Galina Ward KC

Call: 2000

Silk: 2022

Galina is a specialist public and property law barrister, frequently instructed in cases at the intersection of those specialisms.

Contact Practice Managers

Practice summary

Property

Public and Administrative

Rating and Valuation

Cross-practice

Practice Summary

Galina acts for a wide range of individuals, corporate and public bodies, and charitable and professional organisations, from tribunals up to the highest courts. She has appeared in numerous high profile cases concerning issues as diverse as the availability of relief from forfeiture of a licence, the rateability of ATM sites and the alleged discriminatory impact of welfare reform measures.

Galina’s practice encompasses the full spectrum of public and property law. Prior to taking silk, she was a member of the Attorney General’s “A” Panel of junior counsel and was described in Legal 500 as “one of the very best juniors at the Administrative Bar” and in Chambers and Partners as “always a very impressive opponent”.

In silk, Galina continues to act regularly both for and against central and local government and other public bodies. Her recent public law work has focussed on healthcare and community care, including disputes between public bodies about which is responsible for funding care in various situations. She has also appeared in a number of the leading cases on the interpretation of the Withdrawal Agreement and citizens’ rights post-Brexit. Her property law work has a strong cross-over with her public law expertise, and includes a number of cases in which the use of land by public bodies is subject to human rights or other statutory restrictions.

Galina has been recognised for many years as a leading practitioner in education law, and has extensive experience of judicial review claims in education matters, ranging from exclusion and admissions to school organisation and university funding issues. Her work also includes acting on behalf of public bodies tasked with regulating those who work in education, as well as representing those subject to that regulation. She has represented the Department for Education in a number of strands of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse and more recently in the Covid-19 Inquiry.

Property

Galina acts for a diverse range of clients, from social housing tenants and public bodies to major property companies, in all areas of commercial and residential property law. She is “very approachable, very thorough and creative” (Chambers and Partners) and “very articulate and extremely thorough whilst looking at the end objective and for practical solutions” (Legal 500). She has particular expertise in cases at the intersection of public and property law, such as issues concerning land for schools and other public services, and property litigation that raises human rights and/or Equality Act points.

Public and Administrative

Galina has a growing practice in healthcare and community care, with a particular focus on disputes about which public body is responsible for providing services. She has extensive knowledge of the law relating to the NHS, and has acted for and advised a number of NHS bodies and other stakeholders in the system, as well as individuals challenging commissioning decisions, and for the full range of participants in the Court of Protection. She was a contributor to the late Stephen Knafler KC’s books on Adult Social Care Law and Children’s Social Care Law and continues to act regularly for individuals and local authorities in this area.

Galina continues to be highly regarded in the fields of education and immigration law, in which she is consistently recognised by both main directories as a leading practitioner. Her recent work has also focussed on citizens’ rights post-Brexit and she has appeared in several of the leading cases in this area.

Rating and Valuation

Galina “really knows her way around rating” (Chambers and Partners) and is “Very calm, thorough, good with clients” and “Good at gauging prospects” (Legal 500). In addition to advising and appearing on behalf of the Valuation Office Agency, billing authorities and individual ratepayers in both statutory appeals and liability order claims, she has recently been involved in a number of judicial reviews relating to rating, particularly concerning measures taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cross-practice

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.

Costs Litigation

EU Law post-Brexit

Local Government

Public Interest Litigation

Telecommunications

Energy

Public Works Projects

Specialisms

Boundary and Ownership Disputes

Conveyancing Disputes

Easements and Profits a Prendre

Housing

Land Registration and Adverse Possession

Mortgages, Charges, Charging Orders and Securitisation

Park Homes and Mobile Homes Act Disputes

Professional Negligence Claim Related to Property

Property Development including Overage disputes

Protestor Injunctions

Public Sector and Local Government Property issues

Squatters and other Trespass

Telecommunications

Trusts of Land and other Equitable Claims

Specialisms

Court of Protection

Education

Energy and Utilities

EU Law post-Brexit

Highways and Public Rights of Access

Human Rights and Civil Liberties

Judicial Review

Local Government including Local Government Finance

NHS, Health and Community Care

Procurement and Subsidy Control

Property Judicial Review

Public Inquiries and Inquests

Social Security

Specialisms

Charitable Relief and other Exemptions

Collection and Enforcement Cases

Council Tax

Empty Properties

Non-Domestic Rates Litigation

Valuation Disputes

Specialisms

Costs Litigation

EU Law post-Brexit

Local Government

Public Interest Litigation

Telecommunications

Energy

Public Works Projects

"
A star performer."

Legal 500

Chambers Top Ranked UK Bar 2024 Uk leading silk 2024

Qualifications and achievements

Qualifications

  • Law with German Law at Magdalen College, Oxford, and the University of Konstanz, Germany

Recommendations

Practice Managers

Contact our friendly and helpful Practice Managers for more information about our barristers and services or to make an enquiry.

Ben Connor

Ben Connor

Practice Director

020 7421 2483

Zoe Bluck new

Zoe Bluck

Practice Manager

020 7421 1301

Jamie Lal new

Jamie Lal

Assistant Practice Manager

020 7421 1309

Download your shortlist

Download All Download icon