – 116.

Stephen Gilmore, ‘Duration of Marriage and Seamless Preceding Cohabitation?’ (2004) 34 Family Law 205.

Stephen Gilmore, ‘Bellinger v Bellinger – Not quite between the ears and between the legs - Transsexualism and marriage in the Lords’ (2003) 15(3) Child and Family Law Quarterly 295 – 311.

Stephen Gilmore, ‘Parental Responsibility and the unmarried father – a new dimension to the debate’ (2003) 15(1) Child and Family Law Quarterly 21 - 39.

Family Law Tripos Paper.Family in Society Tripos Paper.