Catherine Dobson

Contact Catherine: catherinedobson@matrixlaw.co.uk | +44 (0)20 7404 3447

Contact Catherine's Practice Team (Team X): TeamX@matrixlaw.co.uk

Catherine Dobson has a broad practice which combines general public law, regulatory and environmental law.

She was called to the Bar in 2009 and since then has been instructed in some of the leading cases in these fields, including Privacy International v Investigatory Powers Tribunal (the leading Supreme Court decision on the constitutionality of ouster clauses), R (Miller) v The Prime Minister (challenging the prorogation of Parliament on behalf of the Shadow Attorney General, R (Friends of the Earth) v Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (acting from Friends of the Earth in two successful challenges to the Government’s Net Zero Challenge and Carbon Budget Delivery Plan) and R (London Borough of Hillingdon and others) v Secretary of State for Transport (challenging the Government’s decision to support a third runway at Heathrow Airport).

Catherine has been ranked as a leading junior for several years by Chambers & Partners. She is a member of the Attorney General’s A Panel of Counsel and the Attorney General’s Public International Law B Panel of Counsel.

In 2020 Catherine was named Environmental and Planning Law Junior of the Year in the Chambers UK Bar Awards.

Catherine is a Fellow of St Edmund’s College, Cambridge, where she supervises constitutional law.

Public Law and Human Rights

Catherine is an experienced public law practitioner and has taught constitutional law at Cambridge University for over fifteen years. She has been instructed in some of the leading public law cases, including Privacy International v Investigatory Powers Tribunal (the leading Supreme Court decision on the constitutionality of ouster clauses) and R (Miller) v The Prime Minister (challenging the prorogation of Parliament on behalf of the Shadow Attorney General). Her broad public law practice encompasses judicial review and human rights claims across a range of sectors including environmental, healthcare, regulatory, national security and financial services.

Catherine carried out a significant amount of advisory and litigation work for the Cabinet Office, the Department for Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Justice relating to the Covid-19 pandemic. This included a challenge to the Government’s decision to authorise the administration of the Covid-19 vaccination to children under 18, a proposed challenge by Lloyd Weber Theatres to the Government’s decision to postpone relaxing Covid-19 measures in relation to theatres, and a proposed challenge by the Howard League for Penal Reform to the response to Covid-19 in prisons.

In 2023, she was appointed as legal advisor to the Coronation Claims Office, for which she was awarded a coronation medal.

Cases of note:

• R (FTDI Holding Ltd) v Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster – Acting for the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in a challenge to a divestment order made under the National Security and Investment Act 2021 (led by David Blundell KC and Richard O’Brian KC)
• The Law Society v Lord Chancellor  [2024] EWHC 155 (Admin) – Acted for the Lord Chancellor (led by Sir James Eadie KC) in a challenge to the lawfulness of the Lord Chancellor’s response to the Independent Review of Criminal Legal Aid.
• R (SM) v Lord Chancellor [2021] 1 WLR 3815 – Acted for the Lord Chancellor in a challenge under the Human Rights Act 1998 to the arrangements for the provision of publicly-funded legal advice to immigration detainees in prison.
• Privacy International v Investigatory Powers Tribunal [2019] UKSC 22 – Acted for the Government (led by Sir James Eadie KC and Kate Grange KC) in a challenge to the lawfulness and constitutionality of ouster clauses.
• R (Miller) v The Prime Minister [2019] UKSC 41 – Acted for the Shadow Attorney General (led by Deok Joo Rhee KC) in a challenge to the Prime Minister’s advice to the Queen to prorogue Parliament.
• Jennings v Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority [2022] EWHC 69 (Fam) – Acted for the claimant (led by Jenni Richards KC) in a successful application for a declaration that a widower could lawfully use an embryo with a surrogate following the death of his wife. The claim was brought on the basis that preventing the use of the embryo would constitute a disproportionate interference with his Article 8 Convention rights.
• AB v Secretary of State for Health & Social Care [2022] EWHC 1996 (Admin) – Acted for the Secretary of State in a challenge to decision to authorise the use of Covid-19 vaccines on children and young persons under the age of 18 on public law and human rights grounds.
• Dawson v United Lincolnshire Trust [2021] EWHC 928 (Admin) – Acted for the Claimant (led by Vikram Sachdeva KC) in a successful challenge to an NHS Trust’s decision to close and Accident & Emergency department on the ground that the Trust had failed to involve service users in decision-making about services in breach of its obligation under section 242 of the National Health Service Act 2006.
• Re Y [2018] UKSC 46 – Acted for an NHS Trust (led by Vikram Sachdeva KC) in the landmark Supreme Court decision concerning withdrawal of life-sustaining medical treatment.
• R (AR) v The Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police & Others  [2018] UKSC 47 – Acted on behalf of the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Policy (led by Jenni Richards KC) in this appeal to the Supreme Court concerning the legality under the Human Rights Act of Enhanced Criminal Record Certificate which disclosed the fact that AR had been acquitted of rape.
• R (Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee) v Secretary of State for Health  [2018] EWCA Civ 1925 – Appeared for the claimant (led by Alison Foster KC) in a challenge to the lawfulness of funding reductions imposed on community pharmacies. Led by Alison Foster KC.
• Smith v Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and another [2017] EWCA Civ 1916 – Appeared for the successful claimant (led by Vikram Sachdeva KC) in a challenge to the compatibility of section 1A of the Fatal Accidents Act 1976 with Article 14 read with Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights on the basis that the exclusion of unmarried cohabiting partners from the scope of those who can claim bereavement damages is unlawful.
• Core Issues Trust v Transport for London  [2013] EWCA Civ 34, [2014] WLR (D) 35 – Acted for Transport for London (led by Nigel Pleming KC) in the Court of Appeal in a challenge to its decision to refuse to permit an advertisement to be placed on London buses on the basis that it would cause public offence.

