Helen graduated from Wadham College, Oxford with a first class degree in Modern Languages (French and Spanish). She worked at an antiquarian bookseller’s for two years, where she was responsible for setting up and managing a multilingual internet site.  She left to study the Post Graduate Diploma in Law in which she gained a Distinction. Helen trained at Clifford Chance LLP and qualified into their General Litigation department in February 2007.

Helen joined the complex & appellate litigation, human rights, media & intellectual property and international litigation teams at Finers Stephens Innocent in April 2010. She specialises in defamation, freedom of speech, media and human rights matters, both advisory and contentious. She is also a member of the firm’s cultural property team and has a keen personal interest in the Arts.

Helen is particularly interested in work with an international human rights dimension and has been an active member of Advocates for International Development (“A4ID”) for a number of years. She participated in their annual Law and International Development training course and takes on a number of pro bono matters through them.

Helen speaks fluent French and Spanish and intermediate Italian.

In her spare time, Helen enjoys going to the theatre and cinema, playing the cello and piano, and attending ceramics and mosaic workshops.

Recent work advising

• the Jamaican Ministry of Justice on reform of Jamaican libel law;
• The Kyiv Post on contesting jurisdiction in a libel claim;
• art galleries on obscenity and decency laws;
• international media organisations, NGOs and a variety of high profile individuals on defamation issues;
• a US television network on UK privacy law and broadcasting regulations;
• on bringing copyright infringement proceedings for a variety of clients, including high street fashion and jewellery retailers, television production companies and picture libraries;
• union officials in respect of union disputes;
• on appeals to the European Court of Human Rights;
• a North African human rights radio broadcaster on regularising their regulatory position; and
• an international television network on election broadcasting regulations.

Random fact

Helen loves travelling and on a trip to Belize learned how to hypnotise sharks.

Return to Profiles