Zoë practises in all areas of public law and human rights and is listed as a leading junior in these areas. She has particular expertise in social security and welfare benefits law, healthcare, mental health and mental capacity, local government, equalities duties, immigration, EU law, planning and environmental law. She is a member of the Attorney General’s ‘A’ Panel of Counsel, having previously been a member of the ‘B’ Panel (appointed 2013) and ‘C’ Panel (appointed 2007). She is described in the directories as showing “total dedication to the cases she is involved in” and being “extremely clear, concise and accurate on paper and in oral advocacy.”
Zoë is consistently instructed in high profile and complex cases both on her own and as a sought after junior. She is committed to working for all sides across her areas of practice and has a diverse range of clients including central government departments, local authorities and other public bodies as well as individuals, charities & NGOs and corporate entities.
Recent highlights include:
- Acting for Rights of Women in their recent case establishing that the evidence requirements for victims of domestic violence to obtain legal aid in family cases were unlawful (Rights of Women v Lord Chancellor [2016] EWCA Civ 91; [2016] 1 W.L.R. 2543);
- Acting for the National Aids Trust in their successful challenge to the NHS’s decision that it did not have the power to commission a new HIV prevention drug (National Aids Trust v NHS England & LGA [2016] EWCA Civ 1100; [2017] 1 W.L.R. 1477).
Privacy Notice
Zoë is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. In order to provide legal services to her clients, including advice and representation services, Zoë 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 Zoë’s privacy notice in full, please see here.
Zoe is regulated by the Bar Standards Board and accepts instructions under Standard Contractual Terms. To find out more information on this and the way we work at Matrix, including our fee transparency statement, please see our see our service standards.
DIRECTORY RECOMMENDATIONS
WHAT THEY SAY
Chambers & Partners
Administrative & Public Law: “Well on her way to silk. Really excellent and very approachable.” (2021) “She’s a creative, knowledgeable and very reliable barrister, and is a real pleasure to work with.” “Absolutely outstanding. She’s incredibly intelligent, dedicated and hard-working. She’s very patient and approachable with clients, and highly effective at dismantling her opponents’ case.” (2020) “An extremely personable and approachable barrister who is very knowledgeable on the law. She is both intelligent and strategic.” “Very persistent in a measured way when on her feet” and “a great legal analyst.” (2019) “Extremely hard-working and dedicated advocate who really does her absolute best for clients. She combines real intellectual strength with a very attractive presentation style in court.” “She works hard to master the detail on a case and gives good, practical advice.” (2018) “…total dedication to the cases she is involved in. Her attention to detail and grasp of the issues is hugely impressive.” She is “extremely clear, concise and accurate on paper and in oral advocacy. A very warm and engaging advocate.” “A very good lawyer but she also understands the social policy, which is very important.” (2017)
Civil Liberties & Human Rights: “Her written work is exceptional and she’s very switched on.” “She is clear and thoughtful in the way she presents her arguments.” (2021) “She’s good at cutting through technicalities, making it easy for the judges.” “Zoe is brilliant. She’s an all-rounder, really clever, really hard-working and a pleasure to work with.” (2020) “She is intelligent as well as calm, and very user-friendly.” (2019) “Her submissions are impressive; she is articulate, fights her corner in a fair way, and has the right touch.” “Zoe is totally committed and puts in a huge amount of time and effort.” (2018) “…routinely instructed in high-profile matters in the human rights field, she displays a particular flair for environmental, planning, immigration and social security law… “She always sees both sides of the argument, and has a really strong knowledge of the legislation.” “She shows total dedication to her cases and clients.” (2017)
Community Care: “She cuts straight to the point very easily and is a precise and economical lawyer – she doesn’t waste time.” “Excellent communication skills and analytical abilities.” “She’s down to earth and highly approachable, and has excellent public law knowledge. She’s also an impressive advocate and is very robust when she needs to be, delivering great results for her clients.” (2021) “She’s extremely responsive, proactive and very good to work with. Her written work is of the highest quality.” (2020) “A superstar who does an impressive mix of significant work for claimants as well as for central government.” “She’s very pleasant and modest, which can lull the opposition into a false sense of security, but she’s always well prepared and very bright and makes really good arguments.” (2019) “She is a very creative and tenacious lawyer, who’s particularly good at cutting to the chase and getting good results.” (2018)
Environment: “She’s brilliant.” “She has a very good legal mind.” (2021)
Legal 500
Planning: “She is great at wading through complex issues and condensing into salient points” (2017), “Recommended for matters with EU or human rights elements” (2016) and “highly impressive in the High Court and completely on top of her subject”. (2015)
Administrative & Public Law: “Incredibly thorough and very intelligent” (2017), “an impressive opponent; thorough and approachable, with common sense” (2016) and “a very skilful advocate who can make the best of a difficult case” (2015).