Verity accepts instructions across all areas of Chambers’ work, with a particular interest in public, planning, environmental, mental capacity and data protection law.
Before coming to the Bar, Verity was the judicial assistant to Mr Justice Hayden, the Vice-President of the Court of Protection in the High Court of England and Wales.
She previously worked as a research assistant at the Law Commission of England and Wales on proposals for the reform of surrogacy law, and taught family law at University College London.
Expertise
- Planning and Environment
Verity is developing a diverse planning and environmental law practice. Her experience includes:
- Drafting summary grounds of resistance on behalf of a local planning authority in response to an application for judicial review, successfully defending a decision to refuse to determine a planning application pursuant to section 70C of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990
- Advising a local planning authority on costs in judicial review at the permission stage
During pupillage, Verity:
- Assisted Estelle Dehon KC 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
- Assisted Estelle Dehon KC in the Court of Appeal in R. (Finch on behalf of Weald Action Group) v Surrey County Council and Others [2022] EWCA Civ 187, which concerned 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
- Assisted Ryan Kohli with drafting summary grounds of defence in a section 289 planning enforcement appeal on behalf of the Secretary of State
Her planning inquiry experience during pupillage includes:
- Assisting Estelle Dehon KC acting on behalf of a Rule 6 party (an environmental campaigning group) at the called-in inquiry considering proposals to open a metallurgical coal mine in Whitehaven
- Assisting Estelle Dehon KC acting on behalf of an environmental campaigning group at the inquiry considering the proposal to expand Bristol Airport
- Assisting Tom Cosgrove KC and Robert Williams in successfully defending at appeal the decision of a local planning authority, Guildford Borough Council, to refuse planning permission for 73 dwellings on an allocated housing site
- Court of Protection and community care
Verity has acted for a number of respondent local authorities in section 21A Mental Capacity Act 2005 proceedings in the Court of Protection. She has additional interests in:
- The interface between Court of Protection proceedings and housing law
- Disputed/borderline mental capacity and declarations under section 15 of the Mental Capacity Act 2005
- The interface between the Court of Protection and the inherent jurisdiction of the High Court
- Matters arising under the Mental Health Act 1983 and First-tier Tribunal proceedings
Prior to coming to the Bar, Verity developed her experience as the judicial assistant to the Vice-President of the Court of Protection in the High Court of England and Wales, Mr Justice Hayden.
- Public Law and Judicial Review
Recent instructions include:
- Advising and drafting summary grounds of resistance for a local authority responding to a judicial review of its decision to refuse a grant of funding under the Covid-19 Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant Scheme
- Drafting summary grounds of resistance on behalf of a local planning authority in response to an application for judicial review, successfully defending a decision to refuse to determine a planning application pursuant to section 70C of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990
- Advising a local planning authority on costs in judicial review at the permission stage
As a pupil, Verity also 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.
Prior to coming to the Bar, Verity worked at the Law Commission of England and Wales as a research assistant on their proposals for reform of the law relating to surrogacy, with a particular focus on the potential impact of Article 14 and Article 8 ECHR on proposals.
- Data protection and information law
Verity welcomes instructions across all areas of information law including the UK GDPR/DPA, FOIA and Environmental Information Regulations.
During pupillage, Verity assisted in advising a public body on the lawfulness of refusing to act on a subject access request on the basis it was manifestly unfounded or excessive pursuant to Article 12(5) GDPR.
- Housing
Verity has experience with a broad variety of possession, disrepair and discrimination claims under the Equality Act 2010. Her experience includes:
- Acting on behalf of a local authority seeking possession of commercial property following trespass, in circumstances where the Defendant sought to raise a claim of adverse possession
- Acting on behalf of a local authority seeking an injunction against a tenant, advising on the Public Sector Equality Duty and mental capacity to comply with an injunction
In Wales, Verity has particular expertise in advising on the implementation of the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 and related legislation.
She has also acted for local authorities and the police in a range of matters involving the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, including injunctions and closure orders.