Constitutional Law

Catherine has a particular interest in cases raising constitutional issues and is regularly engaged to assist with cases raising novel questions of constitutional law.

Catherine has taught constitutional law at Cambridge University for over fifteen years and was a visiting lecturer in public law at the Paris campus of the Université Catholique de Lille (2014 –2015). She is brought in to advise on cases with a constitutional dimension, including on questions pertaining to devolution and legislative competence.

She acted on behalf of the FCO and GCHQ (led by James Eadie KC and Kate Grange KC) before the Supreme Court in the appeal in Privacy International v Investigatory Powers Tribunal, a case which raises important constitutional questions about the effect of an ouster clause in the Regulatory and Investigatory Powers Act 2000.

Fertility and Reproductive Rights

Catherine has developed a niche expertise in healthcare, human rights and regulatory issues relating to the fertility sector having acted in the following matters:

Cases of note:

• Jennings v Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority [2022] EWHC 69 (Fam) – Acted for the claimant (led by Jenni Richards KC) in a successful application for a declaration that the claimant can lawfully use an embryo with a surrogate following the death of his wife. The claim was brought on the basis that preventing the use of the embryo would constitute a disproportionate interference with his Article 8 Convention rights.
• Equality and Human Rights Commission v NHS England – Acted for NHS England (led by Fenella Morris KC) in a discrimination and human rights challenge to NHS commissioning of fertility preservation treatment for trans patients.
• Assisted Reproduction and Gynaecology Centre v The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority [2017] EWHC 659 – Appeared for the claimant (led by Jenni Richards KC) in a challenge to the lawfulness of decisions taken by the HFEA pursuant to its statutory duty to publish information for persons who are receiving fertility treatment.
• Warren v CARE [2014] EWHC 602 (Fam) – Acted for the claimant (led by Jenni Richards KC) in an application for a declaration as the lawfulness of the preservation of the applicant’s late husband’s sperm under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 and the Embryology (Statutory Storage Period for Embryos and Gametes) Regulations 2009. Led by Jenni Richards KC
• Rose v Thanet CCG [2014] EWHC 1182 (Admin) – Acted for a CCG in discrimination and human rights challenge to CCG’s policy on fertility preservation challenge.
• NHS Trust & Ors v FG [2014] EWCOP 30 (COP) – Acted for two NHS Trusts in the guidance case on medical treatment applications relating antenatal, perinatal and post-natal care

Environmental Law

Catherine has a broad environmental law practice, which encompasses environmental judicial review, environmental regulation, tortious claims in respect of environmental harm and international environmental damages claims. Catherine acts for individual claimants, private companies, NGOs, Central Government (in particular DEFRA and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero) and regulators. She is currently instructed by the Office for Environmental Protection in respect of two ongoing investigations.

She has acted in some of the leading environmental cases in recent years including Friends of the Earth v Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (acting for Friends for the Earth in the successful challenge to the Government’s Net Zero Strategy and R (London Borough of Hillingdon and others) v Secretary of State for Transport (the Government’s decision to support a third runway at Heathrow Airport).

