Katy Sheridan

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

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

Katy practises primarily in all areas of public (administrative) law, human rights law, education law, and employment law. She has experience in the intersections of these four practice areas, for example in discrimination law and in investigations. She trained at Matrix and joined as a member in 2021.

Katy accepts instructions from both Claimants and Defendants, including individuals, companies, schools, universities, NGOs, local authorities, government, and other public authorities.

Katy is ranked in the legal directories, as a Leading Junior in Administrative and public law (Legal 500, 2026), and as a Rising Star in Education law (Legal 500, 2026).

In her first five years at Matrix, Katy has acted in many high-profile challenges in public, human rights, and education law. These include: (i) acting for the Government in defending the challenge to the imposition of VAT on private school fees; (ii) acting for the University of Sussex in its judicial review against the Office for Students (the first case concerning the freedom of speech and academic freedom ongoing conditions of registration); (iii) challenging the Government’s “pushbacks” policy regarding small boat crossings; (iv) acting for the child challenging the ban of prayer rituals in Michaela School; and (v) acting in the interim relief stage of the Rwanda litigation. More details of her work are set out below.

Katy has appeared as sole counsel in High Court, County Court, First-Tier Tribunal, Employment Tribunal and Employment Appeal Tribunal. She has also appeared as junior counsel in the Court of Appeal and Privy Council.

Katy is also a member of the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s Panel of Counsel, appointed in her first year of eligibility.

Public and Human Rights

Katy has experience in a wide range of public law and human rights matters across all stages of proceedings, including pre-action advice, interim relief, and appeal. She is ranked as a Leading Junior in administrative and public law in the Legal 500 (2026).

She has a particular interest in the intersections between public law and associated areas such as equality law, education law, regulatory and commercial law, and human trafficking.

Katy regularly acts for individuals, companies, schools, universities, and public bodies. She has significant experience of complex policy challenges. She also has experience in commercial and regulatory matters, including in the higher education sector, telecoms sector, energy sector, and corporate immigration. Katy has experience advising and acting for organisations and companies subject to regulatory investigations and/or adverse decisions.

Recent cases include:

• R (University of Sussex) v Office for Students [2026] EWHC 984 (Admin): successfully representing the University of Sussex in its landmark judicial review against the Office for Students. The case was the first case concerning the freedom of speech and academic freedom conditions of registration. The OfS’ decision was found to be ultra vires, infected with apparent bias/predetermination, misdirected in law and irrational for failure to take into account relevant considerations. See coverage here.
• R (ALR) and ors v Chancellor of the Exchequer [2025] EWHC 1467 (Admin) and R (BYL) v Chancellor of the Exchequer [2026] EWCA Civ 170: successfully defending the challenge to the imposition of VAT on private school fees brought by twenty-seven Claimants. Katy was instructed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, HMRC, and the Department for Education at first instance and on appeal.
• R (Lowe) v Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme [2026] EWHC 1163 (Admin) and [2026] EWHC 406 (Admin): Katy was instructed by the Speaker of the House of Commons to defend judicial review (and interim relief) proceedings brought by a sitting MP, concerning the investigation of a complaint. The Court found the claim to be non-justiciable for reasons of Parliamentary Privilege.
• R (Mahmood) v Secretary of State for Justice [2025] EWHC 3444 (Admin): an application for permission to judicially review the Secretary of State’s policy concerning transfer to open conditions.
• R (D1914) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2025] EWHC 1853 (Admin): representing the Speaker of the House of Commons on issues concerning Parliamentary Privilege and legitimate expectation.
• ARC Time Freehold Income Authorised Fund & Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government [2025] EWHC 275: representing the Speaker of the House of Commons concerning issues concerning Parliamentary Privilege and Convention compatibility.
• R (TTT) v Michaela Community Schools Trust [2024] EWHC 843 (Admin): representing the school child who challenged Michaela School’s “no prayer” policy.
• R (GH) v Mayor of London [2024] EWHC 1305 (Admin): successfully defending a claim for judicial review brought against the Mayor of London. See here.
• The lead claims against the Public Order Disqualification policy (2023-2024): Katy was instructed for the Claimants on the lead Public Order Disqualification challenges (related to exclusion of those who had committed criminal offences from human trafficking support), including on interim relief. The Secretary of State conceded shortly before trial. See here and here.
• R (AS and BXR) v Secretary of State for the Home Department (2023-2024): Katy was instructed by the Claimants, who challenged the introduction of the requirement for “objective evidence” in order to gain a positive reasonable grounds decision for the purposes of human trafficking support. The Secretary of State withdrew and amended the policy. See here.
• R (Bowen) v Kent County Council [2023] EWHC 1261 (Admin) : Katy acted on behalf of a humanist who was prevented from sitting on the Local Authority’s Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education. The claim was successful at trial. See here.
• R (BCD) v Birmingham Children’s Trust [2023] EWHC 137 (Admin): Katy represented a British child in a successful Thlimmenos claim (Article 14 ECHR) concerning the provision of payments made to his non-British carer.
• R (PCSU) v Secretary of State for Home Department [2022] EWCA Civ 840 (The Rwanda Litigation). Katy was part of the counsel team instructed for the initial interim relief application in the Rwanda litigation, which ultimately led to the planned flight not taking off. See coverage here.
• ATLEU v Secretary of State for Justice [2022] EWHC 1962 (Admin). Katy was instructed by the Claimants in the successful challenge to the Secretary of State for Justice’s failure to make provision for victims and potential victims of trafficking in prison. The claim was compromised shortly before trial, with the Secretary of State agreeing to promulgate guidance. See coverage here.
• R (PCSU) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2022] EWHC 823 (Admin). Katy was instructed by the Claimants in the successful challenge to the Home Office’s ‘Pushbacks Policy’ concerning the passage of small boats across the English Channel. The Home Secretary withdrew the policy shortly before the judicial review. See coverage here.
• Commercial judicial review, including in the telecoms sector, energy sector, and corporate immigration.
• Complex regulatory matters. Katy has experience advising and acting for organisations and companies subject to regulatory investigations and/or adverse decisions, including in the education sector.
• Katy has also advised national and international civil liberties and human rights NGOs in relation to strategic litigation and campaigning.

