Helen Rodger
Year of call
2020
Instructing Helen Rodger
For more information please contact our clerks by calling +44 (0)20 7242 3555.
Helen practices across a range of Chambers’ specialisms, with a focus on crime and investigations, clinical negligence, inquests and Court of Protection work. A Grade 3 CPS prosecutor, she is increasingly instructed as a led junior in the most serious and complex cases, working alongside King’s Counsel and in both her criminal and civil practices.
Helen advises claimants and defendants in the preparation of multi-track personal injury and clinical negligence claims from the outset through to trial. She is commended for her prompt, tactical advice to secure settlement swiftly.
Prior to coming to the Bar, Helen worked in public affairs in Westminster during the Brexit referendum. Subsequently, he worked at the Infected Blood Inquiry, supporting the counsel team’s investigations into Government decision-making relating to infected blood products. She also worked as a youth advocate at a legal charity supporting vulnerable children and young people with immigration, homelessness, social care and criminal justice issues. She has a good working knowledge of public authorities’ obligations and duties towards children in their care.
Alongside her work in Chambers, Helen undertakes pro-bono work and is particularly interested in improving access to the Bar, acting as a mentor for Bridging the Bar and other organisations.
Legal Expertise
General Crime
General Crime
Helen prosecutes and defends routinely in the Crown Court in cases of general and serious crime, as both sole and junior counsel. As a Grade 3 CPS prosecutor she is increasingly instructed as a led junior in the most serious cases, including murder, and regularly advises complex legal issues including the insanity defence and fitness to plead.
Notable and recent cases include:
- Prosecution junior to King’s Counsel in a murder trial concerning the death of a vulnerable man, attacked in his own home. A murder conviction was secured following a trial including complex neurological, neuropathological and neuroradiological evidence as to the cause of death. (BBC News)
- Led prosecution junior in Operation Harp, arising from the investigations of three youths charged with joint enterprise attempted murder by stabbing. (Northamptonshire Telegraph)
- Led prosecution junior in Operation Wildflower, a year-long Derbyshire Constabulary investigation into a London-based Albanian organised crime network involved in the supply of drugs throughout the county and neighbouring towns. 11 gang members were prosecuted and, following and eight-week trial, all were convicted. The case involved significant challenges to call data records, cell site and surveillance evidence by leading counsel for the defence, requiring a careful and considered response. Helen successfully resisted five appeals; following the Crown’s written submissions, the Crown was not called upon by the Court of Appeal. (BBC News)
- Prosecuting as sole counsel, secured a conviction in a bomb hoax case in which a man posed as a climate activist protestor in order to threaten individuals living in a hotel accommodating refugees.
- Secured the conviction of multiple defendants involved in the robbery of a taxi driver.
- Defending, secured the acquittal of a client on all charges in a trial concerning coercive and controlling behaviour involving allegations of physical violence and emotional abuse.
- Defended a vulnerable woman charged with wounding with intent, having repeatedly stabbed her husband to the head.
Helen is currently instructed as prosecution junior in a multi-defendant murder trial and, separately, in an investigation concerning the commercial-scale supply of cocaine across the country.
Financial Crime & Investigations
Financial Crime & Investigations
Helen has a particular interest in fraud, corporate crime and investigations, and both prosecutes and defends in cases concerning financial crime in the Crown Court. She advises and represents HMRC, the Insolvency Service, and individuals and companies whose financial affairs are the subject of investigation by public authorities.
Helen has particular experience advising in cases touching upon the boundaries of legal professional privilege. She has been instructed by the Serious Fraud Office in a privilege review exercise, and recently advised in an offshore jurisdiction to conduct a privilege review in a live police investigation.
Helen is a member of the Young Fraud Lawyers’ Association.
Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury
Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury
Helen is involved in the preparation of complex, multi-track personal injury and clinical negligence claims from the outset through to trial, acting for claimants and their families. She is increasingly led by King’s Counsel in the most substantial and high-value claims and has particular experience in the preparation of complex Schedules of Loss.
Her recent instructions include:
- Claim for incorrect management following the identification of pre-cancerous cells in a gynaecological investigation, resulting in the claimant undergoing a hysterectomy unnecessarily. A generous settlement was achieved following targeted disclosure requests made after receipt of the Defence.
- Claim for failure to properly manage a pregnancy, resulting in a stillbirth.
- Claim for failure to manage a skin infection in a timely manner, resulting in extensive skin necrosis and a risk of amputation.
- Claim for personal injuries following an orthopaedic injury which prevented the self-employed claimant from returning to work. Advised on complex loss of earnings claim, leading to a favourable settlement.
- Claim for failure to diagnose inner ear condition, resulting in the Claimant suffering from untreated vertigo symptoms for several years.
- Led by King’s Counsel in a claim concerning the negligent release on leave of a voluntary patient in a psychiatric hospital, assisting with the preparation of a complex Schedule of Loss.
- Led by King’s Counsel in a claim concerning the negligent repeated implantation of mesh products.
- Led by King’s Counsel in settling a Schedule of Loss following judgment for the claimant in a claim concerning the negligent failure to carry out a thrombectomy and to treat an initial stroke promptly, resulting in a further stroke and leaving the claimant with profound disability.
Helen also undertakes employers’ liability, public liability and road traffic accidents. She has experience in private law claims alleging civil liability against public bodies in the exercise of their statutory and public functions, as well as in claims involving allegations of sexual and physical abuse. She has considerable experience defending claims brought against the Highways Authorities under section 41 of the Highways Act 1980.
Inquests
Inquests
Helen is regularly instructed in inquests, representing families where issues of clinical negligence arise and where Article 2 is engaged. She is experienced in cross-examining medical professionals and experts, and welcomes instructions at an early stage so that she can advise from the outset on the relevant evidence at the final hearing.
Recent inquest work includes representing a family at the inquest into a death following negligent management of respiratory issues in A&E, where the coroner made findings against the NHS Trust that a lack of timely intervention had contributed to the death.
Court of Protection
Court of Protection
Helen has a busy practice in the Court of Protection, working with clients who lack capacity, as well as family members and public authorities. She has appeared in cases concerning s.21A challenges, s.16 applications as well as applications to revoke Lasting Power of Attorney or to appoint/remove deputies.
Helen represented P’s husband on an urgent basis when an injunction was sought to prevent him from attending P’s nursing home in the case of MB v PB and Ors [2022] EWCOP 44, owing to allegations of coercive and controlling behaviour towards P and staff at the home.
Helen is adept at handling sensitive and challenging cases concerning the navigation of P’s interests and the family’s desire for as normal and close a family life as possible.
From her clinical negligence practice, Helen has also provided advice and representation to lay deputies in cases concerning the management of a settlement sum and PPO in the Court of Protection.
She is a member of the Court of Protection Bar Association.
Instructing Helen Rodger
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