With an established tradition of human rights expertise, Matrix Chambers ‘combines intellectual heft and sector-based knowledge with approachable and communicative barristers’ to represent vulnerable clients in prominent international criminal and human rights proceedings. Praised for her ’utterly brilliant written work and advocacy’, Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh KC represents South Africa in its International Court of Justice case against Israel, which it accuses of genocide regarding the war in Gaza following Hamas’s October 7th attack in 2023; Michelle Butler continues to represent the families of Israeli victims of physical and sexual violence as part of October 7th. Edward Craven KC took silk in 2025 and has ongoing involvement for the claimant in Abu Zubaydah v Home Office and Foreign & Commonwealth Office, which concerns allegations of international human rights abuses against UK and US authorities. Joanna Buckley was recently instructed to act before the UN’s Committee against Torture on behalf of Yazidi victims of slavery and torture, a case which raised complex cross-border conflict questions regarding non-state actors.
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- Profile
Profile
Position
Specialist in public international law; international human rights law; international environmental law; public law; commercial law; sport law; privacy, defamation and data protection; and money laundering and proceeds of crime.
Notable cases include Somalia v Kenya (representing Somalia in a maritime delimitation dispute before the International Court of Justice), Croatia v Serbia (representing Croatia in proceedings under the Genocide Convention before the ICJ); Guyana v Venezuela (representing Guyana in proceedings before the ICJ concerning the validity of an 1899 arbitral ward); Lungowe v Vedanta Resources PLC (Supreme Court appeal concerning liability of UK parent company for polluting activities of foreign subsidiary); Elgizouli v Home Secretary (Supreme Court appeal regarding UK’s facilitation of the death penalty); Smith v Ministry of Defence (Supreme Court appeal concerning extra-territorial application of international human rights treaty); Belhaj v Straw (Supreme Court appeal concerning state immunity and foreign act of state doctrines); Rahmatullah and Serdar Mohammed v Secretary of State for Defence (Supreme Court appeal concerning crown act of state doctrine); SXH v Crown Prosecution Service (Supreme Court appeal concerning application of Article 8 ECHR to prosecution of vulnerable refugees); OPO v MLA (Supreme Court appeal concerning worldwide ban on publication of a performing artist’s autobiography); Lachaux v Lachaux (Supreme Court appeal regarding meaning of ‘serious harm’ in Defamation Act 2013); Bashir v Home Secretary (Supreme Court appeal regarding application of international treaty to UK sovereign base areas in Cyprus); Lloyd v Google (Supreme Court appeal concerning attempt to establish representative action on behalf of several million iPhone users); Gubarev v Christopher Steele (libel claim concerning publication of confidential intelligence memorandum); Okpabi v Royal Dutch Shell (Supreme Court appeal concerning claims against UK and Nigerian mining companies concerning extensive oil spills in Niger Delta); Abu Zubaydah v FCDO (Supreme Court appeal concerning applicable law in claims concerning facilitation of torture by CIA); Independent Inquiry Relating to Afghanistan (lead counsel for Bereaved Families who allege their relatives were unlawfully killed by UK Special Forces); Donald Trump v Orbis Business Intelligence Limited (successfully defending data protection claim brought by President Trump).
Career
Called 2007, Lincoln’s Inn; Ad hoc clerk at Court of Arbitration for Sport (2014 – present); Trial observer, International Bar Association Human Rights Institute (2013 – 2015); Judicial assistant, UK Supreme Court (2011 – 2012); Lecturer in administrative law, Balliol College, Oxford University (2010); Stagiaire, European Court of Human Rights (2010); Judicial assistant, Court of Appeal (2009). Publications of note: Human Rights and Criminal Justice (Sweet & Maxwell, 3rd Ed.) (contributing editor); Smith, Bodnar and Owen on Asset Recovery, Criminal Confiscation and Civil Recovery (OUP, 2nd Ed.) (contributor); Montgomery and Ormerod on Fraud: Criminal Law and Procedure (contributor); Prison Law (OUP, 3rd Ed.) (contributing editor).
Education
Trinity Hall, Cambridge University (BA Law – First Class); Inns of Court School of Law (Bar Vocational Course – Outstanding); Brasenose College, Oxford University (Bachelor of Civil Law – Distinction).
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Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Clerks are good, especially Paul Venables.'
- 'Paul Venables must be highlighted for particular praise and credit. He knows the market in public international law better than any other clerk, and is highly effective at protecting the interests of the barristers with whom he works.'
- 'Good depth in senior and junior areas in this area of law.'
- 'Matrix is an incredibly experienced set for constitutional, public and international law. They manage to combine intellectual heft and sector-based knowledge with approachable and communicative barristers.'
- 'Matrix is outstanding.'