Public Law Solicitors

Duncan Lewis Solicitors is pleased to announce that Cardiff based newly qualified Public Law & Immigration Solicitor Eleri Haf Davies is one of five individuals nationwide shortlisted for the Solicitors Journal “Rising Star” Award 2017.

Eleri joined Duncan Lewis’ Cardiff Office as a Caseworker in May 2014 after gaining a First Class Honours degree in Law and Spanish from Swansea University, Wales. Having gained Level 2 Immigration Accreditation under the Law Society’s Immigration and Accreditation Scheme she quickly progressed, gaining a training contract and completing her training with the firm in January of this year. Eleri now specialises in Latin American asylum claims and human trafficking violations – her clients include Colombian, Nicaraguan, El Salvadorian, Cuban, Albanian and Kosovar nationals.

In September 2016, she succeeded before the Upper Tribunal of the Immigration Asylum Chamber in a Colombian asylum claim concerning a former DEA informant fearing reprisals from FARC and Mexican-Colombian cartels. This case was significant as current country guidance case law does not recognise informants as forming a ‘particular social group’ for the purposes of the Refugee Convention. Furthermore, the Upper Tribunal upheld the decision of the First-tier Tribunal to find that there is insufficient state protection on return to Colombia for individuals who fear the insurgency group FARC. This, again, was a decision which departs from the current country guidance case law.

In 2015 she was successfully involved in acting for a Cameroon national who had been detained under the DFT regulations. She submitted an application for her client to be recognised as a victim of human trafficking under an emerging form of exploitation whereby young African footballers are brought into slavery in Europe under false pretences. Eleri’s client was successfully released from detention and granted refugee status.

Eleri is a first language Welsh speaker and speaks fluent Spanish; in 2007 she was granted a bursary for linguistic excellence from Swansea University. Between 2009 and 2010, Eleri undertook voluntary work for an NGO in Medellin, Colombia working with displaced families and children affected by gang violence. During her time in Medellin she conducted ethnographic research into the socio-economic, political and human rights climate of the city for a study entitled “Medellin: From Murder Capital to Model City?”

Last year she was selected by the International Jurists Commission, Colombia Caravana, a human rights activist group, to form part of a delegation determined to unearth the interlocking socio-economic and political web that has allowed the region of Tumaco, Columbia to fall to the hands of warring paramilitary forces. She published a report on what the delegation discovered which can be found here.

Duncan Lewis Immigration Department

Led by Director Vinita Templeton, the Duncan Lewis Immigration team in Cardiff are Legal 500 (2016) Tier 1 ranked and considered to have ‘an excellent grasp of immigration and asylum law’. Vinita is recognised as a Leading Individual in her field with specialist knowledge in immigration judicial review claimant claims. Duncan Lewis operates the largest immigration team in the UK with a broad practice representing business and individual vulnerable clients at all levels in all aspects of personal immigration, asylum/human rights and nationality matters. Duncan Lewis is the dominant legal firm in the UK for the provision of publicly funded immigration legal services for asylum, immigration detention, bail, deportation appeals and EC law issues.

Duncan Lewis Public Law Department

The Duncan Lewis Public Law department continues to be recommended by Legal 500. It has been previously recommended for its depth of experience in immigration and civil liberties challenges and is acknowledged as having a "stellar reputation in handling test cases". Duncan Lewis has been applauded for its specialism in judicial review and Court of Appeal Cases. Duncan Lewis have experience in all aspects of judicial review claimant work, including obtaining emergency orders and other interim relief to prevent breaches of human rights, following up judicial reviews with actions for damages in both the County and High Court and successfully pursuing judicial review matters to the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. Duncan Lewis carry out both publicly and privately funded work.

To speak to one of our team of expert solicitors on a Public Law or Immigration matter please call 0333 772 0409