Barristers

Eleanor Stephenson (Door Tenant)

Eleanor Stephenson (Door Tenant)

Work Department

Eleanor is a Barrister specialising in international criminal law and human rights. She acts in a range of Chambers’ practice areas including extradition & international law, sanctions and public inquiries & inquests, and general crime

Position

Eleanor is a barrister specialising in international criminal law and human rights.

She acts in a range of Chambers’ practice areas including extradition & international law, sanctions, and public inquiries & inquests, and general crime.

She is a dedicated advocate, who argues passionately on behalf of her clients and is able to clearly and persuasively put across complex legal arguments both in her written and oral advocacy.
International Criminal work
Eleanor has recently represented clients in high-profile and complex cases before the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in the Hague and acts for international clients in freedom of expression and human rights cases on issues associated with unlawful detention and political persecution.

She has previously worked on the prosecution team at the International Criminal Court on the Darfur situation, and for the defence at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in relation to the 2005 bombing that killed the former Prime Minister of Lebanon.
Advisory work: Individuals & NGOs
Eleanor advises individuals and non-governmental organisations on all aspects of international law and United Nations mechanisms and advocacy.  Eleanor is adept at drafting complex arguments and working with the vast volumes of evidence that are typical of cross border cases.

In particular she provides advice on human rights abuses of minority groups in China and has particular knowledge on the subject of forced organ harvesting.

She also advises organisations on their business and human rights obligations and the ways in which to avoid complicity in international crimes. She is involved in law reform in the UK in this regard.

Career

Eleanor was called to the bar in 2016. Extradition & International

International Criminal Law and Human Rights Eleanor has significant experience of working on both the prosecution and defence in international cases at the International Criminal Court, Kosovo Specialist Chambers, Special Tribunal for Lebanon and the ECCC in Cambodia. Eleanor’s cases often involve multiple charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity and several modes of liability. She has also acted on contempt cases at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers which has involved issues such as the operation of the defendant’s right to freedom of opinion and expression, the protection of whistle blowers, police incitement, standards pertaining to prosecution investigations at the international level, witness intimidation and retaliation, and obstruction of official persons performing official duties. She is appointed to the list of assistants at the International Criminal Court and as co-counsel at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers.

Eleanor’s international advisory work includes engaging the UN in respect of state-sanctioned human rights abuses and she has particular knowledge of the situations in China and the Philippines. Extradition Eleanor has a keen interest in extradition law and accepts instructions in this area. She has assisted clients in challenging Interpol Red Notices and has acted in the capacity of an expert in relation to a Chinese extradition request from a European country.

Interpol & Sanctions

Eleanor provides advice on politically motivated prosecutions and extradition requests and the exploitation of Interpol by foreign governments for the purposes of transnational repression.

She acts in a range of Chambers’ practice areas including sanctions instructions.

Judicial Review & Public Law

Eleanor is also regularly instructed by the Government Legal Department on a range of matters including judicial reviews, immigration matters and commercial disputes.

Inquests & Inquiries

Eleanor accepts instructions in relation to public inquiries and inquests.

Criminal Defence

Eleanor welcomes instructions on a wide variety of criminal matters before the courts of England and Wales. She recently acted on a 6-week trial at Bristol Crown Court on a multi-handed organised crime case regarding the supply a drug of class A.

Criminal Prosecutions - Private & Public

Eleanor welcome instructions in public and private prosecutions.

She was previously instructed in the prosecution of the defendant Abd-Al-Rahman at the International Criminal Court in the pre-trial stages of proceedings in the lead up to the confirmation of charges hearing.

Languages

Fluent in Spanish

Memberships

Criminal Bar Association (CBA). Delf Extradition Lawyers' Forum (DELF). International Bar Association (IBA).

Education

University of Nottingham: Biochemistry and Chemistry. BPP Law School: Graduate Diploma in Law. BPP Law School: LPC.

Articles & News Eleanor's articles have been published in the National, Legal, and Medical press. A selection of her work is below:

The Telegraph - How Western Medics can help end forced organ harvesting in China The Epoch Times - Human Rights Lawyer Decries Chinese Regime’s Attempt to Suppress Reporting on Forced Organ Harvesting. OHRH - International Legal Responsibilities of Medical Transplantation Institutions. British Journal of Healthcare Management - Unethical organ transplantation in China: preventing complicity in UK healthcare and related organisations.

Eleanor has spoken on expert panels and conferences, some examples are set out below:

NTD news in the U.S, panellist/speaker at international conferences and events including at the House of Lords.
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