Henrietta Hill

h.hill@doughtystreet.co.uk

Year of Call

1997
Henrietta Hill
Profile

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

 

She is also very experienced in mediations and round table settlements, and expects to be fully qualified as a mediator herself in the near future.

 

Henrietta is listed as a leading junior in police law, civil liberties/human rights, public/administrative law and employment law in Chambers and Partners 2013 which describes her as "very impressive", "extremely experienced", "confidence-inspiring" and "approachable". Referees also noted her "forensic attention to detail" and "creative and detailed approach to new and challenging cases". She has previously been described as a "lauded expert" in her various fields, with "the sensitivity to handle difficult issues, and the judgement to know which points to run with and how to run with them" who 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.

 

Henrietta regularly writes and lectures in her specialist areas. She has co-authored Promoting Equality and Diversity: A Practitioner's Guide and three editions of The Study Guide to The Human Rights Act. She also 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), work with the Center for Constitutional Rights in New York and teaching/research in Colombia, Montenegro and Hong Kong. Henrietta is a former recipient of the Liberty/JUSTICE Peter Duffy Award (previously the Young Human Rights Lawyer of the Year Award).

 

Actions Against the Police and Public Authorities

Henrietta is frequently instructed in cases of assault, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution and other causes of action against the police. She is experienced in bringing civil claims arising out of inquests, and, for example, played a key role in settling a substantial civil claim on behalf of the family of Jean Charles de Menezes. She has particular expertise in bringing discrimination claims against the police, prisons and other public authorities, having authored Blackstone's Guide to the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, the Act which was the starting point for such claims. She is currently instructed in several novel claims of disability and religious discrimination against the police and prisons, in particular.

Employment Law and Industrial Relations

In addition, Henrietta regularly represents Claimants alleging all forms of discrimination in the workplace, often instructed by trade unions. She has been very 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. She represented the Claimant in Lynford v Chief Constable of Sussex, a widely publicised sex discrimination claim brought by the only female officer in the Gatwick Airport firearms squad (details), in which the Claimant was awarded over £350,000 in damages (believed to be one of the largest awards made in a public sector discrimination case).

Equality and Discrimination

Henrietta 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. She is currently representing the Claimants in Morgan and Black v Wilkinson (details), a case on behalf of a gay couple denied access to bed and breakfast accommodation run by a Christian owner, which is before the Court of Appeal in June 2013. She is also frequently instructed in cases of assault, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution and other causes of action against the police. She is experienced in bringing civil claims arising out of inquests, and for example, played a key role in settling the civil claim on behalf of the de Menezes family.

Inquiries and Inquests

She has many years' experience representing the families of those who have died at the hands of state agents, 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), Mikey Powell (who died after being run over and restrained by West Midlands Police officers) (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 has a particular expertise in police shooting cases and has represented the families in several so-called "suicide-by-cop" cases. She has also appeared in many prison cases where it is alleged that the state has failed adequately to protect a vulnerable prisoner from the risk of self-harm. She represented the family of Ian Tomlinson (who died after being struck by a Metropolitan Police officer at the G20 demonstrations in 2009) (details) at the pre-inquest stage, and is currently representing the family of Alexander Litvinenko (who died of polonium poisoning in 2006) (details) (details) (details) as well as several of the families of those who died in the Hillsborough tragedy (details).

Administrative and Public Law

Henrietta's public law work arises out of her main practice areas. Recent examples include R (Mendys) v IPCC and others CO/1732/2009 (successfully challenging the failure of the Independent Police Complaint Commission to ensure that officers involved in allegedly assaulting and abusing a father and son faced disciplinary proceedings) and R (De Menezes) v Inner South London Coroner (the de Menezes family's challenge to the Coroner's refusal to leave an unlawful killing verdict to the jury).

Education

Emmanuel College, Cambridge University - BA (Hons) Law, First Class

Herchel Smith Fellow, Harvard University

Pegasus Fellow, Center for Constitutional Rights, New York

(*Sponsored by Inner Temple)

 

Memberships

Police Action Lawyers Group

INQUEST

Discrimination Law Association

Liberty

JUSTICE

Amnesty International

Peace Brigades International

 

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