She has detailed knowledge of international, European and domestic environmental law and is has advised in cases raising issues under the Aarhus Convention, the SEA Directive, the EIA Directive and the Habitats Directive. In addition to this general experience, she has particular expertise in the following areas:

Climate Change

Catherine has been involved in a run of landmark legal challenges to the Government’s obligations under the Climate Change Act 2008 including legal challenges brought by Friends of the Earth, ClientEarth and Good Law Project to the Government’s Net Strategy and Carbon Budget Delivery Plan (CBDP) and environmental campaigner Chris Packham’s challenge to the Government’s decision to drop a number of key policies from the CBDP. She has also acted in challenges concerning the assessment of the impact of greenhouse gas emissions for the purposes of planning decisions (R (Boswell) v Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero [2025] EWCA Civ 669 and GOESA v Eastleigh Borough Council [2022] EWHC 1221). In 2023, she spoke at the conference ‘Climate Litigation Unleashed: Catalysing Action against States and Corporations’ hosted by the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights and Oxfam.

Water resources

Catherine has considerable experience working in the field of water rights and regulation, having appeared in two of the most important cases in this field: Canal & Rivers Trust v Thames Water Utilities Ltd [2018] EWCA Civ 342 and Manchester Ship Canal v United Utilities plc [2014] UKSC 40. She is currently acting for Southern Water Services in a judicial review brought by the Campaign to Protect Rural England and Safer Waters of the Government’s decision to approve the Southeast Strategic Reservoir Option without a public inquiry. She worked on a 12-month instruction acting for Southern Water Services Ltd, culminating in a public inquiry concerning the interface between environmental legislation and the water abstraction licensing regime.

Air Quality

Catherine has expertise in the legal and scientific issues arising in relation to health-related air quality limits. Recent work has included advising on the application of the National Emission Ceilings Regulations 2018, acting for the claimant in a human rights challenge arising from hydrogen sulphide pollution and challenging the Government’s decision to support a third runway at Heathrow on, amongst other grounds, the basis that the Government’s approach to air quality was flawed.

Nuisance

Since her involvement in the landmark case of Barr v Biffa [2012] EWCA 312, Catherine has gone on to act for a number of claimants and defendants in a group private nuisance claims relating to the operation of a range of businesses including landfill sites, waste treatment sites and food production sites.

Nuclear Law

Catherine has a particular interest in the nuclear sector. She has advised both Government departments and private companies on issues relating to domestic and international law regulation of the sector. In addition, she devised and delivered a six-part training programme for in-house lawyers at a nuclear new-build facility and devised and delivered a one-day round table conference on nuclear cyber liability in conjunction with the Washington DC based Stimpson institute and spoken at a number of industry conferences on the implications of Brexatom. In 2023, she delivered a paper to the International Nuclear Law Association on the future regulation of small modular reactors in the UK.

Cases of note:

• ​​​​​​R (Friends of the Earth and others) v Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy [2022] EWHC 1841 (Admin) – Acted for Friends of the Earth (led by David Wolfe KC) in a successful challenge to the Government’s net zero strategy.
• Friends of the Earth and Others v Secretary of State for Energy Security [2024] EWHC 995 (Admin); [2024] ACD 80 – Acted for Friends of the Earth (led by David Wolfe KC) in a challenge to the Government’s Carbon Budget Delivery Plan.
• R (Boswell) v Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero [2025] EWCA Civ 669 – Acting for the claimant (with Alex Shattock and Isabella Buono) in a challenge to the Secretary of State’s approach to assessing the impact of greenhouse gas emission from Net Zero Teesside – a gas fire power station with carbon capture and storage.
• Packham v Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy – Acting for Chris Packham (led by David Wolfe KC and with Toby Fisher) in two challenges to the decision to delay key policies for achieving the Government’s net zero targets.
• Various Claimants v Associated British Foods – Acting (with Kate Boakes and Margherita Cornaglia) for Malawian villagers against Associated British Foods in respect of flooding which destroyed their village. The claimant alleged that flood defences built to protect a nearby sugar estate owned by Illovo Sugar, a wholly owned subsidiary of ABF, diverted floodwater into their village.
• Safer Water v Secretary of State for the Environment and Rural Affairs – Acting for Southern Water Services in a judicial review brought by the Campaign to Protect Rural England and Safer Waters of the Government’s decision to approve the South East Strategic Reservoir Option without a public inquiry.
• R (London Borough of Hillingdon and others) v Secretary of State for Transport [2020] EWCA Civ 214 – Acted for the Mayor of London, Greenpeace and 5 local authorities (led by Nigel Pleming KC, Stephen Tromans KC and Ben Jaffey KC) in a high profile environmental law challenge to the Airports National Policy Statement, which supports the construction of a third runway at Heathrow Airport.
• Richards v Environment Agency [2021] EWHC 2501 (Admin), [2022] EWCA Civ 26 – Acted for the claimant, Mathew Richards, (led by Ian Wise KC) in a human rights challenge to the lawfulness of the Environment Agency’s response to hydrogen sulphide emissions from a landfill site.
• Wild Justice v Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – Acted for the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (led by Stephen Tromans KC) in a challenge to the regulation of game bird release on grounds of non-compliance with the EU Habitats Directive.
• Humane Being v Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – Acted for the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, successfully resisting a human rights challenge to the Government’s approach to intensive farming.
• Group opposed to Expansion of Southampton Airport Ltd v Eastleigh Borough Councils [2022] EWHC 1221 – Acted for the respondent (led by Paul Stinchcombe KC) in successfully resisting an application for judicial review of the grant of  planning permission for a runway extension at Southampton Airport.
• Austin v Miller Argent (South Wales) Limited [2014] EWCA Civ 1012 – Acted for the claimant (led by Stephen Tromans KC) in a landmark case concerning the Aarhus Convention’s requirements on the cost of litigation in environmental matters as applied to private nuisance claims. In addition to the matter before the Court of Appeal a communication was made to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee.

