Biography

Vicki Prais is an internationally recognised award-winning human rights lawyer, independent human rights consultant, academic, trainer, career coach and sometime speechwriter with expertise in the protection of prisoners’ rights, prison reform, the prohibition of torture and ill-treatment, dignity behind bars and international fair trial issues. She likes to call herself a ‘lawyer plus’. In July 2024, Vicki won Freelancer of the Year 2024 (Work Avenue) in recognition of her work as a human rights lawyer.

She has 28 years of professional experience in international organisations including the UN, the Council of Europe, the British Government (Government Legal Department and as Human Rights Advisor, Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office), civil society organisations (Penal Reform International, Amnesty International) and academia (Surrey University, McGill University - Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism). In her position with the FCDO, Vicki advised senior diplomats (including Ambassadors) in London and at posts around the world on any human rights issues affecting British nationals detained overseas. She advised on both substantive human rights law and lobbying strategies on behalf of the British government.

As a detention expert, Vicki has comprehensive, expert level legal and practical knowledge of international and regional human rights standards on criminal justice and detention. Vicki has in-country experience working in different settings, including Kosovo, Armenia, Albania, Ukraine, Ethiopia, Japan, Georgia, Thailand, Bangladesh, Canada, Spain and Russia and a very strong understanding of penal related issues through practical visits to closed institutions in various countries (Canada, Georgia, Japan, Spain and England & Wales).

She has written widely both academically and for a wider audience through blogs, industry journals and Op-Eds. Vicki co-authored the Global Prison Trends Report 2019 (Penal Reform International) and contributed to other publications including, Older persons in detention: A framework for preventive monitoring (PRI,2021), Guidance document on the European Rules (PRI/Council of Europe, 2023) and Women in prison: mental health and well-being - a guide for prison staff (PRI, 2020).
Vicki is also passionate about her work as a human rights career coach and has coached and supported more than 200 human rights professionals as they navigate their careers in the human rights sector. She is very proud to have helped her clients secure roles with International Organisations, international NGOs and other human rights institutions.

Vicki is a Visiting Professor of Human Rights at the Human Rights Centre, Birmingham City University. Vicki holds an LLB (University of the West of England, Bristol) and a Masters in Human Rights & Civil Liberties (Leicester University). Vicki is also a TedX speaker ('Why selfishness is at the heart of great activism', Sussex University, 2021)

Featured in Legal Women UK, Lacuna Voices, Comment Central, BBC Radio Surrey, Metro, Law Society of England and Wales, Oxford Human Rights Law Hub blog, Women in Consulting podcast, Journal of Human Rights Practice, European Human Rights Law Review, A Question of Law podcast to name but a few.