Gudrun Young KC is a highly specialised criminal advocate. She has extensive experience in defending at the highest level in the most serious of cases including murder, violence, organized crime, drug importation and all aspects of financial crime such as complex fraud, corruption money laundering and confiscation. She has particular expertise in conducting sexual cases, acting as both leading and junior counsel. She regularly deals with complex and sensitive matters involving children and vulnerable witnesses and allegations of institutional and historic sexual abuse. A large amount of her work involves scientific and expert evidence requiring extensive knowledge and expertise of DNA, fibres, pathology, neuropathology, psychiatric issues and psychology. She has great skill and experience in cases involving mental health issues and expert evidence.
Gudrun is regularly instructed in coronial proceedings for both individuals and companies. She is a member of the Coroners’ Inquests and Public Inquiries team in chambers and provides advice and representation in relation to these areas. Her recent experience includes representing the family of a patient who died in hospital in which a finding of neglect was made in relation to the sub-standard treatment he had received, a death in custody, and a high profile case involving a man who had committed suicide following significant failures in his psychiatric care.
Gudrun undertakes personal injury cases with a particular emphasis on occupational disease litigation, including noise induced hearing loss and stress cases. Recent cases include a complex case involving an employer of a large organisation suing a former employer for stress related psychiatric illness and one of the first “modern day slavery” cases, in which she represented a defendant company accused of trafficking workers from Lithuania and perpetrating a number of human rights abuses against them. The defendant company was widely reported in the press as being the “worst gangmaster in the UK”.
Gudrun has a successful practice in the area of professional disciplinary work. She has been instructed in cases before the National College of Teaching and Leadership, the General Medical Council, the General Optical Council, the General Chiropractic Council and the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Year of Call 2001; Gray’s Inn, King's Consel; 2022
Undergraduate degree at King’s College, University of Cambridge, and also holds a MA in Political Philosophy.