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Background

Tutku Bektas

Call: 2018

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

Expertise

Public Law

Tutku accepts instructions in the following areas of law, in which she gained substantial experience and training during her pupillage:

Education law: 

  • Representing families and local authorities in Special Education Needs (SEN) appeal hearings.
  • In more than 20 hearings, Tutku was involved in disputes in relation to Sections B, F & I of EHC plans, decisions not to issue an EHCP as well as disputes surrounding residential placements and EOTAS packages.
  • Tutku also welcomes pro bono instructions on behalf of parents in EHCP appeals

Prison law:

  • Conducting judicial review challenges against decisions made by the Secretary of State, Prison and Probation Service, Parole Board and prison governors.
  • Representing prisoners before the Parole Board reviews and hearings.
  • Providing oral and written representations in relation to release, recall, re-categorisation and escape risk classification decisions.

Inquests:

  • Representing and supporting family members or other Interested Persons in multi-day inquests, including Article 2 and jury inquests.

Community care and asylum support: 

  • Tutku received training in bringing 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

Education

During her pupillage, Tutku has acquired experience and training in representing families and local authorities in Special Education Needs (SEN) appeal hearing.

Community Care

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.

Prison & Police Law

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.

Court of Protection

Tutku accepts instructions in both health and welfare and property and affairs matters in the Court of Protection. During her second-six, she was instructed in more than 15 cases, where she attended hearings and RTMs and prepared draft orders on behalf of Local Authorities and ICBs. Recent cases include, representing local authorities and ICBs in various section 21(a) challenges to deprivation of liberty; representing a local authority in an urgent application concerning the potential discharge of a young girl from the hospital pending identification of accommodation by the local authority; and a successful application to appoint a local authority as a deputy in case involving a dispute between two factions of a family.

International

Tutku practices the following areas:

International Human Rights

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.

Civil Liberties & Human Rights

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.

Domestic & International Arbitration

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.

Environment

Tutku co-authored the book chapter entitled “Sea-Level Rise and the Law of the Sea: Filling the Legal Gaps through Informal Lawmaking” in Natalie Klein (ed.) Unconventional Lawmaking in the Law of the Sea with Dr. Nilufer Oral. With experience as a legal research assistant at the UN International Law Commission and the NUS Centre for International Law, she has substantial knowledge in international legal aspects of environmental law, sea-level rise and climate change. This background enables her to provide advice on the international law aspects of the evolving legal landscape in this critical area.

Inquests, Public Inquiries & Coronial Law

Building further upon her training in pupillage, Tutku welcomes the opportunity to represent and support family members as well as other Interested Persons in single or multi-day inquests.

Related News, Resources and Events

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5 new tenants for No5

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…

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  • Public Interest Prize, NYU Convocation Prize
  • Jessup Advocacy Award, NYU Convocation Prize
  • Transitional Justice Scholarship, NYU
  • Astbury Scholarship, Middle Temple
  • Ahmet Ertegun Memorial Scholarship, University of Oxford
  • International Law Association, British Branch
  • American Society of International Law
  • Attorney and Counsellor at the New York Bar (2021)
  • Attorney-General’s Junior Junior Scheme
  • LL.M. in International Legal Studies, New York University Law School
  • Bar Professional Training Course, BPP
  • B.A. in Jurisprudence, University of Oxford (Exeter College)

Related News, Resources and Events

News


5 new tenants for No5

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…

View all related news

Clerk Team

Abdul Hafeez

Practice Director, Immigration & Public Law

abdulh@no5.com

07957 403805

Lucas Bennett

Practice Manager, Immigration & Public Law

lucasb@no5.com

Jordan Lloyd

Immigration & Public Law Clerk

jordanl@no5.com

Emily Johnston

Immigration & Public Law Clerk

emilyj@no5.com

Isabella Taylor

Immigration & Public Law Clerk

isabellat@no5.com

Hannah Muxlow

Immigration & Public Law Clerk

hannahm@no5.com

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