Harriet Wakeman

Public and Administrative

Harriet is an experienced and highly sought after public law practitioner. She is frequently instructed in high profile judicial review claims in the Administrative Court, both led and unled, and she acts in appeals before the Upper Tribunal, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. She acts for claimants, defendants and intervening parties, and represents detained clients through Bail for Immigration Detainees. Harriet developed her strong interest in public law whilst working as the stagiaire to Judge Christopher Vajda at the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg before coming to the Bar. Harriet accepts instructions in a broad range of public law cases including cases concerning: national security law, human rights law, welfare and social security law, immigration law (including unlawful detention), European Union law, healthcare law, education law and disciplinary law.

Notable recent and current instructions include:

• R (Imam) v London Borough of Croydon: Counsel for Crisis (led by Justin Bates) in an intervention before the Supreme Court which concerns the nature of the duty owed by local authorities to homeless people, and specifically, the relief that should be granted after a local authority has breached its “full” homelessness duty.
• R (AT) v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions: Counsel for the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (led by Jason Coppel KC) before the Court of Appeal in this case which concerns the entitlement of an EU citizen residing in the UK post-Brexit to social security benefits, and the applicability of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights post-Brexit.
• R (Redrow Homes Ltd) v Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities [2024] EWCA Civ 651: Counsel for Secretary of State (led by Tom Richards KC) before the Court of Appeal. Harriet successfully defended an appeal concerning a decision by the Secretary of State to award funding of approximately £30 million to pay for the remediation of life-threatening building fire safety defects at two high rise developments in Birmingham.
• Counsel for the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (led by Samantha Broadfoot KC) in a judicial review challenge concerning errors in Covid-19 PCR testing at the Immensa laboratory in Wolverhampton.
• Counsel for the Defendant (led by David Blundell KC) in the linked challenges to the Secretary of State’s policy of intercepting migrant boats in UK waters, stopping them and redirecting them to France.
• Counsel for the Secretary of State for the Home Department (skeleton argument stage) (led by Julia Smyth) in two appeals before the Court of Appeal which concern decisions to deprive individuals of their British citizenship and, specifically, the application of the Supreme Court’s decision in R (Begum) v SIAC and SSHD [2021] AC 765 (which concerned the decision to deprive Shamima Begum of her British citizenship) to other contexts.

Public Inquiries and Inquests

Harriet is an experienced and highly sought after public inquiry and inquest practitioner.

She is recognised for her inquest and public inquiry work as a leading junior in Chambers and Partners (2024) and Legal 500 (2025) having previously been an ‘Up and Coming’ junior in Chambers and Partners (2023) and a ‘Tier 1 Rising Star’ (Legal 500, 2023 & 2024). She is a member of the Attorney-General’s C-panel of counsel.

Harriet is described in the leading legal directories as being an “extremely strong practitioner” with “significant experience in major inquests” who is “steeped in the law” of inquests and inquiries. She is “intellectually rigorous”, “exceptional in mastering large volumes of material (including complex technical evidence), and her research skills are second to none”. In addition, “her written submissions are superb – detailed and compelling” and “watertight”. Her work is “of the highest quality” and “her attention to detail and recall of facts is incredible. She has an immense work ethic, and is confident and conscientious”. She is also a “talented advocate, having great attention to detail and providing great submissions”.

Harriet has extensive experience as counsel to inquiries and counsel to inquests, as well as experience acting for core participants and interested persons. She has appeared in many of the major public inquiries and inquests over the past five years. Harriet acts for bereaved families, government departments and other interested persons, as well as acting as counsel to the inquest and inquiry.

Notable recent and current instructions include:

• Counsel for the Secretary of State for the Home Department in the Dawn Sturgess Inquiry (led by Cathy McGahey KC). Dawn Sturgess died in 2018 having been poisoned by Novichok after the attack on Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury. Press coverage here.
• Counsel for the Department for Health in the Covid-19 Inquiry (led by Fiona Scolding KC and Sam Stein KC).
  
• Counsel for the Department for Transport in the Cranston Inquiry (led by David Blundell KC).
• Counsel to the Brook House Inquiry (led by Brian Altman KC). Press coverage here.
• Counsel for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry (led by Jason Beer KC). Press coverage here.
• Counsel to the Inquest into the death of Mr Thomas Orchard (led by Nicholas Moss KC). Press coverage here.
• Counsel to the Inquests (led by Jonathan Hough KC) in the ‘Bugaled Breizh’ Inquests, concerning the sinking of a French
  fishing trawler in 2004. Press coverage here.

