Amy Taylor

Crime

Amy prosecutes and defends in all types of criminal proceedings, such as mentions, committals for sentence, and trials. She takes pride in her ability to communicate with clients from a variety of backgrounds and regularly represents clients in Magistrates’, Crown, and Youth Courts.

Specific examples of her work include:

• Prosecuting lists on behalf of the Crown Prosecution Service.
• Representing the RSPCA in cases concerning the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and causing unnecessary suffering to protected animals.
• Defending in R v AK (Canterbury Crown Court) where the defendant was charged with intentional strangulation, controlling and coercive behaviour, and witness intimidation. This 5-day trial resulted in not guilty verdicts.

Civil

Amy has considerable experience advising and acting for clients across a range of civil work.

Specific examples of her work include:

• Appearing on behalf of the police in applications for Stalking Protection Orders, Sexual Risk Orders, and Closure Orders.

• Representing the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (formerly Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government) in the public inquiry into the fire at Grenfell Tower. This included preparing Rule 13 responses for several witnesses as part of the ‘Maxwellisation’ process.

• Drafting grounds of defence in judicial review cases challenging the lawfulness of decisions in asylum and immigration claims.

Professional discipline

Prior to joining the Bar, Amy worked at the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) as a Case Officer and at the Health and Care Professions Council as a Case Manager. After securing tenancy, she undertook a 3-month secondment as a Case Presenter at the NMC. She continues to represent the NMC in interim and substantive hearings.

Specific examples of her work include:

• A 5-week hearing involving almost 150 lack of competence and misconduct allegations, 20 witnesses (including a handwriting expert), hearsay applications, and applications to amend the schedule of charges.

• A 7-day hearing concerning a failure to check on vulnerable patients on a psychiatric ward. The delay of 5 years between the incidents and the hearing taking place meant there were issues that had to be navigated regarding the witness evidence and their ability to recall incidents.

• A 7-day hearing concerning allegations that the registrant gave salt to patients. This was a serious case and involved a self-represented Registrant.

Regulatory

Amy has been appointed to Attorney-General’s List of Specialist Regulatory Advocates (C Panel).

Specific examples of her work regulatory include:

• Representing the Care Quality Commission in a 6-day appeal hearing in the First-tier Tribunal (Health, Education and Social Care Chamber).
• Conducting interviews and drafting witness statements in respect of an appeal against an enforcement notice served by the Crown Premises’ Fire Safety Inspectorate regarding fire alarms.
• Appearing on behalf of local authorities in a variety of matters, including cases concerning breaches of food safety and hygiene regulations.

Appointments

• Attorney-General’s Regulatory List of Counsel (C List)
• Crown Prosecution Service (Level 1)

Education

• Bar Professional Training Course – City, University of London (Outstanding)
• Global Criminal Law – University of Groningen (with an exchange semester at McGill University, Canada) (Distinction)
• Law LLB (Hons) – University of Liverpool (First Class)

Awards

• Pegasus Scholarship – Pegasus Scholarship Trust (2024)
• Stephen Seabrooke Memorial Prize – City, University of London (2021)
• Full Fee Scholarship for the BPTC – City, University of London (2019)
• Bursary – Human Rights Lawyers Association (2018)
• Holland Scholarship – University of Groningen (2017)
• University Fund Scholarship – University of Groningen (2017)
• Talent Grant – University of Groningen (2016)
• Weightmans LLP Prize – University of Liverpool (2014)
• Opportunity and Achievement Scholarship – University of Liverpool (2011-2014)

Memberships

• A-LAW, UK Centre for Animal Law
• Criminal Bar Association
• London Irish Lawyers Association (LILA)
• UK Environmental Law Association (UKELA)
• Gray’s Inn

Publications

Amy has reviewed and updated content on LexisNexis:

• Sewers and drains – developer’s rights and responsibilities
• Sewers and drains – sewerage undertakers’ powers and duties to lay sewers and drains
• Sewers and drains – requisitioning a public sewer or a lateral drain

She has written articles:

• The implications of theWater (Special Measures) Bill

She was a speaker at the Animal Law Conference in 2024 and gave a presentation, the topic of which was ‘Climate Change and Wildlife – what are we doing wrong?’

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