Rhona Friedman acts for Brit spared a Laos death sentence

Who? Rhona Friedman, criminal law associate at London firm Bindmans.

Why is she in the news? Acting for British woman Samantha Orobator, 20, whose death sentence for drug smuggling in Laos was commuted to life imprisonment when she became pregnant. She has now been moved to a UK prison.

Friedman is challenging Orobator’s conviction by claiming that her trial was unfair. The defence team argues that she was not given an independent lawyer in Laos and was forced to sign statements incriminating herself.

Orobator named the father of her baby as a British man from Bradford, John Watson, who is still in a Laos prison for drug smuggling. She claims she conceived through artificial insemination.

Thoughts on the case: ‘Sam is an extraordinary young woman who, although vulnerable, is also resilient and has experienced things in life that would fell most of us. The human rights lawyers Reprieve have done the lion’s share of her defence work so far, with Clive Stafford Smith and Clare Algar doing a fantastic job. Her defence team, myself included, can definitively say Sam is innocent of any crime. What has happened to her is shocking.’

Why become a lawyer? ‘I’ve always been interested in arguing. Also, and I hesitate to admit being old enough to remember it, I was inspired by the 1980s British TV series Blind Justice, which was about idealistic human rights lawyers battling injustice.’

Career high: ‘Getting through, first time, to the right person on the CPS phone system. That was in spring 2003 – and it remains a one-off.’

Career low: ‘Witnessing the ongoing evisceration of criminal legal aid.’