Harriet Wakeman > Chambers of David Holland KC and Jenny Wigley KC > London, England > Barrister Profile

Harriet Wakeman

020 7421 1303 hwakeman@landmarkchambers.co.uk View profile View profile View profile

Position

Harriet is recognised as a leading junior (Chambers and Partners, 2024) and a ‘Tier 1 Rising Star’ (Legal 500, 2024). She has been appointed to the Attorney General’s Panel of Counsel (C panel).

Harriet is described in the leading legal directories as a “talented advocate” and an “extremely strong practitioner” who is “exceptional in mastering large volumes of material (including complex technical evidence)” and whose work is “of the highest quality”. Her submissions are “superb – detailed and compelling” and “watertight”. She has an “immense work ethic, and is confident and conscientious” and “her attention to detail and recall of facts is incredible”. In 2020, Harriet was nominated for Advocate’s Young Pro Bono Barrister of the Year.

Harriet has experience acting for an array of clients, including individuals, charities, large corporations, district councils, and government. Harriet acts for both claimants and government in her public law work. In her inquest work, Harriet acts for bereaved families, government departments and other interested persons, as well as acting as counsel to the inquest.

Harriet is regularly instructed in high-profile and sensitive matters, as well as cases involving a national security element. She has been instructed in cases in the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.

Notable recent and current instructions include:

• R (Imam) v London Borough of Croydon: Counsel for Crisis (led by Justin Bates) in an intervention before the Supreme Court which concerns the nature of the duty owed by local authorities to homeless people, and specifically, the relief that should be granted after a local authority has breached its “full” homelessness duty.
• R (AT) v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions: Counsel for the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (led by Jason Coppel KC) before the Court of Appeal in this case which concerns the entitlement of an EU citizen residing in the UK post-Brexit to social security benefits, and the applicability of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights post-Brexit.
• Counsel to the Inquest into the death of Mr Thomas Orchard (led by Nicholas Moss KC). Press coverage here.
• Counsel for the Secretary of State for the Home Department in the Dawn Sturgess Inquiry (led by Cathy McGahey KC). Dawn Sturgess died in 2018 having been poisoned by Novichok after the attack on Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury. Press coverage here.
• Counsel for the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (led by Samantha Broadfoot KC) in a judicial review challenge concerning errors in Covid-19 PCR testing at the Immensa laboratory in Wolverhampton.
• Counsel to the Inquests (led by Jonathan Hough KC) in the ‘Bugaled Breizh’ Inquests, concerning the sinking of a French fishing trawler in 2004. Press coverage here.
• Counsel for the Defendant (led by David Blundell KC) in the linked challenges to the Secretary of State’s policy of intercepting migrant boats in UK waters, stopping them and redirecting them to France.
• Counsel to the Brook House Inquiry (led by Brian Altman KC). Press coverage here.
• Counsel for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry (led by Jason Beer KC). Press coverage here.

Prior to coming to the Bar, Harriet worked as the stagiaire to Judge Christopher Vajda at the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg.

Memberships

Appointed to the Attorney General’s C Panel of Junior Counsel

• Administrative Law Bar Association
• Planning and Environmental Law Association
• United Kingdom Environmental Law Association

Education

Personal

Awards

• Buchanan Prize, Lincoln’s Inn
• Sir Thomas More Prize, Lincoln’s inn
• Advocacy Prize, BPP Law School
• Excellence Award, BPP Law School
• Hardwicke Entrance Award, Lincoln’s Inn
• Wilsey and Lerch Prize, Downing College, University of Cambridge