Melanie has worked for over 20 years as a public law specialist. She has worked in both the public sector (Home Office, Treasury Solicitors Department, professional regulatory body etc.) and in the private sector (she is formerly of the Public Law Groups of Bindman & Partners and Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP).

She is a specialist in judicial review proceedings: recent cases include acting in relation to a challenge to a local authority Rights of Way policy (she is retained to conduct all of the Ramblers' campaigning litigation), a Secretary of State decision not to issue a licence to commercial charitable collectors and the striking off of an accountant from their professional register.

Melanie regularly advises public authorities on their powers and duties. She is well known in her field for her work with the external auditors to local government and NHS Trusts, including the high profile investigations into corporate governance matters at Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council and Lincolnshire County Council. She is retained by the Audit Commission in relation to objection work (she previously worked on Westminster City Council's recovery of the surcharge against Dame Shirley Porter).

Melanie is a specialist in corporate governance for professional regulatory bodies and is retained by the General Optical Council for their public law, information law and legislative drafting work. She sits as a legal assessor for the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales and the Chartered Institute of Public Finance Accountants.

She has developed a particular expertise in information law. She has advised many authorities in relation to Freedom of Information and data subject requests and devised online data protection training for the staff at KPMG UK LLP. She is a Tribunal Judge in the First Tier Tribunal (Information Rights) hearing the national appeals in relation to Freedom of Information and data protection.

Melanie has significant experience in drafting both primary and secondary legislation. This spanned her in time in Government when she learned her drafting skills. She regularly drafts legislation now for professional regulatory bodies.

Her international work includes acting as an Independent Adjudicator for the Marine Stewardship Council. She hears cases concerning fisheries worldwide, most recently as to the sustainability of skipjack tuna in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean. Also recently, she has been engaged to advise the Minstry of Legal Affairs in Guyana in relation to capacity building and effectiveness. Prior to that shew was engaged to draft the Prison & Parole Bill for the Government of the Maldives

Judicial/public appointments
• Tribunal Judge First Tier Tribunal (Information Rights)
• Formerly Tribunal Judge First Tier Tribunal (Local Government Standards)
• Independent Adjudicator Marine Stewardship Council

Type of Work
• Public, administrative, regulatory and information law

Public and administrative law
• Advice and representation on all aspects of public and administrative law to organisations
• Judicial Review/Statutory appeals
• Drafting

Regulatory
• Advice to regulatory bodies on public and human rights law
• Judicial review/Tribunal proceedings
• Professional regulation
• Advice and representation for commercial and not for profit clients in all dealings with the public sector

Information Law
• Data protection and Freedom of Information Act advice