“Katherine’s advocacy was exceptional at trial and a great assistance to all the Parties, including the Judge – we all would have been very lost without Katherine’s involvement.”
Instructing Solicitor
“We were so impressed by Katherine’s empathy, professionalism, attention to detail and assured, calm, concise advocacy. Her presence had a considerable impact in terms of the family’s feelings.”
Instructing Solicitor
EXPERIENCE & EXPERTISE
Public and Administrative Law
Katherine has a busy practice advising on the merits of judicial review actions and representing both Claimants and Respondents in judicial review claims in the Administrative Court.
She was recently led by David Lawson in BLZ 1 [2025] EWHC 153 (Admin) and BLZ 2 [2025] EWHC 154 (Admin), acting for a local authority defendant to judicial review and human rights claims concerning the approach to be taken to accommodation-related needs for care and support and to Home Office Bail accommodation when local authorities are considering whether they have a duty to offer accommodation under the Care Act 2014. LCC were successful at first instance as against all four grounds of claims against them.
Led by James Berry, she acted for the successful Claimant in a claim for judicial review of a decision of a Police Misconduct Panel. Mrs Justice Yip found “significant flaws” in the panel’s approach to outcome: R (Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis) v Police Misconduct Panel & Fletcher [2025] EWHC 93 (Admin).
Led by James Berry and John Beggs KC, Katherine is currently instructed by the Metropolitan Police Service in the ongoing judicial review of an officer’s dismissal for gross incompetence following the review of his vetting: R (Lino Di Maria) v Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis [2025] EWHC 275 (Admin). This judicial review has gained and continues to receive significant media coverage.
Her other public law experience includes representing both local authorities and families in the First Tier Tribunal (SEND) in Education matters, and having been instructed by the Public Solicitor’s Office in a breach of constitution claim against the Attorney General of St Helena.
Katherine is a member of the Attorney General’s Junior Junior scheme.
Court of Protection
Katherine represents local authorities, the Official Solicitor, and families in the Court of Protection.
Recent instructions include: representing P’s father in proceedings in which, although P lacked capacity, it was determined that it was in P’s best interests to reside in the applicant Council’s preferred placement only if she wished to do so; this was the order sought by P’s father (Leicester City Council v HC and RC [2024] EWCOP 24); acting for the Official Solicitor in s16 MCA 2005 proceedings where the imminent risk of P’s removal from the UK necessitated the urgent appointment of a personal finances deputy; and ongoing proceedings on behalf of an applicant local authority rendered complex by P’s absconding and potentially changing capacity as regards residence.
Katherine’s previous experience of commercial and pensions practice allows her to grapple effectively with the issues in Property and Finance Court of Protection matters. Her master’s degree in medical law and ethics, including dissertation on lack of capacity and decision-making over medical matters, provides a strong grounding for Health and Welfare and Serious Medical Treatment instructions.
Inquests, Inquiries, and Investigations
Katherine represents families, Trusts, individual healthcare practitioners, police forces, and prisons in inquests dealing with complex medical and legal issues. She recently represented a retired mental health nurse whose conduct was not found to have contributed to the death in patient at Broadmoor in an Article 2 inquest, and is currently instructed in a number of inquests concerning, inter alia, the death of a young person recently released from care, and the death of a young woman murdered by her partner.
Katherine has previously been on the Designated Lawyers team in the Undercover Policing Inquiry, acting on behalf of retired Undercover Officers and their managers. She is currently instructed in the Covid-19 Inquiry.
She is currently co-authoring a chapter on the General Principles of Public Inquiries for a recently commissioned Bloomsbury Monograph on Inquiries and Inquests.
Police Law
Katherine regularly represents police forces in misconduct hearings and gross incompetence meetings and advises on misconduct and gross incompetence.
She has recently acted (led) for the Metropolitan Police in multiple judicial review claims (as above).
Katherine also represents police forces in Inquests, and in Employment matters in the Employment Tribunal.
Employment
Katherine appears in preliminary and final hearings across the range of employment litigation, including discrimination, TUPE transfers, and unfair dismissals. She accepts instructions for both Claimants and Respondents, and regularly appears opposite barristers who far exceed her years of call.
In particular, Katherine has experience in TUPE transfer claims (O’Keefe v Gold Panda Ltd), and sex and disability discrimination claims (Draus v First Call Contract Services).
Business and Specialist Crime
Katherine’s exposure to commercial practice, gained prior to her joining Chambers’, makes her well placed to accept instructions in business and specialist crime. She has experience as sole counsel representing businesses in commercial matters involving contractual disputes, and in particular in claims involving breaches of Data Protection Regulations and the GDPR. Katherine has also undertaken led work on higher-value disputes, including high-value fraud claims (including trust elements).
From 2023-2024 she was seconded part-time in house to assist with a multi-jurisdictional insurance claim arising out of the Russian Sanctions legislation, and has assisted on multiple other claims involving questions raised under, and challenges to decisions made under, the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2018 and Myanmar (Sanctions) Regulations 2021.
She has experience in condemnation and forfeiture claims (see e.g. “Another Victory”: Rogers Norton), POCA matters, and restoration claims.
PRIOR TO THE BAR
Prior to joining Chambers, Katherine worked in the Department of International Trade at the Civil Service, where she undertook research for policy development (trade legislation) and assisted in setting up the new arbitrators panel for international trade disputes. During her Master’s, she worked as a research assistant to academics from Oxford University and LSE on a jointly funded project. Katherine also has experience working in the FTSE 100 Tax Advisory Team at Deloitte, at Save the Children International, and in Child and Adolescent Mental Health in the NHS.
QUALIFICATIONS
Katherine completed her Bar Practice Course at the Inns of Court College of Advocacy, where she was the top performing student in her Examination-in-Chief final examination (2021-2022). She obtained her MA in Medical Ethics and Law from King’s College London, where she was awarded the Tempany Prize in Medical Ethics & Law (2020-2021). Prior to this, Katherine graduated from St Hilda’s College, Oxford University in with a BA (First Class) in Law (Jurisprudence), where she was awarded the Law Network Prize and the Tutorial Committee Prize for outstanding final examinations results (2017-2020).
PRIZES, SCHOLADRSHIPS, ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS
- Inns of Court College of Advocacy, Top Performing student in Examination in Chief (2022)
- Tempany Prize in Medical Ethics & Law, King’s College London
- Law Network Prize for Outstanding Undergraduate Performance, St Hilda’s College, Oxford University
- Tutorial Committee Prize for Outstanding Final Examinations results, St Hilda’s College, Oxford University
RECOMMENDATIONS
“Katherine has made a big difference in streamlining a complex case where we were at a complete loss as to what to do at a stage very shortly before trial. Katherine anticipated what the Judge was likely to decide at trial, advised us accordingly, drafted the necessary pleadings and we then managed to avert a very negative outcome at trial”
Instructing Solicitor
“Katherine did a fantastic job and was a pleasure to work with. I’d be delighted to instruct her again”
Instructing Solicitor
“Her skeleton was better than I have seen from many experienced practitioners and she had clearly put a great deal of work in to it as well as in relation to the case generally”
Opposing Counsel
Appointments and Memberships
Constitutional and Administrative Law Bar Association
Court of Protection Bar Association
Katherine is direct access qualified, and accepts Pro Bono instructions through Advocate.
Privacy
Katherine adopts and adheres to the provisions of the privacy notice which can be accessed here.
FURTHER INFORMATION
For further details of Katherine’s practice please contact a member of the clerking or client care team.
Bar Council Membership No: 76704
Registered Name: Katherine Hampshire
VAT Registration No: 449348557