Doughty Street Chambers

Actions Against the Police and Public Authorities International Criminal Law International Human Rights Law Data Protection and Information Law

Quincy Whitaker’s work encompasses all aspects of domestic and international criminal justice Human Rights law.

Her practice spans the domestic criminal justice process, from challenges to the compatibility of criminal law with human rights law and other judicial review proceedings against public bodies through to obtaining civil redress for victims of state misconduct; civil actions against the police and other public authorities, prisoners’ rights, discrimination claims and victims of trafficking.  She has particular interest in disclosure and retention/misuse of data and represents G in the successful challenge to the existing criminal records disclosure scheme (P,G & W v Secretary of State for Home Dept & Secretary of State for Justice [2017] EWCA Civ 321 – Secretaries of States’ appeal to be heard by the Supreme Court in June 2018).

She also  has  practical experience and  detailed academic knowledge of international criminal  and international human rights law and  has  taught & lectured widely  on  the  subject as  well as  appearing at  a  variety of international tribunals. She has appeared in a number of notable cases involving the death penalty in the Caribbean and has been involved with death penalty litigation in many Commonwealth jurisdictions. She is a founding Director of TWL Legal Consulting which provides consultancy services in the field of international law and the development of legal and judicial systems to governments and NGOs.  She has contributed as an International Expert to the development of the CoE’s training programme for legal professionals and has acted as a Senior Criminal Justice consultant for DfID in Kosovo.

She has  a first class masters degree in International Human  Rights Law and  has  taught undergraduate and  graduate degree courses at the  LSE, SOAS and  the  University  of North London  on Human  Rights Law, Administrative Law and Criminal Law. She co-authored (with Keir Starmer QC) ‘Criminal Justice,  Police Powers  & Human  Rights’ (Blackstone’s) and has acted as legal consultant on a number of TV and film projects including the award winning drama documentary ‘Consent’.

Year of Call: 1991; Middle Temple

Quincy Whitaker has practised throughout her 20 years as a tenant at Doughty Street in all aspects of criminal justice related human rights law and has appeared at all levels of tribunal, including the Crown Court, High Court, Court of Appeal, House of Lords, Privy Council and the international courts of Sierra Leone and the Former Yugoslavia. Her domestic practice primarily concerns issues of compatibility between human rights law and criminal law and procedure, challenges directed at ensuring that prisoners, defendants and other users of the criminal justice system are treated lawfully and obtaining redress for wrong doing by state actors within the justice system. She has lectured on and taught human rights law to judges, legal professionals and students (Masters level) both in the UK and abroad (Sierra Leone, Uganda, Botswana, Cameroon, Turkey, Kosovo). She was a member of the steering committee of the Death Penalty in Africa project (BIICL, DfID & BHRC) and has extensive experience of Caribbean death row litigation. Current directorships: member of board of trustees of Action on Armed Violence (AoAV) (treasurer). Publications of note: ‘Criminal Justice, Police Powers and Human Rights’, co-authored with Keir Starmer QC and Michelle Strange, Blackstone Press, 2001.

Association of Prison Lawyers

Criminal Bar Association

Oxford University, Hertford College (Undergraduate) BA Hons Jurisprudence 1990; London School of Economics (Masters) LLM International Human Rights Law (Distinction) 2000; Inns of Court School of Law 1991.

Walking and enjoying nature, outdoor swimming, growing vegetables, reading, published travel photographer, occasional TV legal consultant.