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Karen Todner

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Karen Todner
File:Karen Todner.jpg
Born
Karen Elizabeth Todner

April 1962
Nuneaton, England
NationalityBritish
EducationHigham Lane School
Alma materUniversity of Exeter
Occupation(s)Solicitor, Vice President of the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, President of Mental Health Review Tribunal (England and Wales)

Karen Elizabeth Todner (born April 1962), is a British solicitor and author. She has appeared on television,Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page). radio and written articles for newspapers on legal topics. She specialises in international criminal law and human rights and, in this capacity, has represented clients taking cases to The House of Lords and European Court of Human Rights. Her clients include Ryan Cleary allegedly linked with Anonymous,[1][2] Gary McKinnon known as the "Pentagon Hacker",[3] Lauri Love,[4] and Richard O’Dwyer.[5] Additionally, she has represented Christopher Tappin,[6] British businessman imprisoned for selling arms to Iran and Donald Trump rally suspect Michael Sandford who was arrested at a Trump rally after allegedly trying to snatch a policeman's gun.[7]

Early life

Todner was born in Nuneaton where she attended Higham Lane School, a secondary school located in Nuneaton, Warwickshire. She graduated with an LLB from University of Exeter.[8]

Career

Todner qualified as a solicitor in 1987 and in her 20's became a founding member of Kaim Todner LLP, a law firm in London from which she continues to practise as a solicitor.[9] Kaim Todner solicitors was formed in 1990 specialising in criminal law, with particular expertise in extradition, though members also practise in a range of areas of UK public and private law, the Law of the European Union and European Convention on Human Rights[10]

File:Todner press conference.jpg
Karen Todner speaks at McKinnon press conference in October 2012, hosted by Doughty Street Chambers

Todner appeared in a number of leading extradition cases. An early case of note was her successful defence of Gary McKinnon, which has set a new legal president in English Law. McKinnon's legal team applied for a judicial review into the Home Secretary's rejection of medical evidence, which stated that, when he could easily be tried in the UK, it was unnecessary, cruel and inhumane to inflict the further stress of removing him from his homeland, his family and his medical support network.[11]

In 2010 Todner worked on a case involving a UK-based search engine website TVShack which linked to programmes and films available for free online, after in late November 2010 it's owner, webmaster Richard O'Dwyer, was visited by UK and US police and some of his computer equipment was seized. O'Dwyer was arrested on allegations of copyright infringement, but a criminal investigation in the UK was dropped. However, the case was brought by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, which claimed that the TVShack.net website earned "over $230,000 in advertising revenue".[12] In January 2012 District Judge Purdy ruled that O'Dwyer' extradition could go ahead.[13] Todner was instructed to submit an appeal and in June 2012 Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales launched a campaign calling for O'Dwyer' extradition to be stopped.[14] His campaign had also been supported by various members of press. O'Dwyer avoided extradition after signing the three-page deferred prosecution agreement at the High Court in London.[15]

Starting in the winter of 2013, Todner represented Lauri Love,[16] British student who was arrested on suspicion of hacking into US military computers. Love is accused of committing the cyber attacks as part of a “hacktivist” campaign in 2012 and 2013 to protest the death of Aaron Swartz, a computer programmer who committed suicide while facing up to 35 years in US prison for charges of computer misuse. In September 2016 decision has been made to extradite Love to US.[17] Todner said she was “very disappointed” with the decision,[18] and added that she’s “as confident as I can be” about the appeal.[19] A number of MPs showed support for Love’s campaign to have his extradition order overturned on health grounds. In October 2016 it was announced that MP Barry Sheerman, chair of the Parliamentary Commission on Autism will write to President Obama, asking him to throw out the extradition request before he leaves office in January 2017.[20] On Wednesday 12 October 2016, in the House of Commons during the Prime Ministers Question's, David Burrowes MP raised the case of Lauri Love and issues such as the difficulties faced by those with various forms of autism when they come into contact with the justice system.[21] Others, including the National Autistic Society, Liberty, and The Courage Foundation, showed their support for Love's appeal.

