01 12 2025
Court of Appeal hands down judgment in Withdrawal Agreement case
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Harriet is recognised as a leading junior in the legal directories (Chambers and Partners, and Legal 500) and is described as a “talented advocate”, “intellectually rigorous” and an “extremely strong practitioner” who is “exceptional in mastering large volumes of material (including complex technical evidence)”. She has an “exceptionally high level of ability”, is “exceptional - very intelligent” and “all-round excellent”. Her work is “of the highest quality” and her submissions are “superb – detailed and compelling” and “watertight”. She is the “counsel of choice for complex cases”. She has an “immense work ethic, and is confident and conscientious” and “her attention to detail and recall of facts is incredible”. She “becomes an impressive expert on the technical aspects of a case”. She “provides sterling service and superb analysis, and is loved by clients” and has an “unrivalled dedication to her cases”.
Harriet has experience acting for a wide range of clients, including individuals, developers, charities, large corporations, councils, and government. She has been appointed to the Attorney General’s Panel of Counsel (B panel). Harriet acts for claimants, intervenors and government in her public law work. In her inquest work, Harriet has acted for bereaved families, government departments and other interested persons, as well as acting as counsel to the inquest. In her planning work, Harriet has experience acting in both planning inquiries and challenges before the High Court, both led and as sole counsel.
Harriet is regularly instructed in high-profile and sensitive matters, as well as cases involving a national security element. She has been instructed in cases before the Upper Tribunal, High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. Prior to coming to the Bar, Harriet worked as the stagiaire to Judge Christopher Vajda at the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg.
Notable recent and current instructions include:
Public Law/Human Rights/Immigration
Public Inquiries
Inquests
Planning/Environmental
Harriet is an experienced and highly sought after public law practitioner. She is frequently instructed in high profile judicial review claims in the Administrative Court, both led and unled, and she acts in appeals before the Upper Tribunal, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. She acts for claimants, defendants and intervening parties, and represents detained clients pro bono through Bail for Immigration Detainees. Harriet developed her strong interest in public law whilst working as the stagiaire to Judge Christopher Vajda at the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg before coming to the Bar. Harriet accepts instructions in a broad range of public law cases including cases concerning: national security law, human rights law, welfare and social security law, immigration law (including unlawful detention), European Union law, healthcare law, education law and disciplinary law. She has particular expertise in cases involving the Withdrawal Agreement and/or with an EU law dimension. Harriet co-authored the Article 3 ECHR chapter of Human Rights Law and Practice (Lexis Nexis, 1st Edition 2025).
Notable recent and current instructions include:
Harriet is an experienced and highly sought after public inquiry and inquest practitioner.
She is recognised for her inquest and public inquiry work as a leading junior in Chambers and Partners (2026, 2025, 2024) and Legal 500 (2026, 2025) having previously been an ‘Up and Coming’ junior in Chambers and Partners (2023) and a ‘Tier 1 Rising Star’ (Legal 500, 2023 & 2024). She is a member of the Attorney-General’s B-panel of counsel.
Harriet is described in the leading legal directories as being an “extremely strong practitioner” with “significant experience in major inquests” who is “steeped in the law” of inquests and inquiries. She is “intellectually rigorous”, “exceptional in mastering large volumes of material (including complex technical evidence), and her research skills are second to none”. In addition, “her written submissions are superb – detailed and compelling” and “watertight”. She “really knows her way around inquests and inquiries”. Her work is “of the highest quality” and “her attention to detail and recall of facts is incredible. She has an immense work ethic, and is confident and conscientious”. She is also a “talented advocate, having great attention to detail and providing great submissions”. In her public inquiry and inquest work, “ Harriet is very impressive in gaining a complete mastery of a large range of material. She becomes an impressive expert on the technical aspects of a case.”
Harriet has extensive experience as counsel to inquiries and counsel to inquests, as well as experience acting for core participants and interested persons. She has appeared in many of the major public inquiries and inquests over the past five years. Harriet acts for bereaved families, government departments and other interested persons, as well as acting as counsel to the inquest and inquiry.
Notable recent and current instructions include:
Public Inquiries
Inquests
Given her public law and inquest experience, Harriet is ideally placed to advise and act in judicial review and statutory review (Section 13 of the Coroners Act 1988) challenges to coronial decisions. For example, Harriet acted for a successful Claimant in a judicial review claim challenging the conclusion of an inquest (press coverage here). Harriet publishes a popular regular inquest and inquiry law update.
Harriet provides advice and representation to individuals, local authorities and government departments in education law matters.
Harriet accepts instructions in all aspects of education law, including:
Harriet has particular expertise in public aw cases with an EU law element and/or involving interpretation of the Withdrawal Agreement. She has been instructed in a wide range of areas of EU law, including citizens’ rights, social security and immigration. Harriet is recognised for her expertise in Brexit-related issues (both the Withdrawal Agreement and retained EU law). She has been instructed in many of the leading cases concerning the interpretation of the Withdrawal Agreement post-exit including R (AT) v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions [2023] EWCA Civ 1307 and Vargova v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2024] UKUT 00336.
