Litigation. Police

Orla is a partner and head of BLM's national police team. She has over 25 years' experience in defending public and employers' liability claims on behalf of police forces nationally. She is instructed to deal with claims involving assault, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution, negligence, misfeasance, public order demonstrations and deaths in custody. She has extensive experience in representing police forces in claims involving national security and public interest immunity issues.

Her particular strength is in advising on technical and complex claims arising out of alleged breaches of the Human Rights Act and associated Article 2 inquests. Orla was instructed in the reported case of AAA v Chief Constable of Kent (2017) in which the Article 5 deprivation of liberty claim, was struck out in the High Court. Orla is acting for a layer insurer in a group action brought by hundreds of claimants seeking damages from South Yorkshire and West Midlands Police for misfeasance in public office over conduct of officers on the day of, and after, the Hillsborough disaster.

Sacred Heart Grammar School; Liverpool University (1991 LLB Hons 2(1)); College of Law, Chester (1992).