Year of Call
2024Biography
Helena recently joined 5 Pump Court as a tenant following successful completion of a mixed common law pupillage. She has a mixed practice and accepts instructions in criminal, civil and court of protection cases. Helena has received great feedback from solicitors including "Just wanted to let you know that Helena was very good. Great to work with. I look forward to instructing her in the future." Helena has completed the Pupil Pledge for Advocate.
Before pupillage, Helena worked as a paralegal at Stewarts for almost three years, assisting a Partner who specialised in catastrophic brain and spinal cord injury. Helena was later appointed Paralegal Co-ordinator in which role she delivered training to paralegals joining the firm.
Helena has also volunteered for various organisations including the Free Representation Unit, where she successfully represented her client at the Employment Tribunal, and for several social mobility charities. She also provided representation for CAIWU, representing members at disciplinary hearings and through written advocacy.
Helena is good at absorbing and analysing large amounts of information quickly and distilling it into key legal arguments. She frequently works with vulnerable clients in very stressful circumstances and able to communicate complex legal and factual issues to them in an appropriate manner.
Crime
Helena frequently prosecutes and defends in the Crown Court and Magistrates’ Court. She has experience of cross-examining a range of witnesses (including experts) and of drafting written advice.
Helena also has experience of prosecuting and defending in the Youth Court. She is a registered Youth Court advocate, having completed training with the Youth Justice Legal Centre. Helena is a Grade 1 CPS Advocate Panel prosecutor.
Personal injury/credit hire
Helena has experience across personal injury and credit hire cases, acting both for claimants and for defendants. She has been instructed in a range of road traffic claims, including Stage 3 hearings, credit hire cases, liability trials, OIC quantum disputes and application hearings.
Court of Protection
Helena has a developing Court of Protection practice, having represented clients in Mental Capacity Act cases.
During first six, Helena observed a range of complex Court of Protection cases.
Education
- 2020-2021: BPP University BTC
- 2019-2020: BPP University GDL
- 2014-2018: University of Oxford, Classics
Memberships
- Family Law Bar Association
- Personal Injury Bar Association
- Criminal Bar Association
- Court of Protection Bar Association
Prizes
- Queen Mother Scholarship, Middle Temple (2020)
- Lord Justice Sachs Entrance Exhibition, Middle Temple (2020)
- BPP Advocacy Scholarship (2020)
- Winner of the Red Lion Chambers Mock Trial (KCLBMS) (2020)
- Winner of the KCLBMS Advocacy Writing Competition (2020)
- BPP Career Commitment Scholarship (2019 and 2020)
Languages
- French (business)
- Spanish (upper intermediate)
- Italian (intermediate)
Notable Cases
R v V: Represented a defendant at sentence for two offences including Class A supply. D was sentenced to a custodial sentence of 16 months.
R v S: Prosecuted a s20 GBH trial in the magistrates court resulting in D’s conviction.
R v N: Prosecuted an appeal against conviction (careless driving). D was re-convicted.
R v W: Prosecuted an appeal against conviction (threats to kill). D was re-convicted.
R v S: Represented a defendant at sentence for conspiracy to supply motor vehicles. The Crown’s position at sentence was that the total value of the conspiracy exceeded £100,000. D had a number of relevant and recent previous convictions. D was sentenced to a custodial sentence of 22 months.
R v R: Represented a defendant at sentence who had pleaded guilty to multiple breaches of a restraining order, the breach of two suspended sentence orders and the breach of a conditional discharge. Following mitigation, the court passed a sentence, which, once calculations had been made for time served in custody and on qualifying curfew, allowed the defendant to be released from custody that same day contrary to expectations.
R v B: Successful exceptional hardship application.
R v A: Prosecuted an appeal against conviction (assault by beating). D was re-convicted.
R v (1) NC (2) LAN: Represented a defendant (D1) who was charged with dwelling burglary. Helena successfully persuaded the CPS to replace the charge with a charge of non-dwelling burglary. However, D1’s co-defendant (D2) had already pleaded guilty to dwelling burglary for which he had received a custodial sentence. Helena successfully represented D2 at his appeal against conviction, which led to his sentence being reduced from 9 months to 6 months.
R v Ebanks: Successfully prosecuted a burglary sentencing hearing which resulted in a custodial sentence of 7 years 6 months for the defendant. A report of the case can be found here.