Harriet is experienced in all aspects of immigration and nationality law, having acted in courts from the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal to the Upper Tribunal. She is ranked as a leading junior for immigration law in the legal directories (Band 4, Legal 500; Band 5, Chambers and Partners). For her immigration work, Harriet is described as providing “sterling service and superb analysis” and as “exceptional – very intelligent, and as an opponent she is someone that you cannot help but respect. Her drafting skills are quite exceptional”. Harriet is the ”counsel of choice for complex cases”.
Her expertise includes deportation, appeal rights, deprivation of citizenship, good character (nationality) and sponsorship (previously known as Tier 2) cases. Harriet has particular expertise in immigration law cases with an EU law element/involving interpretation of the Withdrawal Agreement.
Notable recent and current instructions include:
Harriet is building a broad practice across planning and environmental law, spanning a full range of court, inquiry and advisory work. She is particularly interested in the intersection between planning and environmental law and public law.
Harriet accepts instructions, both led and unled, in all areas of planning law, advising individuals, developers, local authorities, planning consultants and land agents across a wide range of matters. She is a member of the Attorney-General’s B-panel of counsel.
Harriet accepts instructions from clients at all stages of the planning process, from pre-application through to court challenge. Harriet has acted as sole counsel in planning and enforcement appeals, including appeals involving traveller sites and human rights issues. Harriet acted in a 4-week planning inquiry concerning a 6-story building with basement in central London (led by James Maurici KC). She was also recently instructed in a listed building consent appeal as sole counsel.
In addition, Harriet has significant experience in drafting skeleton arguments and pleadings in High Court judicial review proceedings. Harriet has experience acting in both planning inquiries and challenges before the High Court, both led and as sole counsel. She also has experience advising in relation to private bills.
Harriet has also been instructed in a number of judicial review claims concerning the funding of cladding remediation work under the Building Safety Fund. She recently appeared in R (Redrow Homes Ltd) v Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities [2024] EWCA Civ 651 before the Court of Appeal. In that case, Harriet successfully defended an appeal concerning a decision by the Secretary of State to award funding of approximately £30 million to pay for the remediation of life-threatening building fire safety defects at two high rise developments in Birmingham. In addition, from 2018 – 2022, Harriet acted for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry which enabled her to develop a detailed understanding of the construction industry and the relevant regulatory and testing regimes.
Harriet is a member of the Planning & Environmental Bar Association, as well as the United Kingdom Environmental Law Association. She regularly delivers talks on topical issues in planning law.
Harriet is building a broad practice across planning and environmental law, spanning a full range of court, inquiry and advisory work. She is particularly interested in the intersection between planning and environmental law and public law.
Harriet was recently instructed (led by Heather Sargent) in one of the first legal challenges to consider the enhanced duties to further the purpose of protected landscapes, introduced by s.245 of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023.
Harriet is a member of the Planning & Environmental Bar Association, as well as the United Kingdom Environmental Law Association.
With a strong track record of advising and representing local authorities, we offer expert legal support across a diverse range of areas and issues. Recognised for our clear, pragmatic legal guidance and strong advocacy, we are well-placed to support local government bodies in meeting complex and evolving challenges.
Landmark's barristers often work at the intersection of our core practice areas; bringing a wide range of skills, knowledge and experience to bear on a particular dispute or issue facing a client.
Our focus is always on achieving the best possible outcome for our client. By viewing the client's objectives in a holistic way - and not purely through the lens of one rigidly-defined legal area - we deliver the best possible advice and representation in complex matters that engage multiple specialist areas of law.
Whether it's providing support as an individual cross-practice barrister or a cross-disciplinary team of Landmark counsel, we are able to draw on an outstanding array of complementary skillsets and knowledge bases. This often achieves a better result than instructing multiple barristers from different specialist sets. This also improves the quality of client care through increased levels of communication, quicker response times, and a coordinated approach to clerking and fees, made possible by our team-based cross-practice approach.
Please contact our practice management team for more information.
Harriet has a busy and varied costs practice. She acts in all aspects of cost litigation and litigation funding, both as sole counsel and led.
Harriet has experience in costs law cases in both the High Court and Senior Courts Costs Office, as well as the County Court. Harriet has acted in claims concerning significant sums of costs: she acted for the Lord Chancellor before a Divisional Court in a challenge to an order made by a Crown Court judge concerning the recovery of private prosecution costs out of public funds which totalled just under £6 million.
Harriet acts in detailed assessment hearings and has experience dealing with a wide range of costs issues including the cost consequences of Part 36 offers, qualified one-way costs shifting, and wasted costs. Harriet has particular experience in costs budgeting and fixed costs cases as a result of her early years of practice, when she undertook personal injury law work.
I would recommend her as an extremely strong practitioner who is great at getting into submissions; her work was of the highest quality."
cases
01 12 2025
Court of Appeal hands down judgment in Withdrawal Agreement case
inquiry
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Landmark Chambers Recognised in Chambers and Partners UK Bar Guide 2026
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Contact our friendly and helpful Practice Managers for more information about our barristers and services or to make an enquiry.
