Laura is ranked in the Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners as a leading junior in professional discipline. She is adept at tackling cases involving healthcare professionals and complex medical issues, which often traverse her practice areas.
She has extensive experience of public inquiries and large-scale inquests: currently acting as Senior Junior counsel to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry and representing a doctor in the Inquests into the Deaths of the Patients of Ian Paterson. She was previously instructed as junior counsel in the Infected Blood Inquiry.
Laura has a busy coronial practice, primarily representing medical professionals, healthcare providers and government departments in inquests. She is a member of the Attorney General’s Civil C Panel.
Laura sits as an Assistant Coroner for South London alongside her main practice.
Laura has extensive working experience of public inquiries and inquests. Laura is currently Senior Junior counsel to the Covid Inquiry Legal Team (read more about the Inquiry here). She recently worked as part of the junior counsel team to the Infected Blood Inquiry.
Earlier in her career at the bar, Laura assisted with the review and preparation of evidence for organisations involved in the Hillsborough Inquests, and the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. She acted as disclosure junior for an interested party in the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry.
Laura has a busy inquest practice, predominantly acting on behalf of healthcare professionals and organisations. In major inquests, she is representing a doctor in the Inquests into the Deaths of the Patients of Ian Paterson.
Laura frequently represents NHS Trusts, care homes, local authorities, and medical professionals in inquests. Examples of instructions include:
In addition to her main practice, Laura sits part time as an Assistant Coroner at South London Coroner’s Court.
Laura is ranked as a leading junior in professional disciplinary and regulatory law in both Legal 500 and Chambers UK. She prosecutes and defends in a range of professional disciplinary settings, particularly specialising in healthcare matters.
She is regularly instructed to defend registrants before the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service at both interim and final hearings. She also defends at the Nursing and Midwifery Council, Social Work England and Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.
Laura’s experience of financial crime and tax matters is of particular value when defending professionals before accounting and financial regulators, or registrants in any field facing accusations of financial impropriety.
Some recent examples of Laura’s work include;
She has prosecuted at the National College of Teaching and Leadership (now TRA) in cases concerning misconduct and dishonesty, and involving the questioning of child witnesses. She has also presented cases on behalf of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors and General Optical Council.
Laura’s experience across coronial and criminal proceedings enables her to approach professional discipline cases in a holistic manner and seek pragmatic solutions for clients.
Laura acts for HMRC both as a junior alone and led junior in tax appeals in the First-Tier Tribunal (Tax Chamber). She has been instructed by HMRC in cases concerning Missing Trader Intra-Community (MTIC) fraud, acquisition fraud, penalties and personal liability notices.
In a recent case, Laura acted as leading junior counsel, defending an appeal at the FTT. The appeal was presented by an experienced silk and involved reclaimed VAT in the sum of over £240k. This was a case of considerable complexity because the commodity traded was PPI leads, a commodity never before seen in Missing Trader/Acquisition frauds, and required the use of two experts. A close analysis of data protection law at the time of the transactions was also required. The appeal was dismissed after a two-week hearing; the Tribunal found that the appellant should have known his trading was connected with fraud and HMRC retained the sum in its entirety.
Laura is now the leading barrister for HMRC in the PPI Data field given her success in this case and her knowledge of this unique, fast-paced market and associated data protection law.
Laura has specialist knowledge in financial crime, particularly in cases involving HMRC. Recent cases include acting as sole counsel in a money laundering case with a value of over £2 million, and junior counsel in a pension fraud involving over 60 investors at an estimated loss of £5.4 million. She has frequently acted in the Tax Tribunal and this experience enables her to approach complex financial cases with confidence, with particular knowledge of VAT and customs and excise matters.
Laura also has significant experience in defending cases involving allegations of serious sexual offences, including the defence of medical professionals.
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