“A superb and fearless advocate, her commitment to her clients is second-to-none”
– Legal 500
Employment & Discrimination Barrister
Helen Hogben is an employment and discrimination barrister at Trinity Chambers in the North East of England.
Listed as a leading Junior in the Legal 500 for the past seven years, Helen was appointed Junior Counsel to the Crown (Regional Panel B) in 2023. Born and bred in the North East, she has a national practice and regularly appears in tribunals across England, Scotland, and Wales. Helen is regulated by the Bar Standards Board.
Chambers & Partners (2026) – “She picks up the details of the claims quickly and had a good rapport with the clients. Her ability to assimilate the detailed factual position quickly combined with incisiveness and skilled advocacy make her a standout choice.””
Legal 500 (2026) – “Helen is obviously an experienced barrister and gets to grips with the issues in cases quickly. She is great with clients at hearings and in managing their expectations and responding to queries. Her advocacy skills are very good and her submissions to court are easy to follow and well reasoned.’”
Legal 500 (2023) – “Helen has an unwavering dedication to her clients and will stop at nothing to achieve the best outcome for them”
Legal 500 (2022) – “Helen grasps the complexity of her clients’ cases in a forensic manner. Her clients are left in no doubt that their interests will be pursued tirelessly and effectively for as long as they have her in their corner”
Legal 500 (2021) – “A superb and fearless advocate. Her commitment to her clients is second-to-none”
Legal 500 (2020) – “Brilliant with clients and extremely thorough”
Legal 500 (2019) – “Helen Hogben has particular experience of cases involving police forces and the NHS” and “is an adamant and painstaking cross-examiner”
Employment and Discrimination
Before being called to the Bar in 2006, Helen enjoyed a successful commercial career, which has proved invaluable in employment matters, enabling her to identify key issues quickly and offer sound, practical advice. Her client base includes government departments, businesses, private individuals, local authorities, and trade unions.
Helen has a strong track record across a wide range of employment law matters, including unfair and wrongful dismissal, redundancy and TUPE, contract claims and applications for injunctive relief, as well as discrimination on grounds of sex, race, age, disability, religion or belief, pregnancy and maternity, gender reassignment, and sexual orientation, alongside harassment, whistleblowing, unlawful deduction from wages, and holiday pay.
Helen has appeared in the Employment Appeal Tribunal and has represented clients in several complex and lengthy tribunal cases. She has particular experience in discrimination, victimisation, and whistleblowing claims, especially within the NHS and the police.
Education
Helen also has a well-established education law practice. She advises and represents parents, schools, and local authorities in matters concerning discrimination in schools, access to special educational needs provision, admission decisions and appeals, and pupil exclusion decisions. She regularly receives instructions from local authorities across the country in appeals to the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability).
Helen sits on a voluntary basis on a local authority independent review panel considering appeals against permanent exclusion. Acting pro bono, she recently represented two students before an independent review panel, which quashed the school’s decision to permanently exclude them on grounds of illegality. Both students successfully completed their secondary education, and one has since gone on to study law at university.
About Helen Hogben
Helen grew up on Teesside and attended a state comprehensive school. She was the first person in her family to go to university. She has practised as a barrister for almost 20 years and is passionate about ensuring that the legal profession is not just for a privileged few, but welcomes as wide a range of faces and voices as possible.
Helen graduated from the University of St Andrews with an MA (Hons) in International Relations and German in 1995. She then enjoyed a successful commercial career for several years before deciding to retrain as a barrister. She achieved a Distinction in the Graduate Diploma in Law from the University of Law in 2005 and an Outstanding on the Bar Vocational Course at the Northumbria School of Law a year later. She was also awarded the prizes for Best Overall Student and Best Advocate on the BVC.
In 2006, aged 35 and with two children under the age of five, she was called to the Bar by the Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn and became the individual winner of its annual mooting competition. The following year, she was awarded the Atkin Scholarship, one of the Inn’s four most prestigious senior scholarships, awarded to pupils of exceptional merit.
Seminars and Webinars
Helen delivers regular training and presentations on employment and education law for legal professionals, public bodies, and employers. A selection of recent talks and webinars is available below.
Managing Cancer in the Workplace
School Exclusions: Pupils with SEND
Unreasonable Conduct & Costs
Causation & Liability in Victimisation
Excluded Categories Webinar
Open Justice & National Security
Notable Cases
Helen has significant experience in complex employment litigation and has appeared at appellate level in the Employment Appeal Tribunal. Notable cases include:
Contact Helen Hogben
To discuss instructing Helen or to make an enquiry, please contact the Civil Clerking Team at Trinity Chambers, who can advise on availability and next steps.