Katarina Sydow is an international human rights lawyer. She is the External Legal Advisor to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers and an Adjunct Professor in Clinical Law at New York University (NYU) School of Law. Katarina was previously Director of the Human Rights and Privatization Project at NYU’s Center for Human Rights and Global Justice and has also worked as a consultant for UN Women and the United Nations Development Programme.
Katarina was a full-time member of Outer Temple Chambers until the end of 2020, specializing in public law and clinical negligence. She was described in Chambers & Partners as “…a gifted advocate who has an incisive mind and an ability to distill a case into simple points”. Katarina acted 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.
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. She received her LL.M. in International Legal Studies from NYU in 2022.
Katarina’s practice involved 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. She acted for the government as a member of the Attorney General’s C Panel of Junior Counsel to the Crown and was also 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 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 advised on community care issues in the Court of Protection.
Katarina acted 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 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 Director of Public Prosecutions (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).
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 had a busy Court of Protection practice and regularly acted in cases concerning residence, care and deprivations of liberty. She also received instructions relating to serious medical treatment, sex and marriage, and applications for forced marriage protection orders.
Katarina’s education practice included 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.
Katarina received instructions from claimants and defendants. Her caseload as sole counsel encompassed claims arising out of plastic, orthopaedic and vascular surgery, obstetric and midwifery care, and the delayed diagnosis of cancer. Katarina also has experience of group litigation. She was instructed by the Department of Health and Social Care in a vaccine damage group action and represented the Ministry of Defence in interlocutory hearings in the Q Fever litigation.
As a corollary of her clinical negligence practice, Katarina was 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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