Public Inquiries

Catherine has been involved in a number of public inquiries (both statutory and non-statutory) including:

• The Contaminated Blood Inquiry – acting as junior counsel for the Department of Health and Social Care;
• The New Bermondsey / Lewisham Inquiry (the independent non-statutory inquiring surrounding the alleged misfeasance of local Councillors) – acting as sole counsel assisting Lord Dyson as Inquiry Chair)
• The Leveson Inquiry into the Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press – instructed to assist Robert Jay KC and Lord Justice Leveson with drafting the final report

In 2018 convened, with Lord Dyson, a conference on non-statutory public inquiries, covering issues of procedural fairness, data protection and FOIA issues and amenability to challenge.

International Arbitration and Public International Law

Catherine has a growing international practice with particular interests in energy and infrastructure projects and the interface between public international law, domestic public law and environmental law.

She was recently instructed on behalf of the Government of Myanmar for the Provisional Measures phase of The Gambia v Myanmar proceedings, concerning the application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

Examples of her practice include:

• Advising a government department on legal issues surrounding the UK’s potential accession to an international treaty.
• Advising on the implications of US withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
  Advising on instituting proceedings before the International Court of Justice.
• Advising in relation to the scope of the foreign act of state doctrine in UK domestic law.
• Communication to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee.
• Appointment as permanent Secretary to an ad hoc arbitration under the UNCITRAL Rules relating to a multi-million pound construction dispute that lasted four years.
• ICC arbitration proceedings relating to a multi-million pound construction dispute concerning termination and delay issues.
• Advising in relation to prospective claim arising out of multi-billion dollar construction project in the Middle East involving defects and delay issues.
• Advising in relation to allocation of risk under a contract for a multi-million dollar construction project in the Middle East.

International Criminal Court

Before coming to the bar, Catherine worked as a legal assistant on the defence team of Thomas Lubanga Dyilo at the International Criminal Court, working on the first trial to take place before the Court. This included work on the application of the Rome Statute and the Rules of Procedure and Evidence and the Regulations of the Court and Registry; the status of the enrolment of child soldiers as a crime in customary international law; the nature of the armed conflict in the Ituri region of DRC; the existence of a right to interlocutory appeal on a decision to confirm charges in the  Rome Statute; the modalities of victim participation at the ICC; and, the conditions for provisional release under the Rome Statute.

Court of Protection and Mental Health

Catherine appears regularly in the Court of Protection, acting for local authorities, CCGs and NHS Trusts, the Official Solicitor and family members in welfare and medical treatment disputes. Notable cases include:

• Re Y [2018] UKSC 46 (led by Vikram Sachdeva KC) – the landmark medical treatment case in which the Supreme Court held that there was no requirement for the court to decide upon the best interests of every patient with a prolonged disorder of consciousness before withdrawal of artificial nutrition and hydration.
• Hemachandran v Thirumalesh [2024] EWCA Civ 896 (led by Vikram Sachdeva KC) – the first case to consider meaning of impairment or disturbance in functioning of mind or brain for the purposes of the MCA 2005, the Court held that there is no implicit requirement that a person must believe information relevant to a decision in order to use and weigh that information.
• Re Knight (A Child) [2021] EWCA Civ 362 [2021] Med LR 323 (led by Vikram Sachdeva QC, Victoria Butler-Cole QC)  – an appeal from a decision about life-sustaining treatment in respect of a young girl, the Court of Appeal held that an unconscious patient could experience physical harm from her condition and medical treatment notwithstanding that she has no capacity to feel pain and no conscious awareness.

