Katarina Sydow specialises in public law and clinical negligence. She is described in Chambers & Partners as “…a gifted advocate who has an incisive mind and an ability to distill a case into simple points”. Katarina regularly undertakes work well beyond her level of call.
Katarina acts on behalf of a diverse range of clients including individuals, government departments, NHS Trusts, local authorities and the Official Solicitor in the Court of Protection. She is a member of the Attorney General’s C Panel of Junior Counsel to the Crown and the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s C Panel of Counsel.
Katarina has a first-class degree in Modern History from Oxford University, completed her Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) with distinction and achieved an outstanding grade in the Bar Professional Training Course.
Katarina’s practice involves challenging and defending public law decisions in a wide variety of areas including mental health and incapacity, healthcare and social welfare, professional regulation, education and financial services. Katarina is a member of the Administrative Law Bar Association and Human Rights Lawyers Association. She acts for the government as a member of the Attorney General’s C Panel of Junior Counsel to the Crown and has also been appointed to the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s C Panel of Counsel.
In the field of healthcare, Katarina appeared in the Supreme Court as junior counsel on behalf of the intervener in the assisted suicide appeals of R (Nicklinson & Lamb) v Ministry of Justice and R (AM) v Director of Public Prosecutions [2014] UKSC 38.
Katarina has acted in judicial review proceedings relating to the provision of accommodation and support to adults and children under the Care Act 2014 and Children Act 1989. She also regularly advises on community care issues in the Court of Protection.
Katarina acts for a range of professionals in proceedings before regulatory bodies, including the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the National College for Teaching and Leadership. She recently succeeded in a statutory appeal against a decision by the NMC that a nurse’s fitness to practise was impaired (Warren v NMC [2017] EWHC 793 (Admin)).
Katarina also has experience of public international law. She represented the DPP (led by Paul Rogers) before the Administrative Court and the Court of Appeal in proceedings which considered whether a member of a special mission visiting the UK was immune from arrest and criminal prosecution for alleged offences of torture committed in Egypt (R (ota Freedom and Justice Party) v (1) Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (2) The Director of Public Prosecutions [2016] EWHC 2010 (Admin); [2018] EWCA Civ 1719).
Katarina has experience of immigration law and has acted on behalf of the government in applications for permission for judicial review in the Upper Tribunal.
Between 2014 and 2015 Katarina was seconded to the Financial Conduct Authority for eight months, where she specialised in EU and public law in the context of financial services.
Katarina has a busy Court of Protection practice and regularly acts in cases concerning residence, care and deprivations of liberty. She has also received instructions relating to serious medical treatment, sex and marriage, and applications for forced marriage protection orders.
Katarina has started undertaking work in the property and affairs jurisdiction of the court, where she is instructed by the Office of the Public Guardian. Within COP proceedings Katarina has experience of advising on and pursuing public law remedies and claims for breach of the Human Rights Act 1998.
Katarina’s education practice includes representing appellants and local authorities in statutory appeals before the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability). She also has experience of conduct and regulatory issues affecting students and teachers, having represented a teacher in fitness to practise proceedings before the National College for Teaching and Leadership, and a student nurse in an internal appeal against a decision of his university.
Within the Court of Protection, Katarina has experience of complex issues arising out of deprivations of liberty in residential schools, including the use of physical restraint and psychotropic medication.
Katarina accepts instructions from claimants and defendants. Her current caseload as sole counsel encompasses claims arising out of plastic, orthopaedic and vascular surgery, obstetric and midwifery care, and the delayed diagnosis of cancer. Katarina also has experience of secondary victim claims for psychiatric harm within a clinical context and regularly provides training on the same topic. As junior counsel Katarina is instructed in high value claims arising out of catastrophic injuries at birth and has expertise in drafting schedules of loss.
Katarina has experience of group litigation and is keen to expand her practice in this area. She was instructed by the Department of Health and Social Care in a vaccine damage group action and also represented the Ministry of Defence in interlocutory hearings in the Q Fever litigation.
As a corollary of her clinical negligence practice, Katarina is instructed frequently in medical inquests, acting for bereaved families and NHS Trusts. In 2014 she was seconded to the inquests team at Capsticks, where her experience as in-house counsel included representing the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust at an eight-day jury inquest into a death in police custody.
Katarina Sydow is regulated by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) and holds a current practising certificate. If you are not satisfied with the service provided, please click here.
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