Corinna Ferguson, a barrister at the human rights organisation Liberty, acted for Pennie Quinton, a journalist, and Kevin Gillan, a peace protester, in the landmark European Court of Human Rights case that ruled unanimously that Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 giving the police sweeping stop-and-search powers breaches human rights.
What were the main challenges in this case and the possible implications?
It required six years of stamina on the part of a number of Liberty lawyers and counsel from Matrix Chambers. Particular credit goes to Alex Gask, my predecessor, who cycled to the protest to collect evidence for the test case. Now that we have succeeded, stop and search without any suspicion will have to be limited to tightly defined exceptional situations. The sloppy law that allowed whole counties to be secretly and indefinitely designated as search areas must be seriously overhauled, and the present test of “expediency” replaced by “necessity” before privacy rights can be intruded upon.
What was your worst day as a lawyer?
There are sadly many to choose from, such as the pupillage interview in which I noticed, mid-answer, that my flies were undone.
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What was your most memorable experience as a lawyer?
Last October the Government conceded that it should be a criminal offence to subject someone to forced labour: telling the story of a Liberty client who was forced to work as a domestic servant was a key part of the campaign, and I am very proud to have been part of it.
Who has been the most influential person in your life and why?
I’m lucky to have worked with some truly inspirational women: Tess Gill was a wonderful pupil supervisor and colleague at Old Square Chambers; my year as Baroness Hale of Richmond’s judicial assistant taught me more about justice than you can ever discover from books; and Shami Chakrabarti is the most dynamic and supportive boss you could wish for.
Why did you become a lawyer?
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Without much thought I applied for the conversion course after my English degree and discovered that law was more interesting and important than most people realise. The subsequent years of study and struggle have all been worth it for the privilege of working at Liberty, defending fundamental rights and freedoms using the much maligned Human Rights Act.
What would your advice be to anyone wanting a career in law?
Don’t be in too much of a hurry to get there. Experience of almost anything else is valuable when you are representing real people who expect you to resolve their problems using the law.
If you had not become a lawyer, what would you have chosen and why?
The plan was to be a violinist but I am glad I didn’t spoil the fun by having to make a living out of it.
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Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Wondering what on earth happened to my thirties.