Helen Mountfield KC KC > Matrix Chambers > London, England > Barrister Profile
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GRIFFIN BUILDING, GRAY'S INN
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Helen Mountfield KC KC
Position
Helen is a versatile silk with a strong leading practice in public law, human rights and equality, information, EU and employment law. Recent/notable public law cases include: R(Susan Smith) v Ministry of Defence (Supreme Court; article 1 ECHR jurisdiction); R(London Borough of Lewisham & Ors) v Ofqual & Ors (Div Court; successful rebuttal of challenge to GCSE English results); CN v United Kingdom (ECtHR; first finding of breach of Article 4 ECHR against UK); Czop & Punakova v SSWP (CJEU: rights under Citizens’ Directive; distinction between self-employed persons and workers); R(G) v Governing Body of X School (Supreme Court; article 6 ECHR, education); Burnip v Department for Work & Pensions (Court of Appeal; relevance of UN Conventions in national law); Watkins v Woolas (the Oldham East and Saddleworth election petition); and R (Woolas) v Parliamentary Election Court (Div Court; reviewability of decision of Parliamentary Election Court); R(Hurley & Moore) v SSBERR (Div Court; partly successful challenge to introduction of university tuition fees); R(E) v Governing Body of JFS (Supreme Court; race discrimination and schools); R(Green) v Gloucestershire & Somerset CC (successful library closure challenges); R (Harris) v LB Haringey; R(Hajrula) v London Councils, Secretary of State v Elias, R(Cordant Group plc) v BERR; Brown v DWP & BERR; R(Kaur & Shah) v LB Ealing (all major cases on public sector equality duties); RB & OO (Jordan) v SSHD and AH v SSHD (CA and House of Lords terrorism, Article 6); YL v Birmingham CC (House of Lords, public authorities and HRA); Re B (House of Lords – burden of proof and human rights); Ladele v London Borough of Islington (CA); Catholic Care v Charity Commission; R(Watkins-Singh) v Aberdare Girls’ High School; Ghai v Newcastle CC (human rights & religion); Pedro v DWP (CA; EU Citizens’ Directive); Stec v UK (Grand Chamber ECtHR). Other notable cases on www.matrixlaw.co.uk
Career
Called 1991 Gray’s Inn; recorder 2009; silk 2010; Deputy High Court Judge (Administrative Court) 2013. Treasury A Panel (until 2010); special advocate; member of Equality and Human Rights Commission panel. Publications include ‘Blackstone Guide to the Human Rights Act 1998’ (6th ed 2011), and edits ‘White Book’ on human rights. Lectures widely in UK and abroad, including at Harvard, NYU, Cambridge and for the Judicial Studies Board.
Memberships
Administrative Law Bar Association; Employment Law Bar Association; Employment Law Association; Bar European Group; Human Rights Lawyers’ Association; Bar Pro Bono Unit Panel.
Education
Magdalen College Oxford (BA Hons History 1st class); City University (Diploma in Law); King’s College London (Postgraduate Diploma in EU Law); Holker Scholar and Reid Scholar of Gray’s Inn.
Lawyer Rankings
London Bar > Elections
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 2Helen Mountfield KC – Matrix Chambers ‘Helen is an extremely eloquent advocate, who is very adaptable and very good under pressure.’
At Matrix Chambers, the ‘very incisive‘ Helen Mountfield KC is well-versed in assisting returning officers, the Electoral Commission, individual candidates and political parties with a range of election law issues, and is singled out for her extensive experience in handling election petitions. Gavin Millar KC and the ‘tough cross-examiner‘ Tom Gillie successfully represented the Labour Party in Cooper v Evans, where an injunction application was brought by the Conservative Party candidate against a Labour online campaign advert during the Tamworth by-election – the Conservative candidate claimed that the advert was in breach of s.106(1) of the Representation of the People Act 1983 as it included a false statement of fact in relation to his personal character and conduct. Sarah Sackman was elected as Member of Parliament for Finchley and Golders Green in the 2024 general election.
London Bar > Education
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 1Helen Mountfield KC – Matrix Chambers ‘Helen is an absolute powerhouse and a go-to for the complex governance and risk matters that arise in the higher education sector. She has a unique platform drawing on her role as Head of House for an Oxford College, and is able to cut through to the issues in a pragmatic and user-friendly way at rocket like speed.’