Ruby’s practice spans inquests, public inquiries, and actions against the police and public authorities.
Lucy Curtis was 17 years old when she died in hospital, f...Read more
Prior to joining the bar, Ruby was a discrimination advisor and caseworker at Suffolk Law Centre where she specialised in acting for clients with mental health conditions and other vulnerabilities. She managed a large caseload, acting for claimants in the Employment Tribunal bringing claims for discrimination.
Ruby possesses a wide range of legal research experience, having worked with the Geoffrey Nice Foundation, the Legal Resources Centre (Cape Town), the Mississippi Office of the State Public Defender, and the Women’s Legal Centre (Cape Town). In these roles, she has written reports and publications, delivered training, and drafted submissions, both in legal cases and in response to draft legislation. For example, she drafted arguments in support of a motion for post-conviction relief, which was submitted in the State of Mississippi Court of Appeals (Johnson v Statement of Mississippi, Case Number 24CI1:19-cv-00259C).
Ruby has worked and volunteered for a range of human rights organisations, including Ipswich and Suffolk Council for Racial Equality, Suffolk Stop and Search Reference Group, Amicus, the Death Penalty Project, and Amnesty International.
Public Inquiries
Ruby acts for Core Participants in public inquiries.
Ruby is instructed alongside Sam Jacobs on the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, acting for the Trades Union Congress in 11 of the 13 modules of the investigation. She has questioned witnesses, delivered submissions at preliminary hearings and delivered the oral closing submissions on behalf of the TUC in Modules 6 and 10.
Ruby assisted instructed counsel Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC and Adam Wagner on the Inquiry into the Retirement of the Former Commissioner of Police in Gibraltar, acting for the Former Commissioner of Police, Ian McGrail.
Inquests
In inquest proceedings, Ruby represents families and acts as Counsel to the Inquest, with a focus on deaths arising from contact with the police, deaths engaging issues of workplace health and safety, and deaths in custody.
Ruby is instructed as Junior Counsel to the Inquests in the coronial investigation into the deaths of four miners at Gleision Mine in South Wales in 2011.
Ruby recently acted as Junior Counsel for the family, led by Jamie Burton KC, in the inquest into the death of Lucy Curtis, a 17-year-old girl who died following an incident of self-harm on 27 December 2023 whilst an inpatient at Riverside Adolescent Unit in Bristol. A jury concluded that there were multiple missed opportunities and failures in her care.
Actions Against the Police and Public Authorities
Ruby has experience in drafting advice and pleadings in a range of actions against public authorities.
Ruby was instructed in a failure to investigate claim against a police force regarding allegations of historic sexual abuse with significant limitation issues, and a settlement was achieved in which the police force accepted full liability.
Ruby has a particular interest in civil and human rights law relating to protest. She has assisted Adam Wagner on actions against the police for conduct during protests and on a Court of Appeal case relating to protest against the HS2 railway (Cuciurean v HS2). Ruby has also assisted Tim Moloney KC and Adam Wagner in drafting an application to the European Court of Human Rights regarding protest injunctions.
