Tutku Bektas is a member of the Public Law Group, having completed her pupillage under the supervision of Philip Rule KC and Richard Alomo in 2024.
Tutku is building a public law practice in the areas of Court of Protection, education law, prison law, inquests and inquiries and community care. During her second-six, Tutku appeared before Parole Board panels, the First-tier Tribunal in special educational needs and disability, Coroner’s courts as well as hearings before the Court of Protection. She has also prepared written advice and drafted submissions for judicial review challenges before the Administrative Court.
Tutku is a member of the Attorney-General’s Junior Junior Scheme.
Before joining No5 Chambers, Tutku had an international legal practice with a particular expertise in public international law, international human rights law and international investment and commercial arbitration. Between September 2022 to August 2023, Tutku was a judicial assistant to Judge Dalveer Bhandari at the International Court of Justice in the Hague. She also contributed to the work of the United Nations International Law Commission, the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs and the NUS Centre for International Law in various capacities.
Prior to this, Tutku worked as an associate and trainee at the international arbitration departments of leading law firms in Paris, where she served as counsel, advisor and shadow arbitral secretary in numerous investment treaty and commercial arbitrations in mining, banking, construction, and pharmaceutical industries.
Over the past eight years, Tutku has developed a busy pro bono practice in international human rights law. She has worked on applications to the European Court of Human Rights and the United Nations Human Rights Committee, primarily focusing on issues related to the prolonged pre-trial detention of journalists and human rights defenders. She has collaborated with leading NGOs and campaigns around the world, including Human Rights Watch, Media Defence, Z2K, ECCHR, Advocates for Human Rights, Campaign to Bring Yahya Jammeh and his Accomplices to Justice and the UK Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom
Education law:
Tutku represents both appellants and respondents in Special Educational Needs (SEN) appeals before First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability). Tutku is regularly instructed on appeals concerning disputes surrounding Sections B, F and I of the Educational, Health and Care Needs Plans (EHCPs) as well as appeals arising from the Local Authority’s refusal to assess a young person’s EHC needs.
Prison law:
Tutku regularly advises and represents prisoners during oral hearings held by the Parole Board in a range of matters, and her recent experiences include providing representations during:
Tutku is instructed to provide legal advice and prepare written submissions on behalf of prisoners seeking to challenge by way of judicial review the decisions of the Secretary of State for Justice. Her recent judicial review work includes:
As a member of No5 Chambers Prison Law Team, Tutku is willing to organise and deliver legal training in prison law to solicitors and caseworkers working in prison law.
Inquests:
Community care and asylum support:
During her pupillage, Tutku has acquired experience and training in representing families and local authorities in Special Education Needs (SEN) appeal hearing.
Tutku is also interested in undertaking judicial review challenges against decisions made by local authorities and the Secretary of State for the Home Department addressing issues related to age assessment decisions and failures to provide adequate accommodation and support for asylum seekers.
Throughout her pupillage, Tutku was involved in conducting judicial review challenges against decisions made by the Secretary of State, Prison and Probation Service, Parole Board and prison governors in a diverse range of matters related release, recall and re-categorisation decisions. She also followed matters pursuing (i) Human Rights Act claims against the police, particularly in cases involving delayed or ineffective police investigations and (ii) civil actions against the police.
Tutku is building a growing Court of Protection practice, having been instructed frequently by Ps(on behalf of their litigation friend), local authorities and ICBs in applications under Sections 16 and 21(A) of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. She has experience in:
Tutku has also delivered legal trainings sessions on the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards for children’s social care and adult social care teams in local authorities.
Tutku practices the following areas:
Before joining No5 Chambers, Tutku was actively involved in drafting applications and amicus briefs, conducting legal research and preparing reports in relation to human rights complaints before the European Court of Human Rights and the UN Human Rights Committee. Her primary focus has been on issues relating to freedom of expression (Article 10 ECHR and Article 18 ICCPR), right to liberty and security (Article 5 ECHR), and right to a fair trial (Article 5 ECHR).
Tutku has collaborated with prominent human rights NGOs and campaigns in London, New York, Paris and Berlin, including the Human Rights Watch, Media Defence, European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) and Advocates for Human Rights. She is happy to accept instructions on a pro bono basis, leveraging her background and knowledge to advance human rights causes.
During her pupillage, Tutku has worked on claims under the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Equality Act 2010. She is well-prepared to accept instructions in a broad spectrum of civil liberties and human rights cases.
She is happy to accept instructions on a pro bono basis, leveraging her background and knowledge to advance human rights causes.
Prior to joining the Bar, Tutku worked as an associate and trainee at the international arbitration departments of leading law firms in Paris, where she served as counsel, advisor and shadow arbitral secretary in numerous investment treaty and commercial arbitrations in mining, banking, construction, and pharmaceutical industries. She can provide legal advice, research and drafting assistance in relation to commercial and investment arbitrations under a wide range of arbitral rules.
We are delighted to announce that following the successful completion of their pupillage, Anna Stein, Samuel Leach, Matthew Wyatt, Mirren Gidda and Tutku Bektas have…
We are delighted to announce that following the successful completion of their pupillage, Anna Stein, Samuel Leach, Matthew Wyatt, Mirren Gidda and Tutku Bektas have…
