Nathalie Lieven QC

year of call: 1989

NLieven@landmarkchambers.co.uk

areas of law

Practice Summary

Nathalie specialises in public law, human rights, planning and environmental law. She took silk in 2006 and before that was on the A Panel of Treasury Counsel. She appears regularly in the High Court, Court of Appeal, planning inquiries and a range of tribunals. She regularly represents central government, local authorities, NGOs and private clients.

Public Law and Human Rights

Her public law practice covers court, tribunal and advisory work and includes social security, mental health, education, local government, prisons and community care. She has appeared in a number of high profile human rights cases.

Recent cases include:Ali v Birmingham City Council (Supreme Court) (housing and article 6); M v Croydon (Childrens Act and article 6); R (Lee and Wells) v Secretary of State for Home Department (prisons and article 5); Djanogly v Westminster CC (local government); RJM v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (social security and article 1 protocol 1); Duncan and McWilliams v Secretary of State for Defence (Armed Forces Compensation Scheme); R (Wright) v Secretary of State for Health (care workers and the Protection of Vulnerable Adults Act); R (C) v Secretary of State for Justice 2008 EWCA Civ 882 (restraint of young people in secure training centres, race equality assessments and consultation); and R (Lewes Friends of the Earth) v East Sussex CC 2008 EWHC 1981 (challenge to grant of planning permission for waste incinerator)R (Main) v Lord Chancellor 2008 HRLR 8 (scope of investigatory duty under article 2); R (Lee and Wells) v Secretary of State for Justice 2008 (breach of article 5 and indeterminate sentences);R (Francis) v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (breach of article 14 for children under guardianship orders).

Planning and Environment

Nathalie’s planning and environment practice covers both regularly appearing at public inquiries and planning challenges in the High Court. She has extensively advised government departments on decision letters, and on the terms of planning policy. She was a member of Kate Barkers Panel of Experts, on the recent Barker Review of land-use planning England.

Planning

Nathalie was one of the silks who represented the successful claimants against the Heathrow Third Runway, R (Hillingdon) v Secretary of State for Transport. She is representing Friends of the Earth in a challenge to the expansion of London City Airport.

In the last 12 months Nathalie has appeared at inquiries concerning; Opposing a new reservoir at Abingdon against Thames Water; Acting for Sainsburys promoting a new Sainsburys store at Bognor Regis; A new woodchip power plant at Port Talbot docks.

Nathalie has advised on a number of energy facilities and appeared in High Court cases concerning energy from waste facilities, EIA appeared in many leading planning cases in the higher courts, including South Bucks v Porter (no 2) and Lough v First Secretary of State (article 8 and planning).

She regularly appears for both developers and local authorities.

Parliamentary and TWAs

Nathalie spent a long period promoting the Crossrail Bill through Parliament to Royal Assent in July 2008. This has given her extensive experience not just in Parliamentary work, but also in CPO and compensation provisions.

Nathalie has promoted many Parliamentary Bills including the London Local Authorities Bill 2007. She has regularly appeared in TWA inquiries, including Camden Town Underground Station and West Coast mainline, and two TWA inquiries in the last 12 months for Network Rail.

Recommendations in the Legal Press

"Nathalie Lieven QC is ‘a ‘joy to watch on her feet’ and brings an ‘infectious and enthusiastic interest to her cases’" (Legal 500, 2011)

"Nathalie Lieven QC is ‘a natural first choice on most public law matters’" (Legal 500, 2011)

QUALIFICATIONS

Nathalie studied History at Trinity Hall, Cambridge.

CASES

INQUIRIES