Call: 2001
Helen has been a member of chambers since 2002. She practises across the range of chambers' work, but particularly in the fields of professional negligence, general commercial, insurance and property-related work. Helen is listed as a recommended junior for professional liability work in the Legal 500, Chambers and Partners and Legal Experts (which describe her as "very bright", "academically extremely sound", "hard working" and "responsive")."
Helen has experience of a very broad variety of claims against solicitors, with recent examples including lost litigation, employment and matrimonial matters in addition to property, chancery and fraud work.
In recent years, Helen has acted in several pieces of large multi-party or managed litigation (arising from both the collapse of various litigation funding schemes and from large-scale fraud). Helen was instructed by the largest group of defendant solicitors both in the TAG and the CLE litigation. In this context, Helen appeared in the important post-Sephton limitation case of Axa Insurance Ltd v. Akther & Darby Solicitors [2010] 1 WLR 1662 in the Court of Appeal.
Helen has been instructed in a number of claims against financial professionals, including accountants and IFAs. Such claims have encompassed issues such as a wide variety of negligent tax, investment and financial product advice. Most recently she has been involved in advising a firm of accountants in respect of allegedly mistaken incorporation advice allegedly given to a care home business.
Helen has handled a broad range of disputes against surveyors and valuers (many of which have involved alleged large scale frauds). She has also acted on behalf of Banks bringing claims arising out of property frauds.
Helen has also acted in numerous barristers’ negligence cases, and appeared in two successful strike out/indemnity costs applications on behalf of members of the Bar in February 2011 alone (including Hurst v a Barrister before Proudman J, in which she successfully applied for extended civil restraint orders against both a party and a non-party (see the news section of the website).
Helen’s practice involves a number of insurance disputes. She is currently involved in a large commercial court insurance claim relating to services provided by insurance agents. In 2010 she was also instructed in what is thought to be the largest claim arising out of the Buncefield explosion. Helen has also advised on coverage as well as defending a broad range of claims (including e.g. commercial, property damage, theft and fire claims) on behalf of insurers.
Prior to joining chambers, Helen read English Literature at New College, Oxford, where she was Galsworthy scholar and obtained a first class degree. She also spent a year in France, at the University of Aix-Marseille. Helen then studied law at City University, where she gained a distinction in the CPE exams. During her Bar School year, Helen was Astbury Scholar of the Middle Temple, won the Inn's Helena Normanton QC Prize for her performance in the Bar Vocational Course and also obtained an MA from City University. In 2004 Helen was awarded a Pegasus scholarship to spend three months working in the insurance and professional liability department at Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP, Toronto, Canada.
Helen has also been consistently involved in pro bono work. Helen has also been consistently involved in pro bono work. She is a member of the founding committee of PILARS (which is an organisation providing pro-bono advice in bankruptcy matters) and serves on the Chancery Bar Association’s Pro Bono Committee. She was formerly a school/children’s centre governor for 7 years.
Publications:
Education
M.A. (Oxon.) (First Class) C.P.E. (City) (Distinction) M.A. Administrative Law (City)
Languages
French