Overview Ruth Brander specialises in civil actions against the police, prisoners' rights, inquests, public law, international law and appellate crime. She has a particular interest in the rights of protestors and of vulnerable, young or mentally disordered detainees. She regularly represents bereaved families at inquests and in civil proceedings. Public and administrative law
Ruth's public law work includes challenges on behalf of protestors [R (Castle) v Met Police Commr [2011] EWHC 2317 - s.11 Children Act 2004 duty applies to exercise of frontline police functions; R (Hicks) v Met Police Commr; R (Glazier) v Met Police Commr; R (Pearce) v Met Police Commr - challenges to pre-emptive Royal Wedding arrests]. She also specialises in prisoners' rights, including challenges to parole licence conditions and resettlement issues, particularly for young detainees. She has been junior counsel in some of the key constitutional challenges to the death penalty in the Caribbean [R v Trimmingham [2009] UKPC 25; Bowe and Davis v R [2006] UKPC 10; Boyce & Joseph v R (2005) 1 AC 400]. Civil actions against the police / prison authorities
Ruth is regularly instructed in civil claims on behalf of protestors, prisoners and other detainees. Criminal appeals
Ruth has particular expertise in criminal appellate work, especially CCRC referrals and appeals concerning young defendants. She represented a series of appellants challenging HM Revenue and Customs' use of participating informants: R v Vernett-Showers & 10 Others [2007] EWCA Crim 1767; Latif, Shahzad & Others [2007] EWCA Crim 307; R v Choudhery & Others [2005] EWCA Crim 1788. She was subsequently instructed on behalf of a number of these appellants in civil claims arising out of their criminal cases. Inquests
Ruth represents bereaved families in inquest proceedings, often, but not exclusively, arising out of deaths in custody. Prison law
Ruth regularly represents prisoners at parole hearings, in civil actions and in public law proceedings. Languages spoken
French (conversational) Publications
Ruth is a co-author of The Law of Public Order and Protest [OUP 2010] and a contributing author to Human Rights and the Investigation and Prosecution of Crime, edited by Jonathan Cooper OBE and Madeleine Colvin [OUP 2009]. She co-edited the 2011 edition of the Trespass to the Person volume of Atkins Court Forms and is a contributing author to LexisNexis practice notes on assisted suicide and the Prison Rules. Awards
She was named Young Legal Aid Barrister of the Year at the 2006 LAPG / Independent Lawyer Legal Aid Lawyer Awards. What the directories say
Ruth is ranked by Chambers UK 2012 as a leading junior in the fields of civil liberties and police law. She is described as "being one to watch as she is able and can do anything she sets her mind to."
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