Wilson Solicitors LLP

Solicitor

Amna is a partner in the family department. She undertakes private and legal aid work. She specialises in all aspects of family and childcare law. Her practice includes divorce, financial matters, injunctions and care proceedings. Amna has extensive experience representing parents in international child abduction proceedings in the High Court. She has successfully secured the return of children to the UK. Amna represented the father in the reported case of SS v KS [2009] EWHC 1575 (Fam). The case illustrates Amna’s ability to act in complex children disputes and give wise advice. She has been an accredited Family Law Panel member since 2011 and accredited to the Advanced Family Law Panel since 2012 and is a member of Resolution.

Ana Gonzalez

Ana specialises in asylum and immigration. Her main areas of expertise are human trafficking, gender/sexuality-based persecution claims and EU law. She has conducted many cases in the immigration courts, Court of Appeal and Administrative Court. Ana has a growing practice in human trafficking cases, EU law applications and privately funded matters. Ana successfully represented the country guidance case of AM and BM (Trafficked women) Albania CG [2010] UKUT 80 (IAC), the first human trafficking case to come before the Court of Appeal, PO (Nigeria) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2011] EWCA Civ 132, the country guidance cases of AB (Protection – Criminal Gangs – Internal Relocation) Jamaica and MK (Lesbians) Albania, and in the Supreme Court case of RT [2012] UKSC38 on political opinion.

Andrew Jones

Solicitor

Anita Vasisht

Newly appointed head of Wilsons' immigration department, Anita leads our national security team working on cases involving closed material procedures before SIAC and the administrative court. She also has vast experience in all areas of immigration work and has specialist level knowledge of asylum cases from North Africa, the Middle East (in particular Palestinian and Syrian cases) and the former Soviet republics. Recently, Anita represented Syrian human rights activist and Oscar nominated and BAFTA winning film maker, Waad Al-Kateab, who fled Syria fearing for her life. Career highlights include representing high profile Algerian former billionaire Rafik Khelifa in the first ever extradition case involving Algeria. Anita's work has taken her to Moscow, Beirut, Tunis, Istanbul, Frankfurt and Beirut. Anita has also spent time in the southern Lebanon Palestinian refugee camps.

Aysen Soyer

Aysen is a partner and head of the family department. She undertakes all areas of family and childcare law, including divorce, domestic violence and injunctions, financial settlements, children (both public law care proceedings and private law disputes). She has also dealt with co-habitation disputes, pre-nuptial agreements, adoption proceedings and international child abduction. Aysen has been instructed to act for the Official Solicitor. She has been an accredited family law panel member since 2003 and accredited to the Advanced Family Law Panel since 2010.

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Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives

Imogen Townley

Solicitor

James Elliott

Partner in the immigration department, specialising in immigration and asylum law, and has extensive experience at all levels of the system, with an emphasis on High Court work. James also practices in public law, specialising in challenges to detention and claims for compensation from government bodies.

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Matthew is a partner in the immigration department with 20 years of immigration law experience. He specialises in all areas of immigration and nationality law including advising individuals and organisations. His recent focus of activity has been in respect to relationship applications, human rights work, students, workers and the points-based system. He has represented on many appeals over the years including numerous reported cases in the High Court and the Court of Appeal. He has experience of large complex cases including national security appeals before the Special Immigration Appeals Commission. Matthew sits as a part-time immigration judge in the First Tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber).

Michael Hanley

Senior partner specialising in all aspects of asylum, nationality and immigration law, including family and relationship-based applications. Michael specialises in finding solutions to unusual situations and has experience of using the full range of immigration options including the points-based scheme and business solutions. He has had three cases in the House of Lords, namely Hasan Adan v SSHD [1997] 2 All ER 723 (on refugee protection for victims of civil war), Lul Adan v SSHD [1999] 4 All ER 774 (interpretation of Refugee Convention in context of a removal to Germany) and Saadi v SSHD [2002] UKHL (legality of detention of asylum seekers and Article 5 of the ECHR – this case proceeded to a full hearing in the Grand Chamber in Strasbourg in 2008). He has had the conduct of numerous cases at all levels of the judicial ladder. Michael was appointed as a fee paid immigration judge in 2006.

Michael Goldin

Solicitor

Muhunthan Paramesvaran

Muhunthan became a partner in 2010. He has a broad immigration and asylum practice and extensive experience of litigating in the higher courts. He has been instructed in numerous cases in the Upper Tribunal, Administrative Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. Muhunthan also sits on the Law Society Immigration Law Committee. The committee exists to keep the law under review and to promote improvements in immigration and asylum law, practice and procedure. In 2016 the committee published a practice note on immigration judicial review aimed at solicitors in this area http://www.lawsociety.org.uk/support-services/advice/practice-notes/immigration-judicial-review/ In 2017 the committee published a practice note on immigration appeals. https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/support-services/advice/practice-notes/immigration-appeals/ In 2019 the committee published a response to the Law Commission consultation on the simplification of the immigration rules with Muhunthan’s input. https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/policy-campaigns/consultation-responses/simplification-of-the-immigration-rules/ In 2018 Muhunthan acted for Rhuppiah in the UK Supreme Court. He had previously acted for the client in the Court of Appeal. The appeal was successful in the UKSC and the client has been awarded a full costs order, which is very important to her because it means that she will get a full refund in respect of her legal aid contributions. The Supreme Court clarified the correct approach to “precarious” in S 117 in the Nationality Immigration and Asylum Act 2002. https://www.wilsonllp.co.uk/supreme-court-gives-guidance-on-the-right-to-private-life-in-immigration-removal-cases In open court at the conclusion of the oral hearing Lord Wilson stated: “This case was beautifully prepared by the solicitors - just how an appeal to the Supreme Court ought to be presented”. That was an oral endorsement for the quality of the work undertaken by Muhunthan in the Supreme Court and was included in the live streaming broadcast of the proceedings. The UKSC report is at: https://www.bailii.org/cgi-bin/format.cgi?doc=/uk/cases/UKSC/2018/58.html&query=(rhuppiah)

Nina Rathbone Pullen

Solicitor

Nusrat Uddin

Solicitor

Patricia Beckett

Patricia specialises in children and family law, and her areas of work include private law children work, public law children work for parents, divorce/dissolutions and ancillary relief, and family law injunctions, as well as cohabitation law. She has a particular interest and experience in Children Act work, especially representing parents in care proceedings. Patricia has a lot of experience representing parents with mental health conditions. She has experience in representing and assisting grandparents in obtaining contact with, residence or special guardianship of their grandchildren. Patricia also enjoys ancillary relief work and has experience in cases involving substantial assets.

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Russell has a general practice in personal immigration, citizenship and EU law. He also has a specialist practice in immigration litigation, including complex asylum litigation. He was the solicitor for: PE in BA (Nigeria) and PE (Cameroon) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2009] UKSC 7; HT in HJ (Iran) and HT (Cameroon) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2010] UKSC 31. He is an active member of the Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association and has represented them at meetings. He has been a guest speaker at the UNHCR London office and the London School of Economics.

Shahailya Stephenson

Solicitor