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Public Law News
Court declares legal aid arrangements for immigration detainees in prisons to be unlawful (25 February 2021)
In a landmark judgment of the High Court today, Mr Justice Swift declared that the arrangements for immigration detainees held in prisons to access immigration and asylum legal aid are unlawful. Read more...
Judicial Review issued challenging Age Assessments at Kent Intake Unit (12 February 2021)
Our client challenges the decision of the Secretary of State for Home Department (SSHD) to assess his age as being over 25 years old upon arriving in the United Kingdom to claim asylum Read more...
Home Office abandons unlawful plans to house asylum seekers at Yarl’s Wood (9 February 2021)
The Home Office has decided not to proceed with its plans to house up to 200 asylum seekers in prefabricated temporary accommodation on the site of Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre. Read more...
Duncan Lewis secures significant changes to UK aid provided to Libya (19 January 2021)
Duncan Lewis’ clients, MAK and TM, fled their countries of origin due to persecution. On their way to the UK, they passed through Libya. Read more...
Eritrea Focus v FCDO: Update on the Eritrean Road Building Project Legal Challenge (18 January 2021)
An update on Eritrea Focus’ legal challenge against the UK government’s funding and support to the EU Trust Fund for Africa's ‘Reconnecting Eritrea and Ethiopia through rehabilitation of the main arterial roads in Eritrea’ development project in Eritrea. Read more...
Duncan Lewis Solicitors help client win an ‘earnings discrepancy’ Judicial Review (18 December 2020)
At the OPH counsel for the Home Office was constrained to accept both that the postcode point was wrong, and that it followed that permission should be granted on all grounds. Read more...
Home Office’s Permission to Work policy declared unlawful following Judicial Review brought by a Victim of Trafficking (18 December 2020)
Home Office’s policy ‘Permission to work and volunteering for asylum seekers, Version 8.0’ is unlawful Read more...
Seeking judicial review in relation to Secretary of State’s policy in relation to discretionary leave for victims of trafficking subject to a deportation order (14 December 2020)
Duncan Lewis Solicitors represent two Claimants who have been granted permission to seek judicial review of the Secretary of State’s policy in relation to discretionary leave for victims of trafficking subject to a deportation order, and the failure to adopt and implement clear guidance to local authorities to ensure a durable solution is found for children in care and/or victims of child criminal exploitation. Read more...
R (SM) v the Lord Chancellor: Government announces review into provision of legal aid for immigration detainees held in prisons (9 December 2020)
Duncan Lewis Solicitors brought a challenge to the legal aid arrangements for immigration detainees held in prisons, which are less favourable than the arrangements for those detained in Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs). Read more...
Home Office is failing to provide thousands of asylum seekers basic cash support and essentials after being ordered by the High Court to do so (8 December 2020)
In September 2020, our public law team challenged the Home Office’s failure to provide adequate support to meet the essential living needs of asylum seekers in emergency accommodation. Read more...
Duncan Lewis Solicitors challenge the Home Office’s use of the Penally Camp ex-military barracks to house up to 236 men seeking asylum (7 December 2020)
Duncan Lewis represents claimants who have issued proceedings to challenge the Home Office’s use of the Penally Camp ex-military barracks (‘the Camp’) to house up to 236 men seeking asylum Read more...
R (SM) v the Lord Chancellor: unequal access to legal aid for immigration detainees held in prisons (25 November 2020)
Individuals detained in an Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) have access to an advice surgery that guarantees access to 30 minutes’ legal advice regardless of means or merit. Those detained under immigration powers in a prison do not. Read more...
Sulaiha Ali wins the Rising Star Award at the British Legal Awards 2020 (20 November 2020)
Public law solicitor Sulaiha Ali wins the Rising Star award at the British Legal Awards Read more...
Challenge to the Home Office’s policy of conducting abridged asylum screening interviews (9 November 2020)
We represent three claimants who have issued urgent proceedings challenging the Home Office’s policy of conducting abridged asylum screening interviews Read more...
Ahmed Aydeed Highly Commended for Human Rights Lawyer of the Year at the Law Society Excellence Awards 2020 (15 October 2020)
Public law director Ahmed Aydeed is Highly Commended at the Law Society Excellence Awards 2020 Read more...
Successful judicial review of the Tribunal (14 October 2020)
The team helped T put forward his trafficking claim and simultaneously made representations that he had a fresh claim for asylum on the basis that he was a victim of modern slavery Read more...
