Matrix Chambers

Hugh Southey has led at all levels up to and including the Supreme Court as well as in the Privy Council, the Supreme Court of Ireland, the European Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights. He has led in 30 hearings before the Supreme Court. Hugh has also litigated in a range of jurisdictions including Ireland (North and South), the Cayman Islands, Jamaica, the Turks and Caicos and the United States. Hugh specialises in public law in a wide range of fields including human rights, regulatory, prison law, inquests, crime, extradition, mental health, terrorism, immigration, discrimination, privacy and elections. Hugh litigates public law and human rights arguments both in judicial review proceedings and civil claims. Hugh also appears in criminal appeals and Court of Protection matters. Recent key cases included: RE JR123 [2025] AC 1256, N3 [2025] AC 1473 and Re McAleenon [2025] AC 1362.

Solicitor 1991-96; called 1996; Inner Temple; QC 2010; Recorder 2010 to date. Publications of note: Wrote (with Amanda Weston, Jude Bunting and Raj Desai) ‘Judicial Review: A Practical Guide’ (3rd edition); edited (with Lord Justice Fulford) the ‘United Kingdom Human Rights Reports’; wrote (again with Lord Justice Fulford) ‘A Criminal Practitioners Guide to Judicial Review and Case Stated’; recently written a chapter in ‘Human Rights in the Investigation and Prosecution of Crime and Judicial Review: Law and Practice’.

ILPA; Association of Prison Lawyers; Administrative Law Bar Association; Prisoners Advice Service; Mental Health Lawyers Association; Human Rights Lawyers Association; Legal Action; Liberty; Justice; Amnesty International.

Harrow Weald Sixth Form College; Imperial College (1987 MEng Chemical Engineering); City of London Polytechnic (1989 CPE and Law Society Finals).

Running, skiing, cricket (watching), theatre, music, travel.