Tayyiba is an experienced trial advocate, commended for her careful and sensitive approach to young and vulnerable defendants, and has a particular specialism in relation to allegations of terrorism, serious violence and fraud. She also regularly advises individuals on appeal against conviction and sentence and applications to the CCRC.

Terrorism 

She has appeared in significant terrorism cases, recently representing an individual charged with being involved in a funding arrangement in support of proscribed organisations in Syria (R v ZA, Woolwich Crown Court). She acts as junior counsel for the lead defendant in a multi-handed trial where her client is accused of membership and support of the PKK (R v EA, Central Criminal Court). 

She has particular expertise in terrorism offences occurring in the context of protest. She was recently instructed to defendant an individual charged with an offence contrary to s.13 Terrorism Act 2000, where the display of the flag in question was in the context of a protest calling for de-proscription of a proscribed organisation. That case is now the subject of an appeal by case stated.  

Tayyiba is uniquely qualified to act in such cases because of her experience acting for terrorism offenders before the Parole Board and in the context of her civil actions against the police practice (see below). 

Serious violence 

Tayyiba has been instructed as junior counsel in several murder trials. She was instructed as junior on a murder trial arising following the successful extradition of the defendant and raising complex questions of law as to the legality of the prosecution (R v AW, Winchester Crown Court). She also acted for a young defendant charged with double murder (R v AJ, Sheffield Crown Court), and a vulnerable man with processing difficulties charged with murder following a “one-punch” incident outside his place of work (R v RK, Canterbury Crown Court). 

She is regularly instructed to act alone in cases of serious violence. In her recent case of R v LB, the defendant was charged with s.18 GBH and s.20 GBH in relation to two complainants, he was acquitted of all charges after a trial. 

Fraud 

Tayyiba has an expanding fraud practice: 

• She was instructed to defend two defendants in a multi-handed multi-million pound fraud split across both trials. Both defendants were acquitted after a trial.
• She recently secured the acquittal of a defendant in a fraud following an FBI investigation into the purchase of usernames and passwords from the dark web using cryptocurrency. 

Tayyiba has particular experience in challenging search warrants; she acted as junior in the recent successful challenge to the search of a journalist’s home and the successful defence of the subsequent s.59 application by the police. Her adjacent civil practice in civil actions against the police mean she has a detailed understanding of police powers of search, seizure and detention. 

Firearms and drugs 

Tayyiba is frequently instructed to represent defendants charged with multi-handed high value drugs’ conspiracies. She is currently instructed in a 10 handed drugs conspiracy said to entail a high-value drug operation being operated from inside prison (R v SA, Inner London Crown Court).

She has experience representing individuals facing firearms charges; in R v TWS (Wood Green Crown Court), she represented a vulnerable 19-year-old charged with possession of a firearm. Following submission of the defence statement and a detailed letter of representation raising duress, the Crown offered no evidence. 

Tayyiba represents bereaved families in coronial proceedings and has been instructed in significant and high profile cases. She was recently instructed as led junior representing the family of a young man who was killed following a firearms police operation. The jury found a number of serious causative failures both in the planning and implementation of the operation. 

She has particular experience in representing families who have lost their loved ones to suicide.  She recently appeared for the family of a young woman who died from the effects of a poisonous chemical. The inquest found that poor coordination between the agencies responsible for her care contributed to her decision to take her own life.

As a result of her experience dealing with highly vulnerable clients, Tayyiba is particularly well suited to inquests involving particularly vulnerable individuals, and inquests following deaths in prisons and deaths at the hands of police and security guards. Tayyiba also advises on civil claims following inquests and on judicial review of coronial decisions.

Significant cases include: 

• BL: representing the family of a young woman who died from the effects of a poisonous chemical. The inquest found that poor coordination between the agencies responsible for her care contributed to her decision to take her own life.
• DM: representing the family of a young man who died by suicide shortly after being granted s.17 leave by unqualified staff from a psychiatric facility. The inquest concluded that systemic failings and neglect contributed to his death.
• CG: representing the family of a visually impaired man who fell onto the tracks of a train platform. The inquest concluded that a lack of tactile paving contributed to his death.
• The Whyte Review: instructed by British Gymnastics to assist in a large-scale disclosure exercise.
• PP:  representing the family of a man who committed suicide in custody shortly after being remanded. Police had been place on notice of his high suicide risk by his partner. The inquest raised serious questions about risk assessment process within the custodial setting and resulted in a successful civil claim for damages. 

Tayyiba has a broad public law practice with a particular interest in crime-related public law.  

Significant cases include:

• Junior counsel in a case stated before the High Court raising novel questions about discrimination and the use of powers under Schedule 7.
• Junior counsel in the challenge to the operation of the Gangs Matrix database by the Metropolitan Police.
• Advising a youth justice organisation on a potential challenge to the presence of police in schools.
• A challenge to the disclosure of sensitive conviction information by probation services.
• A challenge following the execution of a search warrant by the Metropolitan Police.
• A challenge to the execution of a search warrant by HMRC.
• Advising on a potential challenge to the refusal of bail by a Crown Court judge.
• Advising on a potential challenge to the failure to adequately protect victims of domestic violence from prosecution.
• Representing a group of students involved in student encampments protesting in relation to the ongoing genocide in Gaza. 

Tayyiba has also acted for those unlawfully detained who require advice on the issuance of habeas corpus proceedings. 

Tayyiba represents prisoners before the Parole Board. She has a particular specialism in representing prisoners convicted of terrorism related offences. She is also able to advise more broadly on prison law and on potential prison judicial review claims in relation to re-categorisation and oral hearing decisions. 

Significant cases include: 

• an individual convicted of membership of a far-right terrorist organisation at their Parole Board hearing. Following that hearing the individual’s release on licence was approved.
• an individual convicted of post 9/11 terrorism offence at their Parole Board hearing. Following that hearing, the individual’s release on licence was approved. 

Tayyiba regularly advises on civil claims against the police. She has advised in claims concerning police assault, false imprisonment, and malicious prosecution. 

Tayyiba is currently instructed on behalf of a vulnerable victim of trafficking bringing a civil claim against a local authority and police force as a result of their repeated failure to identify and protect her from her trafficker. 

Tayyiba has broad experience of international human rights law. Between January 2023 and May 2024 she spent three semesters teaching at the International Human Rights Clinic at UC Berkeley in California. While at Berkeley, she worked on cases before the ICC, African Court of Human and People’s Rights as well as the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. 

Tayyiba maintains an international human rights law practice, with cases including:

• Instructed as junior counsel in a challenge to the legality of the death penalty in a Caribbean country (2025).
• Submitting a complaint to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on behalf of a number of Palestinians detained in Israel (2024).
• Developing a strategic case before the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child in relation to the protection of children from online harms (2023 – 2024).
• Representing a group of Palestinian victims application on behalf of victims in relation to the ICC’s investigation into war crimes in Palestine (2021)
• Instructed by Reprieve to act for two Yemeni families, in a challenge to the legality of US targeted killing operations before the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (2021)
• Instructed by REDRESS in the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian national arbitrarily detained in Iran in her application to the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (2021)
• Instructed by Liberty to advise on the compatibility of Serious Violence Reduction Orders with the Human Rights Act 1998.