Serena Sekhon

Serena Sekhon specialises in public law and human rights. Her busy practice encompasses areas including judicial review, community care, inquests, prison and police law and education.

Serena’s work includes:

• Judicial review and interim relief applications relating to community care, frequently in relation to asylum support
• Judicial review relating to decisions made under the National Referral Mechanism,
• Judicial review in the prison law context,
• Inquests,
• Representing clients in oral hearings before the Parole Board
• Appearing in the First-Tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability)

She undertakes a mix of led and unled work.

Current and recent cases include:

• R (SAC) v SSHD – challenging the Home Secretary’s negative reasonable grounds decision · under the National Referral Mechanism, unled (current)
•  R (BEU) v SSHD – issued urgent judicial review proceedings on behalf of a homeless asylum-seeking client; secured an urgent injunction ordering the Defendant to accommodate the client within 48 hours. The client was accommodated the following day.
• R (LR) v Coventry City Council [2025] EWHC 20 (Admin) – challenging a Local Authority’s section 17 NRPF policy and assessment/decision in relation to s.17 support for the Claimant’s family, led by Ranjiv Khubber
• Re Christopher Kapessa – inquest into the death of a black child who was pushed into a river and drowned, led by Michael Mansfield KC
• Re Chenise Gregory – inquest into the death of a woman killed by her partner (a sex offender under probation and police management at the time) led by Maya Sikand KC
• Investigation and Inquests into the Deaths of Patients of Ian Paterson – tens of inquests into the deaths of patients of breast surgeon Ian Paterson. Serena was one of a team of counsel to the inquest, team led by Jonathan Jones KC, from 2023 to 2025.

Serena is particularly experienced in judicial review cases relating to asylum support. She advises at all stages of the claim process and regularly secures settlements and interim relief for clients.

Serena is strongly committed to access to justice and is willing to consider instructions pro bono where appropriate.

Serena has undertaken courses in Peacebuilding in Colombia at Universidad de los Andes in 2017, and in international criminal justice in the context of mass atrocities in 2023 (Geoffrey Nice Foundation Masterclass, Dubrovnik). To attend the latter, she was awarded a scholarship by the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple.

Prior to coming to the Bar, Serena graduated from the University of Bristol with a first class degree in history. She undertook her legal studies with a total of five scholarships.

Serena has volunteered at organisations including Southall Black Sisters (a charity providing advice to and advocacy for survivors of domestic violence) and at HMP Brixton as a Vocalise mentor.

Serena sits on No5 Chambers’ Equality and Diversity Committee and was previously a member of the Bar Council’s Young Barristers’ Committee. She regularly participates in outreach events with her Inn of Court and judges mooting competitions.

She is a voluntary member of the Sikh Human Rights Group.

Expertise