Who we are
Hackett & Dabbs LLP is owned and operated by Lorna Hackett and David Dabbs
Lorna Hackett (formerly Elliott) is a barrister called in 2003, who has conducted numerous high profile cases in recent years.
She has extensive litigation experience, particularly in the areas of judicial review and human rights. Lorna has considerable expertise advising in cases of a sensitive nature and in which there is potential for media interest.
She is authorised by the Bar Council to accept instructions directly from the public under the Direct Access scheme, and is licensed to conduct litigation. She is an advocacy trainer with Lincolns Inn, and a Legal Aid funding and costs adjudicator.
David Dabbs is a barrister called to the bar in 1984 who is an expert in commercial drafting and disputes.
He has advised multinational corporations, banks and UK companies in all types of commercial transactions and litigation.
He was one of the first advocacy trainers at Lincolns Inn, having started teaching in 1994, and has been a Bencher at Lincolns Inn since 2003. He has trained lawyers from all over the world in the skills of written and oral advocacy.
He has also been qualified as an Arbitrator since 2002 and is licensed by the Bar Council to conduct litigation.
Lorna and David’s combined expertise, client-focussed approach and commitment to high-quality legal services make Hackett & Dabbs LLP the ideal choice for legal advice.
Our Principal Consultant
His Honour John Samuels QC is a retired Circuit Judge, having sat either part-time or full-time for 27 years in the Crown Court (including 16 years as a deputy High Court judge prior to his full-time appointment).
He was Chairman of the Criminal Committee of the Council of Circuit Judges and sat in the Central Criminal Court and other London Crown Courts. He was a judicial member of the Parole Board for his maximum tenure of 10 years.
In retirement he has continued to be involved with criminal justice issues: he is President of Prisoners Education Trust, has chaired the Criminal Justice Alliance; is a Vice President of Unilock, AMIMB and Tempus Novo; is a Patron of Prisoners Advice Service, and of Revolving Doors Agency; and has served as a trustee of the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies and the Howard League for Penal Reform. He has been a visiting Professor (at Nottingham Law School, and now at Roehampton University) since 2012. He can offer early neutral evaluation of litigation prospects as well as mediation.
Consultant Counsel
Alexander Horne is a barrister, called in 1999. He is an expert in public and EU law, parliamentary affairs, international agreements (including trade) and human rights.
He has 18 years’ experience as a adviser in Parliament, most recently as Legal Adviser to the House of Lords European Union Committee and International Agreements Committees. He was previously Deputy Legal Adviser to the Joint Committee on Human Rights and also a senior researcher at the Parliament and Constitution Centre in the House of Commons.
Alexander has extensive knowledge of parliamentary practice and procedure, the rules relating to select committees, legislative drafting and legislative scrutiny. He has worked directly with senior Members of Parliament and Peers, and between 2017 and 2021 was part of the House of Lords senior leadership team.
Alexander has particular expertise in issues relating to Brexit, constitutional law, complex human rights issues, and counter-terrorism. He is a specialist on law relating to Parliament and is the co-editor of ‘Parliament and the Law’, the leading text in this area. He has also been a visiting public law lecturer at University College London.
Our Legal Assistant
Suzi Openshaw joined Hackett & Dabbs in 2019 as our Legal Administrator.
With a degree in Business & Economics and a background in Project Management, Suzi is focussed on assisting with the day to day progression of files, regulatory compliance and enhancements to client service, to ensure the smooth running of the overall team.
Working in an exciting and dynamic environment, Suzi quickly became inspired by the human rights cases being taken on by Hackett & Dabbs and is now training part time as a Legal Executive.
Hackett & Dabbs are regulated by the Bar Standards Board (BSB). The BSB’s Barristers’ Register shows (1) who has a current practising certificate, and (2) whether a barrister has any disciplinary findings, which are published on the Barristers’ Register.
The Barristers’ Register page also links to the BSB’s Entities’ Register, which shows entities that are currently authorised.
You can find further information on the BSB website