No5 Barristers' Chambers

Serena joined Chambers in October 2022, following the successful completion of her pupillage. Her practice focuses on public law.

As a pupil (supervised by Philip Rule), Serena gained experience of a wide range of public law matters and related areas including judicial review, prison law and parole, inquests and coronial law, Court of Protection and immigration.

Serena’s drafting and advisory experience includes:

• civil actions against the police;

• civil actions relating to personal injury and negligence in prison

• judicial review of Parole Board, recall and re-categorisation decisions

• judicial review and interim relief applications relating to accommodation and financial support under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

• judicial review of decisions taken by public authorities including government departments, regulatory bodies, the NHS and the police

• applications to the European Court of Human Rights.

Serena regularly represents clients in oral hearings before the Parole Board.

Serena acts for a range of interested parties in inquests, including health trusts and local authorities. During pupillage, she assisted Philip Rule on a jury inquest involving the state’s duty to protect life (Article 2 of the European Convention of Human Rights), relating to the self-inflicted death of a prisoner whilst in custody, representing the family of the deceased.

In the Court of Protection, Serena has represented family members of P.

Prior to commencing pupillage, Serena was a volunteer caseworker at Intervene, a specialist legal charity providing advice and representation to prisoners. In this role she developed experience of prison law and related matters including Rule 39 breaches, breaches of the Public Sector Equality Duty, discrimination, failures to make reasonable adjustments, failures to follow PSIs, issues with healthcare provision and mishandling of prisoner property.

She previously volunteered in the Advocacy team at Southall Black Sisters, and at HMP Brixton as a Vocalise mentor.