Ella Grodzinski

Ella is particularly interested in environmental and planning law. She has co-authored two chapters in The Law of Net Zero and Nature Positive, scheduled for release in late January 2025. As reflected in those book chapters and in her LLM, she has a particular interest in international climate regulation.

Ella is also regularly instructed on property matters as sole counsel. Her experience includes possession proceedings and service charge disputes. She has also been involved in a variety of matters spanning planning, environmental and property law, both led and as sole counsel, including:

• Resisting an appeal by way of public inquiry on the redevelopment of the South Kensington Underground Station and surrounding buildings
• Assisting with several inquiries into the registration of town and village greens
• Advising on matters of land registration and equitable ownership of land
• Defending a statutory noise nuisance complaint

Ella has a broad and rapidly growing public law practice. She regularly appears in both the High Court and in the County Courts. Her experience covers regulatory work, education, immigration and Human Rights Act claims. She is also particularly interested in the intersections of environment and planning law.

Particular highlights include:

• R (TS) v LB Hackney [2023] EWHC 3063 (Admin) - Appeared in the High Court as junior counsel, led by Steve Broach KC, on a successful judicial review of the London Borough of Hackney’s assessment of a disabled teenager’s needs and service provision decision.
• Appeared in the High Court as junior counsel led by Sir James Eadie KC and Emily Wilsdon, defending the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on a consultation challenge (awaiting judgment).
• Assisted with the final stages of the Infected Blood Inquiry, in particular with the warning letter procedure.

Ella spent six months 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. She continues to undertake judicial review and other work for the FOS.

Ella also recently completed a secondment to the Office for Students, where she advised on a range of matters concerning their regulatory functions. 

During pupillage, Ella worked on a range of construction matters, including:

• Advising on the application of the recent Building Safety Act 2022 and the Fire Safety Order 2003 in relation to corporate liability for remedial works
• Advising on responsibility and liability for building design and construction defects
• Assisting in preparation and giving advice on a claim for breaches of landlords’ duties, in contract and under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 
• Advising ownership disputes and contractual relationships in relation to joint-venture housing construction

Ella worked on a number of different commercial matters during pupillage, including:

• Drafting pleadings in relation to commercial contracts, guarantees and debt recovery cases
• Conducting legal research for Paul Darling KC on the fiduciary and contractual duties of football agents
• Advising on dry shipping matters and vessel withdrawal, in anticipation of arbitration 
• Working on several regulatory matters of solicitor malpractice, including drafting pleadings 

Ella regularly appears as sole counsel in the County Courts in personal injury and road traffic, and as well as on contractual disputes. She regularly handles the full range of issues arising from such claims, including interlocutory applications, witness handling and all aspects of procedure.

She also has experience drafting statements of case, schedules, legal research and providing advice. Her experience during pupillage included:

• Conducting legal research for Judith Ayling KC regarding the human rights implications of failures in psychiatric care and safeguarding
• Drafting schedules and counterschedules in personal injury and fatal accident cases
• Drafting pleadings in relation to road traffic accidents, occupiers’ liability and personal injury at work cases
• Advising on employer’s liability as affected by contractual indemnity and the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006