Ruby is developing a broad practice in civil and public law relating to the criminal justice system and accountability of the police and other public authorities.
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 a particular interest in migrants’ rights. An article she wrote on AM Zimbabwe [2020] UKSC 17 was published in the Journal of Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Law (Ruby Peacock, ‘Developments in Article 3 Psychiatric Claims: Navigating New Territory for the Practitioner’ (2021) 35(3) JIANL 205).
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. She is a director of a not-for-profit organisation, Rock Paper Scissors Arts CIC, which provides high-quality creative experiences, with a focus on children and vulnerable adults.
Ruby is developing a practice in public inquiries. Ruby is instructed alongside Sam Jacobs on the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, acting for the Trades Union Congress. She 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.
Ruby represents families in inquest proceedings, with a focus on deaths arising from contact with the police and on deaths in custody. Ruby recently represented the family in a six-day jury inquest into a suicide in the community. She was successful in persuading the coroner that Article 2 was engaged, and the jury delivered findings criticising aspects of the response by the emergency services. Ruby provided research assistance to Maya Sikand KC and Tom Stoate on the inquest into the death of Baby Aisha Cleary at HMP Bronzefield.
During pupillage, Ruby built upon a background in police accountability, having been supervised by Adam Wagner. Ruby has experience in drafting advice and pleadings in a range of actions against public authorities. She was recently instructed in a failure to investigate claim regarding allegations of historic sexual abuse.
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.
During pupillage, Ruby was supervised by Graham Denholm and assisted him with complex advice on matters relating to detention under immigration powers. She is using this experience to develop an immigration detention law practice.
Contributes to the UK Human Rights Blog.
Contributes to and peer reviews for the Journal of Immigration Asylum and Nationality Law.
