Bindmans LLP

Public Law and Human Rights.

Solicitor, Public Law and Human Rights

Caroline regularly advises people who may face stigmatising and career-threatening consequences because of the way public authorities hold and process information about them. She represents teachers, youth workers and other regulated professionals challenging decisions by the police and the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) to retain and share criminal record information. She also represents clients seeking the deletion of police cautions, Police National Computer records and locally held police data.

Caroline is experienced in advising survivors of domestic abuse on using the Victims’ Right to Review scheme to challenge CPS and police failures to prosecute.

In addition, Caroline has expertise in bringing complaints on behalf of individuals, pressure groups and companies to ombudsmen and regulators, and advising on related public law issues.

Caroline also has a particular interest in judicial review challenges concerning those subject to immigration control, including in respect of local authority accommodation and support for young people under the Children Act and Leaving Care Act. She also challenges asylum support decisions and brings judicial reviews and civil claims arising from detention until immigration powers.

Caroline joined Bindmans in 2012, having worked as an immigration and asylum casework assistant at another firm in London.

Caroline has experience in a broad range of public law and discrimination matters and regularly advises on claims for damages under the Human Rights Act and the Equality Act

Her current judicial review/appeals work includes: Representing the National Union of Journalists as an intervener in Liberty v Secretary of State for the Home Department and Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs – a judicial review challenge, now under appeal to the Court of Appeal, challenging the ‘bulk powers’ regime in the Investigatory Powers Act 2016, known as ‘the Snoopers Charter’ Judicial review proceedings including a claim for damages under the Human Rights Act, on behalf of a disabled asylum seeker placed in inappropriate hotel accommodation by the Home Office Representing a foreign government department as a respondent to an appeal in the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council Her current civil claims work includes: Representing a vulnerable disabled child in civil proceedings for damages for assault/battery and under the Human Rights Act following abuse in a children’s home Representing asylum seekers who were accommodated by the Home Office in the disused Napier army barracks who are pursuing a civil claim for damages for false imprisonment and breaches of the Human Rights Act and Equality Act Her regulatory work includes: Advising on a complex complaint to the Charity Commission concerning significant misconduct by an educational trust Advising regulated professionals about disclosure of information from criminal records on Enhanced Criminal Record Certificates Representing a hospital worker in an appeal to the First-tier Tribunal against a Disclosure and Barring Service decision to bar him from working with children and vulnerable adults Advising a medical practitioner on the deletion of a caution from the Police National Computer Jointly advising an organisation in proposed judicial review proceedings against the Financial Ombudsman Service, concerning redress for mis-selling and poor advice by independent financial advisers Representing a teacher challenging a finding by a ‘Local Authority Designated Officer’ that an allegation of misconduct against him has been ‘substantiated’ Her current work with concerning gender-based violence includes: Representing survivors of domestic abuse using the Victim’s Right to Review process to challenge decisions not to prosecute their abusers Representing the family of a murdered young woman in an inquest into her death, and in an associated civil claim against an NHS Trust and the Ministry of Justice Her community care work includes: Representing a number of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children challenging local authority age assessments and securing accommodation and support under the Children Act 1989 Advising care leavers on their rights and entitlements under the Leaving Care Act Judicial review proceedings challenging a local authority’s flawed Care Act assessment Caroline’s other experience includes: Jointly representing a group of EU citizens in judicial review proceedings concerning the lawfulness of the voter registration process for the 2019 European Parliament elections, including an appeal to the Court of Appeal and an application to the European Court of Human Rights Jointly representing the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam in a successful appeal to the Proscribed Organisations Appeal Commission concerning the designation of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam as a terrorist organisation Representing the family of a young man who died in the care of a psychiatric hospital in inquest proceedings and in an associated civil claim for damages Jointly advising a commercial organisation following regulatory action by the Education and Skills Funding Agency Representing a victim of sexual assault by a medical professional, ensuring an Article 3-compliant investigation was held Representing a protestor in proposed judicial review proceedings challenging the Court’s failure to adjourn his trial during the Covid-19 pandemic Advisory work for industry representatives seeking to challenge the government’s Coronavirus regulations Representing students in appeals to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator Jointly representing a not-for-profit organisation in a challenge to a local authority’s procurement process Securing significant damages for a victim of race discrimination by a well-known company in proposed proceedings under the Equality Act Representing a refugee in a judicial review challenging his unlawful detention by the Home Office

Caroline graduated with a first class BSc in Politics from the University of Bristol in 2006. She went on to complete her GDL and LPCs, both with a distinction. Caroline was awarded a prize by the Bristol Institute of Legal Practice for her performance in the LPC.