Paula Kelly

During her pupillage Paula has assisted members in all stages of judicial review in cases spanning prisons, immigration, social care, and public consultations. She is a member of the Attorney General’s ‘Junior Junior’ Panel.

In her previous capacity as a Parliamentary Adviser, Paula drafted legislative amendments, advised on statutory interpretation, and provided research on the Good Friday Agreement, the treaties of the EU and the constitutions of various EU Member States between 2016 and 2019.  She further developed her knowledge of international law during her LL.M., in which she studied International Criminal Law under Philippe Sands KC and graduated first in the year in Public International Law.

She has drawn on this professional and academic experience in assisting Neil Sheldon KC during her pupillage on politically sensitive matters involving international law and constitutional issues.

Paula has gained knowledge and experience of coronial law, including drafting submissions to Coroners on behalf of a clinician and assisting in an Article 2 jury inquest into a death in prison. She represented a bereaved family in a successful challenge to a Coroner’s decision not to open an inquest into the death of a young person (led by Richard Booth KC).

Paula has had exposure to the full range of personal injury matters during her pupillage.

She is developing a practice representing survivors of sexual abuse and neglect under the supervision of Justin Levinson. She was a Judicial Assistant to Mrs Justice Thornton in the case of FGX v Gaunt [2023] EWHC 419 (KB), the first civil judgment for image-based sexual abuse in England and Wales. During pupillage, she has advised claimants on the merits of potential claims for ‘failure to remove’, drafted submissions in matters relating to the settlement scheme for the victims of David Fuller and represented a sexual abuse victim in an application to the High Court.

She also accepts instructions for claimants and defendants in personal injury matters and regularly provides advice and advocacy in fast track and small claims track trials road traffic accidents on liability and quantum.

Paula has assisted on a wide range of clinical negligence matters for both claimants and defendants during her pupillage. She has prepared pleadings and drafted Advices on liability, quantum and costs, including in catastrophic birth injury and brain damage cases. She also assisted a senior member in a complex six-day High Court trial concerning a misdiagnosis of cauda equina syndrome. She is currently working with Lizanne Gumbel KC on the latest edition of ‘Clinical Negligence: A Practitioner’s Handbook’.

Paula is interested in the intersection of criminal justice and policing with all aspects of public and civil law.

She has represented a Requested Person in his extradition hearing and assisted Ben Seifert in several extradition bail applications and appeals. She has also worked on several judicial reviews relating to prisoner categorisation under the supervision of David Manknell KC and assisted in an inquest touching on a death in a prison.

As a Judicial Assistant in the High Court, she worked on trials concerning injuries sustained during an arrest by a police taser and a civil claim arising out of a criminal conviction for voyeurism. She also assisted judges in determinations of applications for permission to appeal to the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division).

Paula draws on her experience in criminal law as a student attorney at Harvard Law School, in which she secured favourable outcomes for defendants accused of assault, public disorder and drug possession and provided advice and advocacy to prisoners, including in an application for parole by an individual convicted of second-degree murder.

Paula gained experience of employment law by acting as a trade union representative. In her previous political role, she was involved in a successful challenge to an NHS Trust’s policy of denying IVF treatment to single women on the basis of discriminatory views about single mothers. She is keen to build her practice in these areas and is happy to consider acting pro-bono in appropriate cases.

Paula has successfully defended a veterinary negligence claim and advised on an application for a non-party costs order in a dental negligence claim. She welcomes further instructions in this area.

Paula gained experience of tax law by assisting Sarabjit Singh KC and Edward Waldegrave in several matters during pupillage and is keen to build her practice in this area.