She has experience bringing applications health and welfare applications under the High Court’s inherent jurisdiction and applications for urgent authorisation for medical treatment (including applications under the Children Act 1989 in relation to urgent medical treatment in relation to children).

Art and Cultural Property

Catherine has developed a niche expertise in historic environment matters and has acted for owners and interest groups on art and antiquities matters, in particular on issues relating to the removal of art from historic buildings. She acted (led by Richard Harwood KC) for the successful for the former owner in Dill v Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government [2020] UKSC 20, where the Supreme Court clarified the test for what can constitute a listed building. She has recently advised on the lawfulness of removal of a high value statue from a listed building. She has lectured on these topics at the Institute of Art and Law.

Catherine is the co-author (with Richard Harwood KC and David Sawtell) of Contested Heritage – Removing Art from Land and Historic Buildings (2022), a practitioner’s guide to the regulatory and property law issues that arise when dealing with heritage assets.

Memberships

• Administrative Law Bar Association
• Liberty
• UK Environmental Law Association
• British Institute of International and Comparative Law

Qualifications

Education

• 2002-2006: Jesus College, Cambridge University, MA Law (Double First Class)
• 2005-2006: Université de Poitiers, France, Diplôme universitaire d’études juridiques françaises
• 2007-2008: Lincoln College, Oxford University, BCL

Scholarships and Prizes

• 2008-2009: Princess Royal Scholarship, Inner Temple
• 2007-2008: Arts and Humanities Research Council Scholarship
• Exhibitioner and Scholar, Jesus College, Cambridge
• 2006: The Russell Vick Prize for Law, Jesus College, Cambridge
• 2003: Peter Glazebrook Mooting Prize, Jesus College, Cambridge

Catherine won Environment/Planning Junior of the Year at the Chambers & Partners awards in 2020. She was nominated for Environment/Planning Junior of the Year at the Chambers & Partners Awards in 2024 and was shortlisted for Advocated of the Year at the Women in Diversity Awards in 2025.

Additional Information

Appointments 

• Fellow, St Edmund’s College, Cambridge (2009 – September 2021)
• Dean, St Edmund’s College, Cambridge (January 2019 – 2022)
• Bye-Fellow, Jesus College, Cambridge (2014 – 2015)
• Visiting lecturer, Paris Campus of Université Catholique de Lille (2014 -2015)
• Catherine was a judicial assistant to Lord Clarke at the UK Supreme Court from September 2010 to July 2011

Publications and Seminars 

• ‘Impossibility and statutory duties: Issues arising from the UK Supreme Court’s decision in Imam’ ALBA Summer Conference 2024 
• ‘Sectoral Update: Environmental Law’ 27 Judicial Review 299-319 Catherine Dobson, Ruth Keating &B Gethin Thomas
• Speaker at ‘Climate Litigation Unleashed: Catalysing Action against States and Corporations’. Bonavero Institute of Human Rights (2023)
• The Habitats Regime: The Legal Context and Potential Solutions to Longstanding Issues. 39 Essex Chambers One Day Seminar (March 2025)
• Greenwashing & Public Law Claims: Webinar with Burgess Salmon (February 2025)
• Net zero and the Climate Change Act 2008′. 39 Essex Chambers Conference ‘COP 26. Glasgow and Beyond’ (2021) 
• Climate Change litigation webinar with Robert Spano, former President of the European Court of Human Rights
• Post General Election Analysis 2024 with Bronwen Maddox, Baroness Shami Chakrabarti, Deok Joo Rhee KC and Richard Harwood KC
• ‘Air Quality Protection Post Brexit’ (2021)
• ‘Downstream/scope 3 emissions’ Getting Hotter Panel discussion at London International Dispute Resolution Week (May 2023)
• The Environment Bill’, 39 Essex Chambers Environment Law Day Seminar (2019)
• Fast Fashion, Chair of Plenary Session at UKELA Summer Conference 2021
• Costs in Public Interest Litigation ALBA Summer Conference 2019

Pro bono 

Catherine undertakes a number of significant of pro bono cases each year and is very happy to consider pro bono instructions. 

Languages 

Catherine speaks fluent French having grown up in Brussels, studied law at the University of Poitiers and worked within a francophone team at the International Criminal Court. 

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