In addition, Harriet has been instructed in a number of inquests concerning deaths in prisons. This work has involved a consideration of issues such as the management of prisoners at risk of suicide and self-harm, drug control measures, healthcare within prisons and internal prison communication systems. Harriet appears in Article 2 and jury inquests.

Given her public law and inquest experience, Harriet is ideally placed to advise and act in judicial review and statutory review (Section 13 of the Coroners Act 1988) challenges to coronial decisions. Harriet recently acted for a successful Claimant in a judicial review claim challenging the conclusion of an inquest (press coverage here).

Education

Harriet acts for local authorities, institutions and families within her education law work. Harriet accepts instructions in all aspects of education law, including:

• Cases concerning schools, including: admissions, exclusions, discrimination, academy conversion and OFSTED issues;
• Cases concerning higher education institutions, including: discrimination claims;
• SEND appeals before both the First-tier Tribunal and before the Upper Tribunal;
• Disputes on responsibility for SEND provision;
•  Judicial reviews arising from special educational needs issues.

Planning

Harriet is building a broad practice across planning and environmental law, spanning a full range of court, inquiry and advisory work. She is particularly interested in the intersection between planning and environmental law and public law.

Harriet accepts instructions, both led and unled, in all areas of planning law, advising individuals, developers, local authorities, planning consultants and land agents across a wide range of matters. She is a member of the Attorney-General’s C-panel of counsel.

Harriet accepts instructions from clients at all stages of the planning process, from pre-application through to court challenge. Harriet has acted as sole counsel in planning and enforcement appeals, including appeals involving traveller sites and human rights issues. In addition, Harriet has significant experience in drafting skeleton arguments and pleadings in High Court judicial review proceedings. Harriet has experience acting in both planning inquiries and challenges before the High Court, both led and as sole counsel.

Harriet is currently instructed in a 4-week planning inquiry concerning a 6-story building with basement in central London (led by James Maurici KC).

Harriet has also been instructed in a number of judicial review claims concerning the funding of cladding remediation work under the Building Safety Fund. She recently appeared in R (Redrow Homes Ltd) v Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities [2024] EWCA Civ 651 before the Court of Appeal. In that case, Harriet successfully defended an appeal concerning a decision by the Secretary of State to award funding of approximately £30 million to pay for the remediation of life-threatening building fire safety defects at two high rise developments in Birmingham. In addition, from 2018 – 2022, Harriet acted for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry which enabled her to develop a detailed understanding of the construction industry and the relevant regulatory and testing regimes.

Harriet is a member of the Planning & Environmental Bar Association, as well as the United Kingdom Environmental Law Association. She recently delivered a talk on topical issues in planning reform which concerned the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill and the National Planning Policy Framework.

Environment

Harriet is building a broad practice across planning and environmental law, spanning a full range of court, inquiry and advisory work. She is particularly interested in the intersection between planning and environmental law and public law.

Harriet is a member of the Planning & Environmental Bar Association, as well as the United Kingdom Environmental Law Association.

Cross-practice

Landmark's barristers often work at the intersection of our core practice areas; bringing a wide range of skills, knowledge and experience to bear on a particular dispute or issue facing a client.

Our focus is always on achieving the best possible outcome for our client. By viewing the client's objectives in a holistic way - and not purely through the lens of one rigidly-defined legal area - we deliver the best possible advice and representation in complex matters that engage multiple specialist areas of law. 

Whether it's providing support as an individual cross-practice barrister or a cross-disciplinary team of Landmark counsel, we are able to draw on an outstanding array of complementary skillsets and knowledge bases. This often achieves a better result than instructing multiple barristers from different specialist sets. This also improves the quality of client care through increased levels of communication, quicker response times, and a coordinated approach to clerking and fees, made possible by our team-based cross-practice approach.

Please contact our practice management team for more information.

Costs Litigation

Harriet has a busy and varied costs practice. She acts in all aspects of cost litigation and litigation funding, both as sole counsel and led.

Harriet has experience in costs law cases in both the High Court and Senior Courts Costs Office, as well as the County Court. Harriet has acted in claims concerning significant sums of costs: recently, she acted for the Lord Chancellor before a Divisional Court in a challenge to an order made by a Crown Court judge concerning the recovery of private prosecution costs out of public funds which totalled just under £6 million.

Harriet acts in detailed assessment hearings and has experience dealing with a wide range of costs issues including the cost consequences of Part 36 offers, qualified one-way costs shifting, and wasted costs. Harriet has particular experience in costs budgeting, fixed costs and RTA portal cases as a result of her early years of practice, when she undertook personal injury law work.

EU Law post-Brexit

Local Government

Public Interest Litigation