Yaaser Vanderman

Yaaser is ranked in Chambers and Partners and Legal 500 as a leading junior in four categories – Administrative and Public Law, Civil Liberties and Human Rights, Planning Law and Property Law. He works with a range of clients, including individuals, NGOs, major companies, regulatory bodies and Government, believing that he can provide the best service to each of his clients if he has the broadest experience possible.

He regularly appears at inquiries, the Tribunals, the High Court and Court of Appeal, and has been instructed in eight Supreme Court cases since 2019. Yaaser has been appointed to the Attorney General’s B Panel of Junior Counsel and is called to the Bar of Northern Ireland.

He is the author of Manual on Protest Injunctions: Practice, Procedure and Persons Unknown(2023) – a free online resource aimed at all those involved in claims where an injunction is sought to restrain protest and trespass activity.

He is regularly instructed in high-profile and test cases for claimants, defendants, interested parties and interveners. For example, he has recently been instructed in the following:

Various protest cases relating to abortion, university accommodation, energy companies, COVID-19, local parks and NHS trusts. For example, he acted for the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission in the Supreme Court following the Attorney General’s challenge to the Abortion Service (Safe Access Zones) Bill, which made it a criminal offence to protest within 100m of an abortion clinic. He also acted in the High Court challenge to the banning of the Sarah Everard vigil in Clapham Common. Yaaser has been involved in approximately 20 protest hearings since 2022. Civil liberties and human rights cases including in relation to social security issues, abortion laws both in England and Northern Ireland, various COVID-19 policies and restrictions and bulk transfers of data protected by data protection laws. For example, he acted in the Supreme Court case of R (SC) v SSWP relating to the two-child benefit rule which limits child tax credit to the first two children. It is the leading case on various issues, including the margin of appreciation in the human rights context, the use of Parliamentary materials, and the use of unincorporated international agreements. He also acted for the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission in the successful challenge to the failure of the Government to secure that abortion services were, in fact, available to women and girls in Northern Ireland following legalisation of abortion in the Abortion (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2020. Commercial Judicial Reviews in a range of sectors and on a number of subjects, including in relation to: challenges by sections of the pharmaceutical industry relating to the pricing of branded medicines to the NHS; the renewable energy industry and windfall levies; and, the airline industry. For example, Yaaser acted for the Government on a challenge brought by Manchester Airport Holdings and a number of airlines to the international travel system during the COVID-19 restrictions. Energy, Utilities and Infrastructure including challenges to decisions to permit exploration, installation or exploitation of energy resources; challenges to decisions relating to other national infrastructure such as airport runways; and, promoting and objecting to Transport and Works Act Orders for railway schemes. For example, he has recently acted for the developer in a challenge to the licensing of gas storage caverns (holding approximately 500 million standard cubic metres of natural gas) to be constructed under the sea off the coast of Islandmagee, Northern Ireland. In addition, Yaaser acted for Network Rail in obtaining the consent for the East-West Rail scheme. Administrative and public law including on education issues, immigration, housing, animal welfare and local government. For example, Yaaser was involved in the challenge to the A-level results system that was set up by Ofqual in 2020 to award students grades according to an algorithm as the pandemic meant they could not take their exams. He was also instructed in the Supreme Court cases of DN Rwanda v SSHD (involving the detention of a foreign national (for the purposes of deportation) on the basis of secondary legislation subsequently found to be ultra vires) and AM (Zimbabwe) v SSHD (on the circumstances in which removal of a seriously ill individual to another country would result in breach of Article 3 ECHR (inhuman and degrading treatment)).

Qualifications Harvard Law School – LLM Oxford University, Keble College – BCL (Distinction) Cambridge University, Clare College – MA (Hons) in Law (Double First) Scholarships and Awards Cambridge-Harvard Exchange Scholar Eldon Law Scholar (most promising Oxford University graduate intending to practise at the Bar) Commercial Remedies highest mark in the year (Oxford University) Queen Mother Scholar (Middle Temple) William Senior Prize for Law (highest in Clare College) James William Squire Scholar (Cambridge University) Foundation Scholar (Honorary) (Cambridge University) Human Rights Lawyers Association Bursary Award International Bar Association Educational Trust Scholar Phoenicia Scholar (Bar European Group Conference) ALBA Scholar (ALBA summer conference)

Publications

Yaaser is the author of the book Manual on Protest Injunctions: Practice, Procedure and Persons Unknown (foreword by Lord Carnwath). This is a free, online resource aimed at all those involved in claims where an injunction is sought to restrain protest and trespass activity. 2017 - “Right to Protest and Direct Action” [2017] JR 338 2017 - “Freeing up beds in hospitals – can a hospital patient be evicted?” 2016 - “Substantive Legitimate Expectations” [2016] 3 Judicial Review 174 2013 - “RT and KM v Secretary of State for Home Department – Problems with core/margin reasoning in claims of persecution” [2013] Judicial Review 26 2012 - ‘The Right to a Fair Trial in Tariq v Home Office: taking blind shots at a hidden target’ [2012] Judicial Review 70 2012 - ‘Ultra Vires Legitimate Expectations: an argument for compensation’ [2012] Public Law 85 2011 -  ‘Patmalniece and Lord Walker’s Dissent: does he have a point?’ published on UK Supreme Court Blog (run by Matrix Chambers and Olswang)