Nancy is a partner in our Public Law team having joined Bindmans in September 2024.
Nancy specialises in public law challenges and complex civil litigation relating to human rights claims. She has particular interest in representing vulnerable individuals who have suffered injustice at the hands of the State and holding public bodies to account for decisions which impact upon minority groups. Nancy was shortlisted in 2017 for the Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year award in public law.
Nancy has represented individuals who have suffered mistreatment by local authorities, privately run care homes, mental health authorities, and within the immigration and criminal justice system. She has experience of public law challenges, complex group actions, inquests, public inquiries and third party interventions.
Nancy has experience of litigation in the domestic courts and also the European Court of Human Rights. She acted for the applicants in Edwards v UK 14 March 2002, a case which helped to establish the parameters of an Article 2 (the right to life) compliant investigation.
Nancy represented a large number of bereaved, survivors and residents in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. She also acted in the civil claims arising from the Grenfell Tower fire, between 2018 and 2024. Her experience of group litigation also derives from having represented a number of Hillsborough families in their claims for misfeasance in public office, arising from the actions of South Yorkshire Police and West Midlands Police following the Hillsborough tragedy in 1989.
Nancy has experience of environmental law; from 2023–2024 she acted for Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debra, whose daughter, Ella, died of asthma in 2013. Ella was the first person in the world to have air pollution listed as a cause of death on her death certificate.
In 2018 she acted for Humanists UK in their intervention in the case of Noel Conway and his claim for the right to die.
Nancy acts for Kristina O’Connor in her judicial review arising from the handling of her complaint about the inappropriate actions of a police officer. The case is listed to be heard by the Court of Appeal in December 2024, when the court will consider the reasonableness of the decision of the Police Misconduct Panel to issue the officer with a final written warning.
Nancy has represented bereaved families in inquests into deaths in care homes, mental health detention, police and prison custody.
She has taught extensively on prison law. She has spoken at inquest law public law events. She contributed to the prison law update in LAG for many years and contributed two chapters to the text ‘Prisoners and the Law’.
Education and career
- Nancy graduated from Leeds university in 1996 with a BA in French and Italian.
- She obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Law in 1997 and completed the Legal Practice Course in 1998, both at BBP Law School.
- Nancy qualified as a solicitor at a large firm of solicitors in 2000. She moved to Liberty and then the Prisoners’ Advice Service where she was the senior solicitor from 2001–2006 where she developed expertise in public law challenges to decisions affecting prisoners.
- Nancy moved to a London firm specialising in civil liberties in 2007 where she continued to develop her expertise in public law, civil litigation and inquests. She moved to the public law team in another law firm where she continued to develop her practice and expertise before joining as a partner at a different firm specialising in civil liberties in 2016.
- Nancy joined Bindmans as a partner in the public law team in 2024.
Experience and cases
- Edwards v UK (App. No. 46477/99) 14 March 2002: In this claim arising from the death of a prisoner in HMP Chelmsford, Nancy acted for the deceased’s parents and successfully argued that the investigation into their son’s death had not complied with Article 2 (the right to life). The case helped to establish the requirements of an Article 2 compliant investigation.
- Day v SSHD [2004] EWHC 1742 (Admin): Nancy acted for an indeterminate prisoner and successfully argued that the period of delay between parole board reviews was unlawful being incompatible with the requirements of Article 5 of the EHCR.
- Daniels v St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust and London Ambulance Service [2016] EWHC 23 QB: Nancy acted for the claimants in a claim for a declaration and damages under the Human Rights Act 1998. It was argued that there had been an unreasonable and unnecessary delay in calling an ambulance for the deceased, who had been part of the claimants’ family as a foster child. The judgment offers guidance on victim status and family members under the HRA.
- R (Conway) v SSHD [2018] EWCA Civ 1431: Nancy acted for Humanists UK in their third party intervention arguing in support the appellant, Mr Conway, in his challenge to the blanket ban on assisted suicide.
- R (O’Connor) v (1) Police Misconduct Panel (2) The Commissioners of Police of the Metropolis and James Mason [2023] EWHC 2892 (Admin): Nancy represented the Claimant in a challenge to the handling by the Metropolitan Police of a complaint about the conduct of a former DCI, Mr Mason, and the decision of the Misconduct Panel.
Professional memberships
- Inquest Lawyers Group, Steering Committee
- Police Action Lawyers Group
Publications and press releases
- Press release: on behalf of Kristina O’Connor in the Court of Appeal – Dec 2024
- Nancy co-wrote the prison law updates for the Legal Action Group journal for a number of years.
- She also contributed two chapters to the text ‘Prisoners and the Law’.
- Nancy has contributed to a number of consultation responses, including the Bill of Rights 2002.
