Overview
Alecsandra is a practical and engaging advocate working across the full spectrum of professional disciplinary cases. She is instructed to act both on behalf of Registrants facing disciplinary proceedings and Regulatory bodies.
As Joint Deputy Head of the Professional Discipline Team, Alecs leads our junior barristers in their training and is an experienced mentor to those wishing to break into the professional discipline field of practice.
Alecsandra is highly regarded and has been ranked in both Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners since 2020 and 2021 respectively.
Since September 2023, Alecsandra has been appointed as a Legal Adviser for the General Optical Council giving her a unique insight into the legal issues which arise in FTP hearings and also the questions and issues which are of paramount importance to the committees’ deciding cases.
Professional Discipline & Regulatory
Alecsandra has extensive experience of Regulatory and Professional discipline cases. She is ranked as a “Leading Junior” in Chambers and Partners and a “Rising Star” within the Legal 500 in the field of Regulatory and Professional Discipline.
Her practice in Regulatory and Professional Discipline extends to both presenting cases on behalf of Regulators and defending Registrants. She is noted for sensitive witness handling, ably navigating paper-heavy caseloads and highly effective cross-examination.
Defence work
In her Registrant practice Alecsandra is able to employ the experience she has accrued through her career to assist in explaining the complicated and often lengthy process to Registrants from an initial referral to the final conclusion of the case clearly and accessibly.
Pre-hearing work
Alecs is experienced in written advocacy, persuading regulators to discontinue cases before they get to a final hearing stage. Advance engagement and representation can be crucial to a positive outcome.
Interim orders
Alecs has a strong understanding of the impact an interim order can have on a professional; conditions can be onerous and confusing, and suspension can be financially devastating. This difficult stage in a hearing process relies upon a committee fully understanding that to impose orders the conduct must be sufficiently serious and whilst being a risk assessment, can involve some assessment of the facts where cases allow. Alecs can also assist in cases where the regulator is applying for an interim order extension in the High Court.
Final Hearings
Once a matter reaches final hearing stage, Alecs’ detailed cross-examination has often made the difference in regulatory cases meaning that cases can finish at half-time with no findings of fact being made. If a case does reach the final stages Alecs’ oral and written advocacy help to guide the panel towards the best possible outcome for a case by highlighting key issues relating to seriousness, impairment and proportionate outcomes.
Appeals
Alecs is experienced at offering detailed written advice on appeal to both existing client’s or new clients seeking a fresh view of the case. Appeals in general must be brought within 28 days and therefore consideration of appeal must be raised as soon as possible after the conclusion of a final hearing.
Regulatory Practice
Alecsandra is regularly instructed by prominent regulatory bodies including the Health and Care Professions Council, the General Pharmaceutical Council and the General Dental Council.
She is trusted to act in lengthy and complex hearings, involved at an early stage to review evidence and ensure the case is presented appropriately and proportionately. The type of cases in which she is instructed are extremely wide ranging, from dealing with complex medical issues which require consideration and cross examination of expert evidence to serious misconduct such as inappropriate prescribing of medication, sexual misconduct, and quasi-criminal behaviour in the workplace. She is well known and regarded for producing detailed and accurate written submissions to assist committees in navigating evidence bundles and case theories.
Alecs is also instructed to deal with interim order extension cases in the High Court preparing written and oral submissions.
Alecs has provided training to regulatory bodies, training their committees to understand the regulatory hearing process and the types of issues that they will be dealing with while sitting through a regulatory hearing.
Alecsandra has acted before or on behalf of a range of regulatory bodies including:
- The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
- The General Medical Council (GMC).
- The General Dental Council (GDC).
- The Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA).
- The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
- The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS).
- The Farriers Registration Council (FRC).
- Social Work England (SWE).
- British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC).
- UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP)
Sports Law
Alecsandra accepts instructions in relation to a wide range of sports law cases from on field disciplinary action, to anti-doping cases, to child safeguarding investigations. Alecsandra has represented a boxer in a complex anti-doping case involving potential contamination of supplement issues and has recently represented a sportsman in relation to child safeguarding concerns.
Inquests & Inquiries
Alecsandra accepts instructions in relation to Public Inquiries and Inquests.
Alecsandra has experience representing nurses involved in inquest proceedings before the Coroner, including acting on behalf of a nurse whose actions were said to amount to negligence in the care of a patient who subsequently passed away. No findings were made against the nurse.
Alecsandra has also represented corporate interested parties involved in inquest proceedings to ensure that their investigatory role was properly reflected in the inquest process. These inquests involved the very difficult subject matter of neonatal deaths.
Professional Panel Appointments
- CPS Advocate Panel Member Grade 2.
Additional information
- 2017 - July 2019: Kingsley Napley, Barrister within Professional Regulatory Team.
- January 2017 - August 2017: Freelance Solicitor-Advocate.
- 2016 - 2017: Clive Rees and Associates, Solicitor-Advocate (Crime).
- 2014 - 2015: Policy advisor for the Law Societies Joint Brussels office.
Cases of Note
JH v SRA [2024]
Alecsandra represented JH, a solicitor who had been removed from the roll 20 years previously. Her case has been widely publicised as at the time of her removal she was subject to extreme domestic abuse. JH was restored to the roll.
TRA v PT [2024]
Successfully argued that whilst the facts and misconduct were made out against the teacher, the conduct had only occurred due to a sustained campaign of gaslighting and bullying by the head teacher at the school. The Panel agreed and the teacher was permitted to return to teaching unrestricted.
HCPC v MW [2023]
Alecs represented a practitioner psychologist who breached professional boundaries with a client This was not a sexual misconduct case but one where the practitioner had failed to maintain professional boundaries during the Covid pandemic meaning that there had been a reliance on email communications, and these had blurred the lines between therapy and life. The case involved expert evidence, and detailed reflection from the practitioner who had denied the allegations. The practitioner received a caution order, meaning he was able to work unrestricted.
UKCP v EB [2023]
Representing an eminent psychotherapist who had been removed from a linked professional register for admitting allegations relating to misconduct. Alecs managed to persuade the panel that the same action was unnecessary in this case as the Registrant’s conduct had been remediated. The case concluded with no finding of impairment.
TRA v MH [2021]
Following cross examination of the TRA’s witnesses, Alecs successfully argued that the TRA’s case had an insufficient evidential basis to proceed. The panel agreed and the case was concluded at half time. This meant that there were no findings of fact against her client who had been accused of manipulating examination results.
R v Heathrow Pause [2020]
Successfully prosecuted four members of the Heathrow Pause protests who breached flight restriction zone regulations with drones.
R v V [2020]
Successfully prosecuted a s.18 in Uxbridge Youth Court where a young man was stabbed by four youths. The case was later appealed to the Crown Court in which Alecsandra appeared and successfully maintained the conviction.
HCPC v AD [2019]
Successfully presented a case against a physiotherapist who sexually assaulted a patient. The Physiotherapist had been found not guilty at Crown Court trial.
HCPC v M [2018]
Successfully prosecuting a fraud amounting to misuse of £150k of Government money, which had been provided for the set-up and establishment of a paramedic team to respond to terrorist attacks.
RSPCA v McCormick and ors [2016] EWHC 928 (Admin)
Acting for the successful respondent in a leading animal welfare act case.
