Public Law

Awards and Recommendations for the Public Law Department

The Public Law group at Duncan Lewis Solicitors "do fantastic work, and are extraordinary in their commitment." The firm is ranked in Chambers & Partners 2024 for its "ability to deal with the most difficult and complex cases that involve a range of vulnerable clients. Their public law expertise lies in providing help for those people."

Chambers UK 2024 Edition.
Administrative & Public Law: Traditional Claimant / UK-wide

Duncan Lewis Solicitors is known for its legal aid work, and the immigration and public law team is especially prominent in this area, with experience bringing cases to the Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court, and the European Court of Human Rights. The firm’s flagship judicial review claimant practice sees it represent clients including the vulnerable and marginalised, and its immigration offering is strengthened by collaboration with its expanding international presence challenging UK government practices abroad. The "dynamic" team, who are “exceptional in ability and reach”, "work around the clock and take on the most challenging cases." "They are willing to take on cases often when other firms have said no." "Without their support, there are a lot of people would have been removed, deported, and unable to access legal advice."

Legal 500 2023 Edition.
Immigration (Public Law) / London / South East / West Midlands / East Midlands

"A big team with a big capacity", Duncan Lewis Solicitors is differentiated by its sizeable judicial review and claimant offering, with a particular focus on immigration and unlawful detention. The "excellent team of solicitors" has "a great depth of experience and have been involved in some of the most important case in the last 10 years", with a proven track record of "preventing removals and securing releases from detention." "They are also heavily involved in the trafficking arena, both in claims for judicial review and civil/human rights claims. They are incredibly well prepared, dedicated and really know their stuff."

Legal 500 2023 Edition.
Civil Liberties and Human Rights / London

“Duncan Lewis Solicitors' 'boundary-pushing' team is very active in legal challenges asserting the rights of vulnerable individuals, including asylum seekers and victims of human trafficking. In addition, the firm frequently represents clients in unlawful detention claims against the Home Office and inquiries related to various public scandals and disasters, such as the Grenfell Tower fire…”

Legal 500 2022 Edition.
Public Law / London; Wales; South East; East Midlands; West Midlands

"Particularly well known for its work on behalf of legal aid clients, including vulnerable individuals such as LGBT+ asylum seekers and those with mental health conditions. Active across the spectrum of human rights-related immigration cases, including unlawful detention challenges and leave to remain applications. Routinely appears before the higher domestic courts, including the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court."

Chambers UK 2022 Edition.
Immigration: Human Rights, Asylum and Deportation / UK-wide

"They are very involved in broad strategic challenges, particularly regarding immigration detention. They are very creative and keen to think outside the box."

Chambers UK 2021 Edition.
Immigration: Human Rights, Asylum and Deportation / UK-wide

“Duncan Lewis Solicitors’ public law practice represents vulnerable individuals in judicial review litigation, with a particular focus on immigration issues, notably for individuals facing discrimination by the Windrush Scheme. Unlawful detention, prisoners’ rights and other human rights violations are also points of focus. It's recently established education law team in Leeds handles public law claims for schools, regulatory bodies and students.”

Legal 500 2021 Edition.
Administrative and Public Law / London

With offices around London and nationally, Duncan Lewis Solicitors is reported to have 'a strong presence in this area of the law, making a particularly dominant contribution in immigration, asylum and prison law…The team is handling cases of the deprivation of British citizenship and deportation threats, many of which have gone to the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.

Legal 500 2019 Edition.
Public Law / Lodnon

"Duncan Lewis Solicitors is best known for its legal aid practice, and specialises in immigration, asylum and public law, and has offices across London and the UK."

Legal 500 2017 Edition.
Civil Liberties and Human Rights / London

"In addition to challenging the legality of the government’s policy on detaining pregnant women, the firm has brought a high-profile judicial review on behalf of six individuals, who are challenging the Secretary of State for the Home Department’s use of a definition of torture that was derived from the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment for the government’s policy on detaining adults at risk."

Legal 500 2017 Edition.
Administrative and Public law / London

"At Duncan Lewis Solicitors, Toufique Hossain is a ‘genuine star’ for challenges in the immigration and civil liberties space."

Legal 500 2016 Edition.
Administrative and Public law / London

"James Packer and solicitor Toufique Hossain are key names at Duncan Lewis Solicitors, which has particular experience advising on immigration and civil liberties challenges."

Legal 500 2015 Edition.
Administrative and Public law / London

If you think a public body (like a government department, the local authority or a tribunal) has treated you unfairly, we may be able to help you challenge this treatment. Public bodies frequently make unlawful decisions or policies; these can be damaging and life-changing.  It is our job to help you challenge these decisions, to hold public bodies to account and to ensure that you get the justice you deserve. 

How can you challenge the decision that has affected you?

We can help you to challenge a decision by a public body, where there is no other right of appeal, by way of judicial review. In a judicial review, we ask the courts to examine the decision or policy that has affected you, and to decide whether or not it is actually lawful.

We do this in a wide-variety of situations with clients of all backgrounds, from women and men who have been held in immigration detention, to people who have been refused, or forced to pay for, NHS treatment.

What kind of experience do we have?

You can be confident that public law specialists at Duncan Lewis have experience in all aspects of judicial review claimant work, and we work tirelessly to prevent a breach of your human rights.  If your human rights have already been violated or you have otherwise been treated unlawfully by a public body, we work to ensure that you receive the justice and compensation.

We can act for you in the County Court, the High Court, the Court of Appeal and even up to the Supreme Court. Due to our broad client base we have expertise in running high-profile and strategic test cases. As a consequence, our public law specialists have developed a reputation for professionalism, unwavering commitment to our clients, and absolute fearlessness in fighting injustice.

Our Public Law Department is recognised as a leader in the field of judicial review work by The Legal 500 directory and noted for a depth of experience in immigration and civil liberties challenges. As a large and well-established firm, we are well known to the Legal Aid Agency (LAA), the Courts, and the Government Legal Department (GLD).

We also collaborate with other firms on funding and case management issues, and have a close working relationship with a number of barristers’ chambers with relevant expertise in public law.

This all means that we can help your case move forward as smoothly and quickly as is possible in a complex field at this time of cuts to legal aid and an overstretched court system.  

Who are our lawyers?

We have a uniquely large team of public law solicitors who receive regular training to stay up to date with the law. As a result, our public law department boasts a depth and breadth of knowledge covering a wide variety of public law issues, and with an ability to closely monitor government policy. We also have a broad client base which means that we are able to pick up on patterns of injustice, and are able to lead strategic class action litigation for the benefit of all our clients as well as potentially thousands of others who are affected by unlawful policies and decision-making.

What do we do beyond the courts?

We regularly use our profile to highlight injustice perpetrated by public bodies. To do this, we speak to national and international media outlets such as Al-Jazeera, the BBC, The Guardian and The Independent; we speak on radio stations such as LBC and ABN; we have an active Twitter account, and we run a blog called No Walls, a platform on which we aim to expose the inhumanity and indignity of the hostile environment, especially immigration detention.

Where do we work?

Our Public Law Department is spread across our key offices in England and Wales, including our head office in the City of London. There are also over 14 appointment-only locations to which members of the public law team can travel to see clients.