In May 2016 Todner was instructed by Tom Hayes, star trader who was convicted of fraud in March 2016 over multi-million bonus payments,[22] taking his case to the Criminal Cases Review Commission which looks into claims of miscarriages of justice.[23]

Appointments

On 6 November 2012 Todner was created a Vice-President member of the UK's Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions' Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal which reviews cases of malfeasance and/or misconduct against British solicitors.[24] She was also appointed President of the Mental Health Review Tribunal (England and Wales).

Awards and honours

In 2012, Todner received a Legal Personality of The Year Award as a recognition for her work on high-profile extradition cases including Gary McKinnon and Richard O'Dwyer.[25]

Personal life

Todner is married to an outspoken criminal defence barrister Ian Jobling and has two sons.[26]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Teenage cyber 'hacker'". 28 June 2011.
  2. ^ "Extraordinary top secret call between FBI and Scotland Yard 'tapped' by Anonymous". 12 October 2016.
  3. ^ "Hacker Gary McKinnon will not face UK charges". BBC News. 14 December 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  4. ^ Sky News (16 September 2016). "US Extradition: 'Alleged British hacker Lauri Love to be sent for trial in US'". Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  5. ^ RawStory (29 October 2013). "NASA hacking suspects' mothers accuse U.S. of targeting 'British geeks". Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  6. ^ "US Extradition: 'Tappin is likely to enter into a plea'". BBC News. 24 February 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  7. ^ DailyMail (17 July 2016). "MP's bid to save Briton who tried to kill Trump as family plea for him to be deported from the US to the UK for psychiatric treatment". Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  8. ^ "Nuneaton News". 21 October 2012.
  9. ^ "Law Society Gazette: Karen Todner interview". The Law Society Gazette. 8 October 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  10. ^ "Kaim Todner » Karen Todner, Head of Crime, Regulatory and Extradition". kaimtodner.com. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  11. ^ "Gary McKinnon challenges extradition". The Guardian. 10 December 2009. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  12. ^ "'Piracy' student Richard O'Dwyer loses extradition case". BBC News. London, UK. 6 October 2016. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |newspaper= (help)
  13. ^ BBC News – 'Piracy' student Richard O'Dwyer loses extradition case, bbc.co.uk, 13 January 2012; retrieved 29 January 2012.
  14. ^ Ball, James (24 June 2012). "Wikipedia's founder calls for Richard O'Dwyer extradition to be stopped". The Guardian. London, UK. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |newspaper= (help)
  15. ^ "Richard O'Dwyer will pay damages to avoid extradition". The Inquirer. London, UK. 6 October 2016. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |newspaper= (help)
  16. ^ "British student fights extradition to US for allegedly hacking the FBI and Nasa".
  17. ^ "British hacker Lauri Love to be extradited to the US for 'accessing government computers'".
  18. ^ "Father's fury as British 'superhacker' with Asperger's is facing 99 years in a US jail after a judge rules he SHOULD be extradited 'for stealing data from Nasa and the FBI". MailOnline UK. 7 October 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  19. ^ "Computer activist Lauri Love loses appeal against US extradition".
  20. ^ "MPs will ask Barack Obama to drop US extradition of vulnerable 'hacker' Lauri Love"..
  21. ^ "Ben Cooper to represent Lauri Love at meeting of Parliamentarians seeking extradition overturn"..
  22. ^ "Libor trader Tom Hayes must pay more than £878,00".
  23. ^ "Tom Hayes hires Gary McKinnon's lawyers for new appeal".
  24. ^ "New Solicitor Member Vice-President". 10 April 2012. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
  25. ^ "McKinnon solicitor is Legal Personality of the Year". The Law Society Law Gazette. 19 October 2012.
  26. ^ "Karen Todner - Legally blonde and brilliant". The Oxford Times. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
Government offices UK's Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions
Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal
2012 – Present
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