Prior to coming to the Bar, Katy worked in various public law roles including: (i) Judicial Assistant to Lord Justice Simon in the Court of Appeal (which involved various public and human rights appellate matters), (ii) Legal Advisor to Ofsted in the Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse, and (iii) Research Fellow at the Public Law Project, where Katy’s work focused on algorithmic decision-making, and the relationship between judicial review, evidence, and technology.

Education Law

Katy works in all areas of Education law, including for and against higher education providers.

She is ranked as a “Rising Star” in Education Law in the Legal 500 (2025). Her experience and recent work in this area includes:

• R (University of Sussex) v Office for Students [2026] EWHC 984 (Admin): successfully representing the University of Sussex in its landmark judicial review against the Office for Students. The case was the first case concerning the freedom of speech and academic freedom conditions of registration. The OfS’ decision was found to be ultra vires, infected with apparent bias/predetermination, misdirected in law and irrational for failure to take into account relevant considerations. See coverage here.
• R (ALR) and ors v Chancellor of the Exchequer [2025] EWHC 1467 (Admin) and R (BYL) v Chancellor of the Exchequer [2026] EWCA Civ 170 successfully defending the challenge to the imposition of VAT on private school fees brought by twenty-seven Claimants. Katy was instructed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, HMRC, and the Department for Education at first instance and on appeal.
• Advising schools, universities, individuals, regulators/public bodies and organisations on complex equality and human rights issues in schools and higher education, including sex-segregation, uniform policies, gender-reassignment discrimination, disability discrimination, free speech issues and protests (including in relation to judicial review, complaint handling, private law proceedings, and regulatory investigations). For example:
  • R (TTT) v Michaela Community Schools Trust [2024] EWHC 843 (Admin): representing the school child who challenged Michaela School’s “no prayer” policy.
  • R (Bowen) v Kent County Council [2023] EWHC 1261 (Admin) : Katy acted on behalf of a humanist who was prevented from sitting on the Local Authority’s Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education. The claim was successful at trial.

• Advising further and higher education providers on complex regulatory matters, including investigations and responding to regulatory decisions.
• OIA complaints.
• Judicial reviews on access to education, including section 19 and 42 cases, including for those with complex special educational needs.
• Advice relating to safeguarding obligations, including complex stage 3 complaints.
• Unlawful exclusions.
• SEND Tribunal appeals.

Prior to joining Matrix, Katy was a Legal Advisor at Ofsted. She also worked as a public and education law paralegal at a legal aid firm.

Employment Law

Katy accepts instructions in all areas of employment law, for both Claimants and Respondents/Defendants. She regularly appears in the Employment Tribunal. Her recent experience includes:

• Multi-day trial experience, including in unfair dismissal (including redundancy), direct and indirect discrimination (including on the grounds of sex, pregnancy, disability, race, religion, and age), harassment and victimisation.
• Advisory work, including on TUPE, discrimination, and whistleblowing.
• Dealing with vexatious litigants.
• Worker status issues (for example Johnson v GT Gettaxi (UK) Ltd [2024] EAT 162).
• Costs applications.
• Issues concerning reconsideration (see, for example, Benjamin v The Markfield Project [2022] EAT 167).
• Appellate work (see, for example, Preston v E.On Energy Solutions Ltd [2022] EAT 192)

Investigations

Katy regularly accepts instructions to conduct independent investigations, particularly where these matters intersect with her other areas of expertise. Katy has recently conducted investigations on behalf of independent schools, private clubs, and political parties.

Qualifications, Awards and Memberships

Education:

• BA (Jurisprudence), University of Oxford (2016) – First Class
• Bachelor of Civil Law, University of Oxford (2018) – Distinction
• BPTC, BPP University (2020) – Outstanding

Scholarships and prizes include:

• Bedingfield Scholarship (Gray’s Inn)
• Hebe Plunkett Award (Gray’s Inn)
• Residential Scholarship (Gray’s Inn)
• Advocacy Scholarship (BPP University)
• Academic Excellence Scholarship (BPP University)
• Peter Duffy Scholar (Bar European Group)
• Law Faculty Prize for BCL Private Law and Fundamental Rights (University of Oxford)
• Academic scholar (New College, University of Oxford)

Publications:

• ‘Judicial review evidence in the era of the digital state’ Public Law (2020), Oct, 740-760

Memberships:

• Liberty
• ALBA
• ELA

Katy is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. In order to provide legal services to her clients, including advice and representation services, Katy needs to collect and hold personal data. This includes her client’s personal data and the personal data of others who feature in the matter upon which she is instructed. To read Katy’s privacy notice in full, please see here.