• R v LVD – Secured acquittal for the production of cannabis raising the modern slavery defence. Following an 8-day trial, the jury acquitted the defendant who had been working in debt bondage to a Vietnamese gang in a cannabis farm in less than 2 hours.
• R v BB – Obtained a writ of habeas corpus and an emergency release order before a High Court Duty Judge, the judgment can be read here. The prison had refused to process the release of BB as no staff was available after hours. The prison’s unlawful detention would have led to BB missing the birth of his child, were it not for the successful overnight application for release.
• R v LQ – Secured acquittal for harassment causing fear of violence, and exposure. Resisted a restraining order and a binding over order.
• R v MC - Persuaded the Crown through multiple written representations to discontinue a charge for assault occasioning grievous bodily harm and affray.
• R v LE – Established self-defence and secured acquittal of assault, despite the incident being video-recorded with the defendant admitting on video that she hit the complainant. 

Louise is keen to develop her protest law practice further. She is currently defending various environmental protesters and protesters taking action against the genocide in Palestine (e.g. R v FE; R v AH). 

Louise has a particular interest in working with children and young defendants. She has completed the ICCA Advocacy for Children in Conflict with the Law training and has taken part in several training sessions on child defendants organised by the Youth Justice Legal Centre to assist children with the utmost skill and care. Recent instructions include:

• R v ST – Successfully defended a child defendant charged with possession of a bladed article. In an unrelated matter for ST, the Crown discontinued a charge relating to attempted arson following legal argument.
• R v JO – Secured acquittal for possession of an offensive weapon. The vulnerable child defendant was alleged to have carried a large machete when he committed a robbery in a modern slavery context.
• R v DDR – Currently instructed in a multi-handed robbery.
• R v ST – Currently instructed in related Youth Court and Crown Court matters for supply of Class A drugs, raising the modern slavery defence. 

Louise has substantial experience in the Court of Appeal for her level of call and is a regular contributor to Doughty Street’s Criminal Appeals Bulletin. Recent successes include:

• R v SH – SH had been convicted for the production of cannabis and had been sentenced to a high-level community order. Louise persuaded the Court of Appeal that this sentence was manifestly excessive in light of his time spent on remand, resulting in the Court quashing his sentence and replacing it with a conditional discharge. The Court praised Louise for her “admirably clear and succinct written and oral submissions”, the judgment can be found here.
• R v MM – MM had been sentenced to several years in prison for breaches of a criminal behaviour order and related minor criminality. Louise successfully argued that this sentence was manifestly excessive and the Court re-sentenced her client to time served, leading to his immediate release.

• Poland v AG – Polish extradition request discharged by the DJ under s.20 Extradition Act 2003, by arguing that the Polish authorities may have summoned the RP in violation of international law and denied him a retrial. Instructed to resist the appeal.
• Portugal v DD – Resisted extradition of a British citizen accused of murder, led by Ben Cooper KC. They argued that the Portuguese Public Prosecutor was not a judicial authority as required under s.2 of the Extradition Act 2003 and the District Judge discharged the first Portuguese warrant on that basis.
• HT v USA – Instructed on appeal to resist extradition of the “Hollywood con queen” who is to stand trial in California for several counts of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
• MK v Slovakia – Currently instructed in an appeal against an extradition order for embezzlement relying on s.20 and Article 8. Permission was granted on all grounds following oral argument.
• SP v Germany – Currently instructed to appeal the extradition order for 19 counts of “aggravated gang theft”. Following a contested permission hearing, permission was granted on all grounds.
• ZK v Belgium – Currently instructed to appeal the extradition order of a vulnerable Afghan asylum seeker for human trafficking and participation in a criminal organisation.
• Poland v EG – Currently instructed to resist extradition for fraud on behalf of a single mother of five young children.
• Poland v JT – Currently instructed, the requested person is wanted for human trafficking, forced prostitution and kidnapping.
• France v MW – Currently instructed on behalf of the requested person in an extradition relating to an armed robbery and fraud.
• Ionut-Bogdan Merticariu v Romania – Assisted with research in the successful Supreme Court appeal on s.20 Extradition Act 2003.

Prior to joining chambers, Louise worked as a legal assistant for an extradition silk for two years. In this role, she conducted research and provided first drafts for submissions, advice, and Interpol requests, including for appeals before the High Court and the European Court of Human Rights (e.g. Hafeez v. UK).

Louise advises the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (SJP, Colombia’s transitional justice tribunal) on international criminal law in high-profile cases against FARC leaders. She is currently advising on the possibility of bringing charges for environmental crimes and anti-personnel mines, both under international criminal law and under the Peace Accord between the Government and the FARC. 

This role follows her successful Yale Robina Fellowship at the SJP as Judge Lemaitre Ripoll’s Legal Assistant. Spending a year at the Court in Bogotá, she advised on a range of international criminal law questions and assisted in drafting the precedent-setting pre-trial ruling in the macro-case against the FARC for kidnapping, which included Ingrid Betancourt’s case. She also delivered workshops to demobilised FARC members making field trips and assisted in liaising with victims to pursue restorative justice. Louise performed all of this work in Spanish.

Further, Louise has recently been working on a range of cases with an international dimension:

• Providing research and drafting for a legislative initiative to strengthen the prevention of and protection from atrocity crimes;
• Drafted an advise to a Kenyan NGO for war veterans advising on redress for sexual abuse by UK military personnel stationed in Kenya;
• Drafted submissions on war crimes and crimes against humanity to the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar;
• Assisted in drafting submissions to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on the climate emergency’s effects on children’s rights;
• Assisted in drafting an advice on international legal remedies for a denial of access to justice in Trinidad and Tobago;
• Conducted legal research for a terrorism prosecution in the Seychelles;
• Conducted legal research for a murder appeal in Bermuda; and
• Conducted legal research for an advice on religious freedom and discrimination. 

Additionally, Louise teaches human rights seminars at her alma mater, KU Leuven. She has been focusing on the intersection between human rights and environmental law, and human rights and humanitarian law.

Prior to coming to the Bar, Louise also developed a broad expertise in international criminal law and international human rights law:

• Advocated as a member of the Yale Lowenstein Human Rights Clinic on behalf of three men who were arbitrarily detained in Afghanistan in the context of the American war on terror. Submitted briefs and appeals to the Special Rapporteurs on Torture and on Arbitrary Detention, the UN Human Rights Committee, and the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention;
• Represented clients during deportation interviews in an immigration detention centre in Texas as a student attorney in the Dilley Pro Bono Project;
• Reviewed and analysed French-language claims in the investigation into the Central African Republic as a pro bono legal consultant to the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court;
• Contributed to Professor Jan Wouters’ book “International Law: A European Perspective” as a research assistant; and
• Interned at the Belgian Embassy in Washington D.C.