Ruth O’Sullivan

Associate | Public Law & Regulatory

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Ruth is an Associate in our Public Law Team.

Ruth joined Capital from the Government Legal Department in Spring 2023, where she was advising the Department for Transport on its Rail Transformation Programme.

Ruth works with public law and regulatory clients both in an advisory capacity and where there is a dispute.

Ruth has worked as a legal adviser for central government in several departments including, the Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Education and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.  She also has experience of public law litigation – specifically Judicial Review, Freedom of Information appeals and contempt of Court – as well as private law claims.

Before becoming a lawyer, Ruth worked in policy and public affairs for charitable organisations. She specialised in policy areas such as supported housing, welfare and special educational needs and became familiar with the legislative frameworks relevant to these areas.

Expertise

  • Commercial Disputes
  • Public law and regulatory
  • Education
  • GDPR
  • Equalities
Cegin

Recent work

The Gambling Commission
Advising the Gambling Commission in relation to the 4th National Lottery Licence.

Advising the Gambling Commission on Regulatory Settlement funds and the approved Research, Education and Treatment list.

Bridgend Schools
Advising Bridgend schools on issues such as Individual Health Plans, rules around parent governors and school policies.

BMA
Advising the British Medical Association in litigation in the Court of Appeal.

 

Ruth joins us from the Department of Transport where her work encompassed:

  • Advising the Department for Transport on passenger focussed elements of rail transformation including accessibility and Transport Focus.
  • Advising on amendments to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill.
  • Advising the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on the ‘How to Rent’ tenant guide.
  • Drafting coronavirus regulations on commercial tenancies.
  • Advising on Ofsted inspections during Covid-19.

Languages

  • Spanish (Limited working proficiency)

 

 

Testimonials

  • Thank you for all your support over the past few months, a real star talent.

    Private Client

  • Thank you SO much for your fast response, we really appreciate it. The fast-track application via email worked straight away. Thank you for all of your help last year, it really was super appreciated.

    Private client

  • I wanted to take a moment to thank you both for the excellent collaboration over the last nearly 3-years.

    Private client

  • Competencies that stood out for me were Emma’s technical excellence, listening skills, great tenacity around challenging issues, exceptional attention to detail, efficiency of work and unfailing ability to meet tight deadlines. It was always a great asset having Emma by your side at challenging moments.

    Emma has acquired a deep insight into the mindset of the Construction Industry, the people, commercial, time, risks, and logistical challenges we face. Knowing when to offer impartial legal advice and knowing when and how to drive through a legal/ commercial solution to protect the business interests was something that she fine-tuned exceptionally well over her tenure.

    Brian Morris | Commercial Director
    Bouygues UK

  • We are extremely grateful to Toni for helping us to successfully navigate an extremely stressful 20 months of protracted litigation.

    Toni’s pragmatic approach, combined with her empathy and understanding, ensured that we always felt that we were receiving the best possible advice and support. Looking back, I genuinely can’t imagine how we would have got through it without her.

    Toni’s advice has been unerring throughout the whole process and her guidance is always underpinned by a calm competence, which we found very reassuring.

    Toni’s communications are both concise and highly articulate, maintaining a tone which is both firm and professional. A combination of very clear objectives based on sound legal principles, combined with meticulous attention to detail, resulted in a completely successful outcome, giving us the closure we needed.

    Private client, 2024

  • He explains things very clearly, is a pleasure to work with and an asset to Capital Law.

    Chambers & Partners UK