HYL v SSHD (CO/2347/2020) – challenging the SSHD’s refusal to consider eligibility for ECAT leave for victim of modern slavery (14 October 2020)
Challenging the SSHD’s refusal to consider eligibility for ECAT leave for victim of modern slavery Read more...
Home Office concedes unlawful detention claim regarding the treatment of medico-legal reports under the ‘Adults at Risk in Immigration Detention’ policy (29 September 2020)
The Home Office has conceded that our client was unlawfully detained. Read more...
Court of Appeal dismisses the Secretary of State’s appeal concerning challenges to the Detained Fast Track Rules (28 September 2020)
Court of Appeal dismisses the Secretary of State’s appeal concerning challenges to the Detained Fast Track Rules and allows, in part, our client’s cross-appeal relating to her unlawful detention Read more...
Public Law Solicitor Sulaiha Ali shortlisted at this year’s British Legal Awards (22 September 2020)
Public law solicitor Sulaiha Ali has been shortlisted for the Rising Star – Private Practice award at this year’s British Legal Awards Read more...
Duncan Lewis Solicitors challenge discriminatory refusal of citizenship under the Windrush Scheme (27 August 2020)
The Claimant’s case is that the Home Secretary’s reliance on Schedule 1 of the British Nationality Act 1981 (BNA) is indirectly discriminatory and amounts to a violation of the Claimant’s rights under Articles 8 and 14 of the European Convention of Human Rights Read more...
Soltany and Others – High Court dismisses challenge to Lock-in Regime at Brook House IRC (26 August 2020)
In a judgment handed down on 21 August 2020, the High Court have ultimately dismissed our clients’ challenge to the lock-in regime at Brook House Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) Read more...
Lord Chancellor accepts unlawfulness of new Legal Aid scheme for immigration and asylum appeals (11 August 2020)
Duncan Lewis represented three claimants who challenged the Amendment Regulations on the grounds that the Lord Chancellor had failed to conduct a lawful consultation before making the Regulations, and failed to gather the information he reasonably required to make a proper decision; that the Regulations were not rationally or proportionately connected to their statutory purpose; and that the Regulations result in the unlawful restriction of access to justice for the claimants and many others. Read more...
Kaitey v SSHD [2020] EWHC 1861 – High Court dismisses challenge to imposition of Schedule 10 Immigration Bail, but grants permission to appeal to Court of Appeal (21 July 2020)
Claimant granted permission to appeal High Court decision at the Court of Appeal. Read more...
TVN v SSHD (CO/387/2020): High Court grants permission on all grounds, to the challenge to the SSHD’s policy on release of detainees from IRCs (15 July 2020)
This challenge is to the SSHD’s policy: Detention Services Order 08/2016 “Management of Adults at risk in detention” which operates in principle and in practice, as an inadequate safeguard contrary to the purpose of the Adults at Risk policy and section 59 of the Immigration Act 2016. Read more...
Home Office ordered to pay over £100,000 compensation for false imprisonment (8 July 2020)
The County Court has determined that the Home Office must pay our client £106,840 in compensation for a period of false imprisonment amounting to 13 months and two weeks which equates to 410 days. Read more...
High Court grants permission to challenge concerning access to legal aid for immigration detainees held in prison (7 July 2020)
The High Court has granted our client permission to seek judicial review of the failure to secure his access to publicly funded legal representation while he was detained under immigration powers in prison Read more...
Former England boxer wins 16-year legal battle to live and work in the UK (3 July 2020)
Our client, the former England boxer Kelvin Bilal Fawaz, has won his legal battle to live and work in the UK. Read more...
Court of Appeal grants permission to appeal in challenge concerning the lack of safeguards for Immigration Detainees in Prison (1 July 2020)
The Court of Appeal has granted our clients permission to appeal in the case of MR (Pakistan) and AO (Nigeria) v SSJ and SSHD [2019] EWHC 3567 (Admin). Read more...
Duncan Lewis Solicitors’ legal challenge leads to changes to the financial support rates provided by the modern slavery Victim Care Contract (1 July 2020)
Our client was referred into the National Referral Mechanism (the framework for identifying and recording victims of human trafficking) and recognised as a potential victim of trafficking Read more...
Duncan Lewis Solicitors’ Wales-based public law team shortlisted for Public Law Team of the Year at Wales Legal Awards 2020 (24 June 2020)
Our Wales-based public law team has been shortlisted at this year's Wales Legal Awards Read more...
