Stefan Vnuk

I am a solicitor in the Public Law department at Duncan Lewis. I joined Duncan Lewis in October 2018 and work alongside Public Law Director, Toufique Hossain and his team of solicitors, trainees and caseworkers.

I act in all areas of immigration, asylum and human rights law and have a particular emphasis on complex cases in the higher courts including the Supreme Court and the European Court of Human Rights.

I have an extensive legal background, I was admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of South Australia in 1992 before completing the Qualified Lawyers' Transfer Test and being admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales in 1996.

I am recognised in the prestigious legal directories Chambers and Partners and The Legal 500 for my immigration work and in 2015 I was a finalist in the Public Law category of the Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year awards.

I have been a member of the Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association (ILPA) since 1997 and am an Advanced Caseworker (Level 3) under the Law Society's Immigration and Asylum Accreditation Scheme. This means that I have shown that I have a high level of knowledge and experience in the area of Immigration law. There are only a small number of immigration practitioners throughout England & Wales that hold this quality mark.

• Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice (GDL) - University of South Australia
• Bachelor of Laws (Hons) - University of Adelaide
• Bachelor of Science (Jurisprudence) - University of Adelaide

• Duncan Lewis Solicitors: October 2018 - present
• Lawrence Lupin/LUPINS, Head of Public Law Department: May 2011 - October 2018
• Fisher Meredith LLP, Partner and Head of Immigration Department: November 2002 - May 2011
• Lloyd & Associates, Partner and Head of Immigration Department: January 1997 - October 2002
• Admitted as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales: August 1996
• Qualified Lawyers’ Transfer Test: July 1996
• Howard Pallis & Co, Caseworker: November 1994 - July 1996
• Admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of South Australia: December 1992

• "...genuinely really cares about his clients, always goes that extra mile and is extremely knowledgeable. He is a seasoned practitioner who has a broad human rights and asylum-focused immigration practice." Chambers and Partners 2018 (Immigration: Human Rights, Asylum and Deportation - London, Band 1)


• "...will not rest until he has exhausted every possible option available, which ensures that clients are always represented to the very highest standards" Legal 500 2018 (Immigration: Human rights, appeals and overstay - London)

• Ranked Band 1 - Chambers and Partners UK, 2021 - 2022 edition - Immigration: Human Rights, Asylum and Deportation, UK-wide
• Leading Individual - Chambers and Partners UK, 2019 edition - Immigration: Human Rights, Asylum and Deportation/London
• Recommended Individual - The Legal 500, 2019 edition - Immigration/London
• Finalist - Public Law Lawyer of the Year - Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year Awards, 2015

• Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association (ILPA) 1997 - present
• ILPA’s representative on the Law Society Immigration Law Committee 2009 - 2016
• Member of the Expert Panel advising the Strategic Legal Fund for Vulnerable Young Migrants 2011 - 2017
• Law Society Immigration and Asylum Accreditation Scheme: Advanced Caseworker (Level 3) 2010 - present

• Two Duncan Lewis solicitors named in The Best Lawyers UK guide 2023 (21 June 2022)
• Duncan Lewis Solicitors Chambers and Partners 2022 Rankings (21 October 2021)
• Duncan Lewis Solicitors Chambers and Partners 2021 Rankings (22 October 2020)
• DH (Particular Social Group: Mental Health) Afghanistan [2020] UKUT 223 (IAC) (03 June 2020) (24 August 2020)
• Landmark decision on “particular social group” (Free Movement) (4 August 2020)
• High Court orders Home Secretary to house asylum seeker due to Covid-19 (27 March 2020)
• The Secretary of State for the Home Department v BK (Afghanistan) [2019] EWCA Civ 1358 (30 July 2019)
• VM v The United Kingdom (No. 2) - 62824/16 (Judgment : Article 5 - Right to liberty and security : First Section) [2019] ECHR 312 (25 April 2019) (9 December 2019)
• Excellent results for Duncan Lewis in the Chambers and Partners 2020 guide (10 October 2019)
• The detention of EEA nationals – Lauzikas, R (on the application of) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2019] EWCA Civ 1168 (09 July 2019) (12 July 2019)
• The Secretary of State - a Gatekeeper for Fresh Claims in Robinson (formerly JR (Jamaica)) (Appellant) v Secretary of State for the Home Department (Respondent) [2019] UKSC 11 (8 April 2019)
• Duncan Lewis Solicitors welcomes new solicitor Stefan Vnuk to its Public Law Team (18 October 2018)