Doughty Street Chambers

Yvonne has developed a busy practice defending in criminal courts across the country. She has acted on behalf of individuals facing a wide range of allegations and has experience of appellate proceedings in the Court of Appeal.

A criminal defence practitioner, instructed in cases covering all aspects of criminal law, who often achieves successful outcomes against the odds. Yvonne prides herself on her commitment to her clients and she is regularly instructed in difficult cases which require careful client care.

Year of Call: 2008

Yvonne completed pupillage at a common law set, which provided her with a solid grounding in criminal, general civil and immigration law practice. Prior to coming to the Bar, Yvonne worked primarily in the fields of human rights and legal policy. After completing her undergraduate degree, she worked in legal policy and governance at the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development in Accra. She later worked in Brussels, first as a stagiaire at the European Parliament (Subcommittee on Human Rights) then at the Open Society Institute’s EU office. She also gained further experience in EU law and immigration law while working as a legal caseworker at the AIRE Centre and volunteering for Bail for Immigration Detainees.

Yvonne is currently a trustee of Tower Hamlets Law Centre and a member of Queen Mary University London Legal Advice Centre’s Advisory Board. She is also a Director of Black Protest Legal Support.

Since May 2019, Yvonne has been instructed as junior counsel to the Dame Linda Dobbs Review considering whether the issues relating to the HBOS Reading scandal were investigated and appropriately reported to authorities at the time by Lloyds Banking Group, following its acquisition of HBOS.

In early 2019, Yvonne was seconded to the Financial Conduct Authority as reviewing counsel for a high-profile regulatory investigation. She was also instructed by the FCA as an independent advocate to advise on legal professional privilege. Before coming to the Bar,  Yvonne gained experience in financial regulation and mis-selling claims while working as an adjudicator at the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Between June – August 2018, Yvonne was instructed by the London Fire Commissioner as disclosure counsel for the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.

Pro Bono Work

Since 2019, Yvonne has been on the lawyers’ panel for the Centre For Women’s Justice. She has advised on a range of cases involving incidents of violence against women and girls and has drafted successful submissions on behalf of applicants under the Victims’ Right to Review scheme.

Criminal Bar Association

South Eastern Circuit

Women in Criminal Law (Race Equality Committee and Mentoring Committee member)

MSc Criminology & Criminal Justice (Distinction), New College, University of Oxford

European, Comparative and International Law, University of Sheffield & University of Hong Kong