Henrietta Hill

Henrietta Hill specialises in inquests, discrimination law, claims against the police and related public law work.

She has many years' experience representing the families of those who have died in custody, or in other suspicious circumstances, and has appeared in several of the most high-profile inquests in recent years. These include the inquests into the deaths of Jean Charles de Menezes (details), Diana, Princess of Wales/Dodi Al Fayed, Harry Stanley (who was shot by Metropolitan Police officers when carrying home a table leg) and Ruddock and others (the second New Cross Fire inquest). She also represented the families of HK (a teenager who committed suicide after sustained workplace bullying) and Andrew Craw (a soldier who died in controversial circumstances in Iraq).
Henrietta regularly represents Claimants alleging sex, race, disability and other forms of discrimination in the workplace, often instructed by trade unions. She has been particularly involved in the successful race discrimination cases brought by former Gurkhas against the Army (Thapa v MoD and Budha v MoD) and frequently represents police officers alleging discrimination by their forces. In 2007 she represented the Claimant in Lynford v Chief Constable of Sussex, a successful and widely publicised sex discrimination claim brought by the only female officer in the Gatwick Airport firearms squad (details).

In civil action work, Henrietta is regularly instructed in cases of assault, false imprisonment and malicious prosecution against the police. She has particular expertise in bringing discrimination claims against the police, prisons and other public authorities and service providers, having authored Blackstone's Guide to the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, the Act which was the starting point for such claims.

Henrietta's recent public law cases include the de Menezes family's challenge to the Coroner's refusal to leave an unlawful killing verdict to the jury (R (De Menezes) v Inner South London Coroner) and to the DPP's refusal to prosecute any individual police officers (R (Da Silva) v Director of Public Prosecutions [2006] EWHC 3204 (Admin) [bailii link]). She also appeared in the judicial review challenging the abolition of the ex gratia scheme for compensating the victims of miscarriages of justice (R v Cakir and others v Secretary of State for the Home Department and Independent Assessor (2007) ACD 75 [bailii link]).

Henrietta is listed as a leading junior in police law, civil liberties, public and administrative law and employment law in Chambers and Partners 2010. Clients praise her "tireless efforts" on their behalf, and applaud her for "dogged determination." Also indicating she has the "ability to assess the strengths and weaknesses of both sides of the case", and "a very switched-on advocate who is hugely cost-effective." She is "fantastic on her feet, very tenacious, on the ball and extremely capable." She is also listed in the Legal 500 and Legal Experts directories.

She has a wide international experience including several cases before the European Court of Human Rights (including some on behalf of Fair Trials Abroad) and Privy Council work (both civil and criminal), and has worked or taught at various times in New York, Colombia and Montenegro. Henrietta regularly writes and lectures in her specialist areas. In January 2008 she published, with solicitor Richard Kenyon, Promoting Equality and Diversity: A Practitioner's Guide, and she has co-authored three editions of The Study Guide to The Human Rights Act (Third Edition, 2006). In December 2006 she received the Liberty/JUSTICE Peter Duffy Award (formerly the Young Human Rights Lawyer of the Year Award).

Year of Call

1997

Education

* Emmanuel College, Cambridge University - BA (Hons) Law, 1st Class * Harvard Univ. - Herchel Smith Fellow * Pegasus Fellow (2001) - Center for Constitutional Rights, New York (sponsored by Inner Temple)

Email Address

h.hill@doughtystreet.co.uk

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Specialist Teams

Member :

• Actions Against the police
• Employment and Discrimination
• Human Rights
• International Law Group
• Prisoner's Rights
• Public and Administrative Law