Serena completed pupillage at the Government Legal Department. As a pupil, Serena assisted with a high profile judicial review of the then-Home Secretary’s decision not to hold a statutory inquiry into alleged breaches of Article 3 at the Manston arrivals and processing centre. She appeared for the Home Secretary in the Upper Tribunal (Asylum and Immigration Chamber) in two oral permission hearings and was successful in securing permission refusal in both. She also represented the Sovereign Base Areas Administration in the Resident Judge’s Court in four sentencing hearings.

Whilst seconded to Blackstone Chambers during pupillage, Serena assisted her supervisors by drafting skeleton arguments, preparing cross examination notes and speaking notes in a range of commercial and administrative matters. These include in Crystal Palace’s appeal against the UEFA decision to expel it from the Europa League, an Upper Tribunal appeal against the FCA decision to impose fines on executives for knowingly breaching the Listing Rules, and in other cases on civil fraud and trusts law.

At Defra, Serena led two litigation workstreams on animal reintroductions – successfully coordinating a joint position between two Defra teams – and leading the response to a water quality related challenge against Defra and Ofwat.

Prior to pupillage Serena worked in the knowledge (PSL) team in the corporate team at Linklaters. She also received instructions in possession hearings as a County Court Advocate.