Profile
Chiara Cordone is a public law practitioner with a broad practice spanning administrative law, Court of Protection (welfare), public international law, and related civil matters. She is instructed by public authorities, the Official Solicitor, and private parties in both advisory and contentious work.
Chiara has experience in public international law, including appearing as junior counsel in proceedings before the International Court of Justice concerning the Genocide Convention (The Gambia v. Myanmar: 11 States intervening). She has worked on cases involving complex questions of international law and state responsibility, and maintains a strong interest in the intersection between domestic public law and international legal obligations.
In her domestic practice, Chiara undertakes a mix of led and unled work, and regularly appears as sole counsel in the High Court, the Court of Protection, and the County Court. Her work often involves urgent and complex matters engaging human rights, capacity, and medical treatment issues.
Her public law practice encompasses judicial review, Human Rights Act claims, and regulatory matters. She is also instructed to advise the Financial Ombudsman Service on issues arising under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.
In the Court of Protection, Chiara is regularly instructed in welfare proceedings involving capacity, best interests, and deprivation of liberty, including urgent medical treatment cases in the High Court.
Alongside her public law work, Chiara maintains a civil practice, appearing in personal injury, clinical negligence, and related claims. She has experience acting for vulnerable individuals, including in claims involving detention, addiction, and access to services.
Before coming to the Bar, Chiara worked across the NGO and third sectors in education, international law, and human rights. She holds an LLM in Public International Law from the London School of Economics and has contributed to Shackleton on the Law of Meetings (16th edition, forthcoming).
Chiara undertakes pro bono work and has acted in cases through Advocate and the Free Representation Unit.
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Additional Information
Languages
- Italian (conversational)
- French (conversational)
Additional Information
Languages
- Italian (conversational)
- French (conversational)
Contact Us
Areas Of Expertise
Chiara has a broad public law practice, including Court of Protection work, Human Rights Act damages claims, cases involving prisons, data protection, and regulatory work.
Chiara regularly acts in judicial review claims for vulnerable adults, including claims brought under the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Care Act 2014.
Alongside this, Chiara has acted as consultant counsel to the Financial Ombudsman Service, where she advised on a wide range of issues under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, and continues to undertake judicial review and other work for the FOS.
Chiara is on the committee of the Administrative Law Bar Association (ALBA).
Prior to pupillage Chiara successfully represented Claimants in the Social Security Tribunal with the Free Representation Unit, and provided free written and telephone legal advice on human rights issues to members of the public while at Liberty.
Chiara regularly appears as sole counsel in the Court of Protection on the welfare pathway. Chiara acts for all parties in the Court of Protection, having been instructed by the Official Solicitor, local authorities, integrated care boards, NHS Trusts, and family members. Chiara appears in contested hearings at all levels, and has particular experience in cases involving serious medical treatment, residence and care arrangements, and disputes as to capacity and proceedings raising complex questions under Articles 5 and 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. She is frequently instructed in urgent applications, including out-of-hours matters, and cases requiring interim relief.
Chiara has appeared as sole counsel in the High Court on inherent jurisdiction and urgent medical treatment matters including acting in Barnet, Engield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust v K [2023] 8 WLUK 91. Chiara is also regularly led, including in Nottinghamshire County Council v SV & Anor [2025] EWCOP 37 (T3) which established guidance on when fact finding hearings are appropriate in the Court of Protection.
Recent instructions include complex Article 5 issues where P is in prison but eligible for release on bail provided adequate accommodation to meet their needs is found, and complex capacity issues including fluctuating capacity.
Chiara also advises on Human Rights Act and negligence claims arising from unlawful deprivations of liberty, including acting in settlement approval cases for protected parties.
Her work often involves vulnerable individuals with complex needs, including those affected by mental illness, brain injury, or substance misuse. She is experienced in working with expert evidence and in cases involving sensitive safeguarding concerns.
Chiara is a public international law practitioner with experience including contentious proceedings before the International Court of Justice. Her work includes drafting pleadings, applications (including responding to applications to intervene), and oral submissions, as well as liaising with the Court and opposing parties.
Chiara recently appeared as junior counsel before the International Court of Justice in Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (The Gambia v. Myanmar: 11 States intervening) having been involved in the proceedings for some years, and attending the final hearings in the Netherlands for their entirety. Chiara made oral submissions to the Court addressing the 15 judge panel on issues relating to methods of proof in the application of the Genocide Convention.
Her practice reflects a particular interest in the law of State responsibility and the interpretation and application of multilateral treaties, especially in proceedings engaging serious violations of international law.
Chiara holds an LLM in Public International Law from the London School of Economics. Her thesis examined the approach of the UK Supreme Court to conflict of norms in international law and its effect in the domestic legal order.
Alongside her public law practice, Chiara maintains a civil practice spanning personal injury, clinical negligence, and related claims. She is instructed on behalf of both claimants and defendants in advisory and contentious matters.
Her work includes appearing in interlocutory and final hearings, as well as settlement approval hearings, often involving protected parties and sensitive issues as to capacity and quantum. She is experienced in cases involving vulnerable individuals, including claims arising from detention, failures in care, and access to services.
Chiara also has experience in claims brought under the Human Rights Act 1998, including actions for damages arising from unlawful detention, breaches of Articles 3, 5, and 8, and related public authority liability.
Her practice frequently involves cases at the intersection of public and private law, and she is particularly well placed to act in claims raising overlapping issues of negligence, human rights, and statutory duty. Chiara also acts in civil claims arising under the Equality Act 2010 for service discrimination.
Chiara’s recent work has involved personal injury claims by vulnerable individuals ranging from prisoners to those suffering with gambling addictions, and advising on settlement prior to settlement approval hearings for awards under section 8 of the Human Rights Act 1988.
Chiara’s expertise in the Equality Act 2010 straddles her public law and civil liability work. Chiara also acts in cases involving discrimination in service provision, with a particular focus on disability discrimination and reasonable adjustments, and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender reassignment.
