HarperNonFiction snaps up Thornhill's 'revelatory' memoir of working in the Family Court

HarperCollins has snapped up world rights for In Harm’s Way, the “revelatory” memoir from Teresa Thornhill, a former child protection lawyer from the most secretive court in England and Wales, the Family Court.  

HarperNonFiction publishing director Ajda Vucicevic struck the deal with Jane Graham Maw at Graham Maw Christie, and will publish into hardback, e-book and audiobook on 14th March 2024. 

Thornhill recently retired as a child protection barrister, having spent the past 35 years working in the Family Court of England and Wales and its predecessor courts. Practising both at the bar of England and Wales and in-house within various local authority legal departments, she has represented parents, children and social workers.

HarperNonFiction has billed In Harm’s Way as a “hard-hitting and revealing first-hand account” of Thornhill’s work. “Conveying the dilemmas inherent in the job, she highlights how our under-resourced system of child protection – in both its social work and legal aspects – often fails to provide support that could enable the most vulnerable parents to continue to care for their children. By lifting the lid on this little understood court system, she also presents a framework from which we can seek to improve the support provided to parents and children.” 

Thornhill said: “I’m delighted to be working with Ajda Vucicevic and hope my book will start a debate on how our system of child protection can be reformed.” 

Vucicevic added: “Teresa’s work with families and children who need her help is as enlightening as it is important. Her memoir of her time as a child protection lawyer, when she worked on cases so sensitive that even the slightest error could lead to the gravest consequences for her clients, is a must-read for anyone interested in our court system. I am thankful that Teresa has shared her story and her experience in the Family Court. It’s an honest, open account of how it works and what we can do to fix it.”