Verity Bell

Pupillage

Verity assisted Estelle Dehon QC in R(on the application of Misbourne Environmental Protection Ltd) v Environment Agency [2021] EWHC 3094 (Admin), in which permission for judicial review of a consent granted to construct a 16-kilometre twin tunnel as part of HS2 was successfully resisted. She also assisted in a challenge to the lawfulness of a Council's decision not to require an environmental impact assessment for a fossil fuel extraction development which included an assessment of the greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the use of the extracted crude oil: R(Finch on behalf of Weald Action Group) v Surrey County Council and Others [2022] EWCA Civ 187.

Other planning law experience Verity developed during pupillage includes assisting Ryan Kohli in the drafting of summary grounds of defence in a section 289 planning enforcement appeal in the High Court.

Her planning inquiry work includes assisting Estelle Dehon QC acting on behalf of environmental groups at the public inquiry considering the proposal to expand Bristol Airport, as well as at the public inquiry concerning the called-in application for a new coal mine in West Cumbria.

Verity assisted Ryan Kohli with the drafting of summary grounds of resistance in an immigration judicial review concerning an application for a residence card under the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2016.

Verity has acted for local authorities and housing associations in a range of County Court housing law matters including anti-social behaviour injunctions, possession, disrepair and claims involving the Equality Act 2010 and the public sector equality duty.

Professional Background

Prior to starting her pupillage, Verity was the Judicial Assistant to the Vice-President of the Court of Protection (Mr Justice Hayden) in the High Court of England and Wales.

She previously worked as a research assistant at the Law Commission of England and Wales, as a teaching fellow in law at University College London, and as an assistant legal officer at an employment and social welfare charity.

Education

Verity read law at New College, Oxford before completing her LLM (with distinction) at University College London. She was awarded Bedingfield and residential scholarships by Gray's Inn to complete the Bar course.