Helen Mountfield QC elected Principal of Mansfield College

Helen Mountfield QC has been elected as Principal of Mansfield College, and will succeed Baroness Helena Kennedy QC from 1 September 2018. Helen is a founder member of Matrix Chambers, and has served as a mediator, recorder and deputy High Court judge. She is a prominent specialist in administrative, human rights and education law, and has appeared frequently in the Supreme Court. She was leading advocate for the 'People's Challenge' group in the litigation brought in the Supreme Court which successfully challenged the Prime Minister's power to trigger Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union without first obtaining statutory authority from Parliament. Helen Mountfield QC said: 'I am delighted to take up an exciting new role which enables me to combine my interests in law and human rights with my life-long interest in access to education, and to retain my links to Matrix, of which I am so proud. I am impressed by the spirit of Mansfield College: founded to broaden access to Oxford in the nineteenth century, it is now visibly and successfully reinventing itself to meet the challenges of the twenty-first. 'I am excited by the friendly, supportive and inclusive atmosphere; the dedication of the Fellows to high-level teaching, research and pastoral relationships; and the evident enthusiasm of the students for their College and the opportunities it offers them for personal and intellectual growth.