High Court grants permission to judicially review the Home Office’s ‘Permission to Work’ policy for asylum seekers (17 June 2020)
The High Court granted our client, permission to judicially review the legality of the SSHD’s immigration rules and current Permission to Work policy for asylum seekers Read more...
Ahmed Aydeed takes part in Westminster Legal Policy Forum keynote seminar (12 June 2020)
Public law director Ahmed Aydeed took part in Westminster Legal Policy Forum’s keynote seminar: Tackling modern slavery in the UK – progress and practical next steps, business and the global response and the future for policy Read more...
Unpublished Home Office Guidance on considering MLRs under the Adults at Risk Policy (3 June 2020)
Joint Note by Duncan Lewis Solicitors and Garden Court Chambers Read more...
Duncan Lewis Solicitors challenge amendments to the Remuneration Regulations (29 May 2020)
Duncan Lewis Solicitors served a letter before action on the Lord Chancellor challenging the lawfulness of the Civil Legal Aid (Remuneration) (Amendment) (Coronavirus) Regulations 2020 (the Amendment Regulations) on behalf of four of its clients. Read more...
Duncan Lewis Solicitors’ Harrow public law team shortlisted for Legal Aid Team of the Year at the Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year Awards 2020 (21 May 2020)
Our Harrow based public law team has been shortlisted at this year's LALY Awards Read more...
Home Office’s fee waiver policy has been declared unlawful (21 May 2020)
Duncan Lewis Solicitors’ public law team have brought a case in relation to the Home Office’s fee waiver policy, with the Upper Tribunal declaring that the current policy is unlawful. Read more...
Home Office to review policy on detention of trafficking and slavery survivors as a result of legal challenge brought by a survivor of trafficking (18 May 2020)
Duncan Lewis Solicitors’ Birmingham-based public law team have brought a case in relation to the Home Office’s unlawful policy regarding the detention of victims of human trafficking, with the Home Office agreeing to review its policy. Read more...
Duncan Lewis Solicitors contributes to the FLEX report: ‘Opportunity Knocks: Improving Responses to Labour Exploitation with Secure Reporting’ (12 May 2020)
Public law director Ahmed Aydeed and caseworker Karen Staunton share their expert opinions in a report by anti-trafficking NGO FLEX. Read more...
High Court orders Home Secretary to house asylum seeker due to Covid-19 (27 March 2020)
The High Court has ordered the Home Secretary to give a homeless former asylum seeker accommodation and support to self-isolate during the coronavirus pandemic. Read more...
The Home Office releases hundreds of detainees in the wake of Duncan Lewis Solicitors legal action (23 March 2020)
In the midst of the Covid-19 outbreak, the Home Office has released almost 300 people from detention centres. This comes following the legal action launched last week where our public law team argued that the Home Office has failed to protect immigration detainees from the Covid-19 outbreak Read more...
Duncan Lewis Solicitors instructed by charity Detention Action to issue legal challenge over the Government’s failure to safeguard those held in detention from Covid-19 (20 March 2020)
Duncan Lewis Solicitors has been instructed by charity Detention Action to issue a legal challenge over the Government’s failure to safeguard all those held in UK Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs) from Covid-19 Read more...
Duncan Lewis Solicitors Statement on Tajay Thompson (12 February 2020)
Duncan Lewis Solicitors are representing Tajay Thompson, who was due to be deported to Jamaica on a charter flight on 11 February 2020. We were successful in obtaining an injunction preventing his removal on the flight. Read more...
Duncan Lewis Solicitors granted permission on further case to challenge imposition of bail conditions on individuals that cannot be lawfully detained (24 January 2020)
Our client has been granted permission to challenge the continued imposition of conditional immigration bail against him, and becomes the third Duncan Lewis client to be granted permission in such a challenge. Read more...
Duncan Lewis Solicitors contributes to the UNICEF Monitoring Returns Project (15 January 2020)
A number of Duncan Lewis public law cases have been included in the UNICEF Monitoring Returns project Read more...
Public law director Toufique Hossain to speak at BID event: Behind locked doors: Immigration detention in prisons exposed (15 January 2020)
Toufique Hossain invited to speak at BID event: "Behind locked doors: Immigration detention in prisons exposed". Read more...
Duncan Lewis case challenges gap in support for victims of trafficking following a grant of refugee status (14 January 2020)
Our public law team, led by director Ahmed Aydeed, is challenging the gap in support for victims of trafficking following a grant of refugee status Read more...