Profile / Experience
I am a Consultant Solicitor in the Public Law Department at Duncan Lewis.
I have developed a particular specialism acting for publicly funded (legal aid) claimants in immigration and civil liberties related Judicial Review matters. I have expertise in a wide range of immigration and asylum cases, and routinely challenge decisions that I think are unlawful by way of legal aid funding, if eligible. I have a broad base knowledge of the Points Based System, nationality and EEA law. I routinely undertake my own advocacy prepared in appeals and bail applications at the First and Upper Tier Tribunal of the Immigration Asylum Chamber.
I predominantly assist those that are vulnerable and detained under the Immigration Acts, challenging the Secretary of State’s decision to detain or remove where to do so in not in accordance with their policies. In many cases I have achieved successful outcomes for clients that were victims of torture or trafficking by securing their release, obtaining permission to Judicial Review which has subsequently led to the Home Office offering to settle and reconsider the clients' cases or securing permission to appeal to the higher courts.
In recent years, I have been an instrumental part of the legal team which has led a series of judicial review claims challenging removals of foreign nationals to Afghanistan because of the deterioration in the country situation. In addition, I have also worked in a challenge of unlawful detention of a stateless client from the Western Sahara which have been granted permission to appeal in the Court of Appeal. This case has been reported in legal journals.
In addition to office hours, I have experience of taking instructions from clients at night and/or during weekends on an emergency basis which has led to grants of out of hours’ injunctions preventing their removal. I am experienced and willing to act under extreme time pressures to ensure that justice is achieved for my clients.
For those that struggle to speak English, I am fluent in Portuguese and speak reasonably good Spanish.