Rebekah Read

Rebekah is a senior associate solicitor in the international department with over 10 years of experience in litigating international human rights, abuse, environmental, corruption and whistleblowing cases.

What people say

"Rebekah, your dedication to the case really merits underscoring – this was a case of real complexity, not just because of the subject matter but because of how frighteningly acute [the client]’s injuries were/are – your skill and commitment in protecting his interests whilst driving the case forward was wonderful to see." - KC 

“Your support has not only been professional but also deeply personal, making this journey more manageable and, dare I say, at times, even empowering. Your expertise, commitment, and the genuine care you have shown have made a significant impact on both the outcome and my overall experience…thank you for your exceptional support and dedication.” - Client of Rebekah

“We recognise you alone took a stand for [the client] and gave him a voice at a time when others did not...Your legal acumen, painstaking legal and factual research has been exemplary. All this was done alongside keeping [the client] engaged with trauma-informed skills…The impact this will have on [the client] in restoring his dignity, his sense of self-worth and psychological health is immeasurable.” - Freedom From Torture

Legal expertise

Since joining Leigh Day in 2010, Rebekah has worked on several complex cases across multiple jurisdictions against British multinationals and the British Government, notably:

• Rebekah was heavily involved in the landmark “Mau Mau litigation” (Mutua v FCO [2013]), in which Leigh Day successfully represented 5,228 Kenyan victims of colonial torture who alleged that they were subjected to torture and other forms of ill-treatment at the hands of the British colonial administration during the Kenya Emergency in the 1950’s;
• The Bodo Community v. Shell Petroleum Development Company Ltd: A claim by a community of 30,000 Nigerians for compensation and remediation of their lands arising out of extensive oil spills in the Niger Delta which settled for £55m in 2015;
• Rebekah has represented children around the world in claims for compensation against British men who have sexually abused them. One such claim was on behalf of a group of children in Kenya and Uganda who were sexually abused by a British Airways pilot. A vicarious liability claim was brought against British Airways, which settled the claim whilst denying liability;
• Iraqi Civilians v MoD [2017] and Afghan Civilians v MoD: claims on behalf of hundreds of Iraqi and Afghan claimants alleging unlawful detention, mistreatment and torture by British forces during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan;
• Bang & Saifullah v MOD: claims on behalf of an Afghan family who alleged their relatives were unlawfully killed by special forces during a “night raid” on their compound;
• Acting in claims against Shell on behalf of more than 2,000 individuals from the Bille community Nigeria. The claimants allege that their environment has been devastated by oil pollution; and
• Several claims on behalf of whistleblowers working overseas who have spoken out about corruption in their workplaces and have suffered devastating impacts on their careers and lives as a result.

As part of her training Rebekah spent some time working in the clinical negligence department, and undertook a secondment to the office of the Shadow Attorney General.

Rebekah Read in the news

• Rebekah contributed to The Orphanage Business on BBC Radio 4's File on Four on 13.1.19 (at 1:25)
• Rebekah spoke at the ‘Litigating for Social Change’ conference held by the Northern Ireland Law Society in Belfast in 2016.
• Rebekah Read did a brief interview on BBC Hereford and Worcester’s breakfast show on 27.10.15 (from 01.39.00), commenting on the reduction in the jail sentence of Simon Harris.  
• Salami slicing justice: victims of miscarriages of justice will struggle to prove their innocence Solicitors Journal 17.3.15

You can follow Rebekah on the Social Justice First blog.