Melody is currently a pupil (and will join Chambers as a tenant on 1 October 2019). Prior to commencing pupillage, Melody read law at Balliol College, University of Oxford. During her time there, she was awarded the Brackenbury Scholarship, Brackenbury Exhibition and the Alan Rodger Prize in Roman Law. Upon completing her undergraduate degree, she co-authored an article on the standard of care in the tort of negligence (“A Tour of the Tort of Negligence” (2016) 32 Professional Negligence 137). Melody returned to Oxford in 2016 for the Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) and achieved distinctions in a dissertation (“Subjectivity and Objectivity in the Law of Contract Damages”) and in Philosophical Foundations of the Common Law.
Melody benefits from substantial legal research experience and exceptionally strong analytical skills, both of which equip her for tackling particularly complex matters. Throughout pupillage, Melody has assisted her supervisors in a number of high-value commercial disputes; earlier this year, she contributed to closing submissions for conjoined ICC and LCIA arbitrations for claims for breach of fiduciary duty and dishonest assistance. Recently, she has been assisting with an appeal in a dispute over a shareholder agreement which concerns the interaction between principles of contractual interpretation, the law of agency and the parole evidence rule. Melody particularly enjoys commercial work with an international dimension. She has produced notes and advices on jurisdiction and, in particular, on the location in which financial loss is suffered for the purposes of the tort gateway. Earlier this year, she assisted with an advice on a question of BVI law.
Professional negligence is another area of special interest for Melody, and she is especially drawn to chancery-related professional negligence claims. In February, she drafted an advice on limitation for a claim against a pension scheme advisor for the loss of a chance to bring loss of a chance claims against that advisor and other advisors. Her other work includes an advice on evidence, liability and mitigation in a dispute about the drafting of mirror wills.
Her experience extends to claims against construction professionals. Recently, Melody assisted her supervisor in the identification and formulation of potential claims against an architect for negligent advice on planning permission and for a failure to properly supervise building works. She is currently assisting a team led by Roger Stewart QC and David Turner QC with a dispute over a waste facility which raises issues in relation to declaratory judgments, waiver by election and expert determination.
She is also eager to build an insurance law practice. So far during pupillage, she has drafted pleadings for claims against insurers and insurance brokers as well as advices. Her most recent work includes an advice on the application of the terms “claim” and “single claim” in a directors and officers liability insurance policy.
Awards, prizes and competitions
Shearman and Sterling Moot Competition (2017) (winner)
BPP Advocacy Scholarship (2016)
Inner Temple Major Scholarship (2016)
International Roman Law Moot Competition (2014) (represented the University of Oxford as one of a team of 4 students, ranked as the highest scoring speaker in the semi-finals)
Brackenbury Scholarship (renewal) (2014)
Brackenbury Scholarship (2013)
Brackenbury Exhibition (2013)
Alan Rodger Prize in Roman Law (2013)
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