Landmark Chambers

Sasha specialises in difficult, sensitive cutting-edge public law at the intersection with environmental, planning and rights-based law. Sasha also has a strong reputation internationally in marine work.

Sasha has appeared at all levels up to the Supreme Court and has extensive experience of judicial review proceedings, statutory appeals and planning inquiries. Sasha appears regularly in the Administrative Court and the Planning Court. The directories' comment that Sasha is "incredibly client focused, accessible and extremely personable whilst diligent and forensic in detail.”

Sasha has a particular interest in environmental-related matters in public and planning law, and spent time on a Pegasus scholarship in Australia and New Zealand examining their system of environmental and planning courts. Sasha has also been a Trustee and Director of Forum for the Future and has been a Trustee and Director of the United Kingdom Environmental Law Association as a member of the Governing Council.

Sasha spent her first year of tenancy as a Judicial Assistant to the Law Lords (Lord Scott of Foscote, Baroness Hale of Richmond and Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury), working on cases before both the Judicial Committee of the House of Lords and the Privy Council. She gained substantial experience of appellate advocacy and judicial practice during that year. Cases she worked on in the House of Lords as a judicial assistant included, R v. London Borough of Bromley, ex parte Barker [2006] UKHL 52 and Belfast City Council v Miss Behavin Limited [2007] UKHL 19.

In September 2020, Sasha was appointed to the Attorney General’s A Panel of Junior Counsel. She is also one of a small number of barristers appointed to the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s Panel Counsel in 2019.

Sasha Notable cases include:

Interpretations of planning permissions

• Lambeth v SSHCLG [2019] UKSC 33 - Sasha acted in leading Supreme Court case on the interpretation of planning permissions

• Dunnett v SSCLG[2017] EWCA Civ 192 - Sasha acted in leading Court of Appeal case on the interpretation of a planning condition to exclude the GPDO/UCO.

Housing

• Jelson v SSCLG[ [2018] EWCA Civ 24] (sole Counsel below) - Sasha acted in important Court of Appeal cases on “five year housing land supply” (“5YHLS”) and in the “East Bergholt” line of cases.

• R(East Bergholt PC )(No. 2) v Babergh DC [2019] EWCA Civ 2200 - Sasha acted in the Court of Appeal on permission to appeal refused by the Supreme Court.

• Sasha has also acted in a range of other housing cases.

Rights-based public law

• McKay v All England Lawn Tennis Club [2020] EWCA Civ 695 - permission to appeal refused by the Supreme Court, this was an article 6 right to a fair trial, committal for breach of Order to disclose information and declaration of incompatibility.

• Sasha has acted in a range of licence-based cases, e.g. acted in leading case for Home Office sponsorship licence revocation R(Taste of India Ltd) v SSHD [2018] EWHC 414 (Admin) (and many other cases in this area)

• Sasha has acted in a range of cases for Department of Education restricting school’s licences to operate e.g. most recently Promised Land v SSE [2021] UKFTT 0057 (HESC);

• Sasha has act for DWP in recoupment cases; A1P1 cases including a variety of fisheries cases in the High Court including R (Greenpeace) v SSEFRA [2016] EWHC 55

• Sasha is acting in Castelucci v Gender Recognition Panel and Minister for Women and Equalities [CO/4347/2022), Article 8 case about a non-binary individual seeking gender recognition in the UK’s binary system and declaration of incompatibility (now led by Sir James Eadie) (current) in three forums

• Sasha acted in test cases on certification for removal to an EU Member State based on Article 8/Article 3 ECHR rights and other associated Tribunal litigation (NA (Sudan) v SSHD [2016] EWCA Civ 1060.

Gypsy & Traveller

• Recent examples include Nixon v SSHCLG [2020] EWHC 3036 - a high-profile challenge by 2 Claimants in national press (13 grounds, 19 issues and 39 sub-issues).

Planning and National Security work

• Crest Nicholson v West Berkshire DC and Secretary of State for Defence and others [2021] EWHC 289 (Admin) [2021] 2 WLUK 193 - a significant challenge by major housebuilders to the increased protection zone around an important nuclear military asset.

• Sasha also does other national security work.

Marine, Harbour, and Water law

• R.( Tarian Hafren Severn Shield Cyf) v MMO [2022] EWHC 683 - a challenge to the construction of Hinckley Point C, the first nuclear power station in a generation

• Thomson v MMO [2019] EWHC 2368 - a high-profile challenge across national media to the regeneration of Dover Port related to dredging in the “Goodwin Sands” off of Dover

• The “Powell” line of cases challenging major development in Brighton Marina, including the important [2017] EWHC 1491 on actionable interferences with public rights of navigation, and [2015] EWCA Civ 650 whether Private Act provided continuing powers.

International marine work

• Sasha is acting in multi-billion international environmental fisheries adjudications in the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean and North Sea in London, New York, Dubai and Madrid (subject of Netflix documentary (Seaspiracy) & Select Committee inquiry)

• Sasha is acting in cases on revocation of the UK “flag” on vessels

• Sasha acted in R(Guernsey) v SSEFRA [2016]EWHC 1847 - an important case about the scope of improper motive and fisheries policies between the UK Government and the Bailiwick of Guernsey.

Qualifications

Legal Qualifications

• Common Professional Examination (Diploma in Law) 2004 (Distinction)

• Bar Vocational Course (2005) (Outstanding)

Select Academic Qualifications and Awards

• Balliol College, Oxford (History BA 2000 (First Class) (Scholar)

• Oxford University Gibbs Reading Prize (placed second in year in final examinations)

• Kennedy School of Government, Harvard. Kennedy Scholar. Graduate level Fellowship. (2002)

• MProf in Leadership for Sustainable Development (2001)

• Diploma in Women’s Right Law (2007) LSE.

Sasha was the Judicial Assistant to the Law Lords in 2007.

Scholarships 

• European Environmental Agency scholarship - 2007

• Lord Mansfield - 2005, Lincoln’s Inn

• Lord Bowden - 2004, Lincoln’s Inn

Memberships 

Sasha is appointed to the 'Attorney General's A Panel of Junior Counsel' and the 'Equality and Human Rights Commission Panel Counsel'.

• Environmental Law Foundation

• Planning and Environmental Bar Association

• United Kingdom Environmental Law Association (formerly a Director and Council Member)

• Administrative Law Bar Association

• Human Rights Lawyers Association

• Justice

Legal Appointments 

• Attorney General’s A Panel of Junior Counsel to the Crown

• Equality and Human Rights Commission Panel Counsel

• Implementation Committee, “Entry to the Bar”, Bar Council. Member (2008 – 2011)

• Judicial Assistant to the Law Lords (2007). Sasha was a Judicial Assistant to Baroness Hale of Richmond and Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury

• Pegasus Scholarship , Land and Environment Court of New South Wales, Australia (2010)