Rabah specialises in serious crime and appeals, extradition, administrative and public law, and international law. He also has a practice in inquests, regulatory, professional discipline, and media cases. He is knowledgeable and experienced in terrorism and national security issues across these areas of practice.
Rabah regularly acts in cases involving allegations of murder, terrorism, organised crime, and cases arising out of protest action. He is sought in high profile criminal cases characterised by complicated legal issues, complex evidence, and cross-jurisdictional elements. He has extensive expertise in cases predicated on allegations of membership or association to a group/gang.
Rabah advises on fresh appeals against conviction and sentence. He has advised on miscarriages of justice in murder cases and historic convictions. Rabah has appeared successfully both alone and led in the Court of Appeal, including in a recent case overturning a serious conviction on bias by the trial judge and lack of a fair trial.
Rabah is expert in judicial review proceedings linked to criminal justice matters, and has a broad practice in public and administrative law. He was judicial assistant to Swift J, the judge in charge of the Administrative Court.
Rabah’s extradition practice encompasses cases at all levels, and foreign or international proceedings. Rabah has experience working on sensitive international law cases, including those involving sanctions, and serious human rights abuses such as extrajudicial killings and arbitrary detention.
Year of call: 2016
Rabah completed his master’s degree in law (BCL) at the University of Oxford, specialising in terrorism and national security issues, human rights, and international law.
Rabah was the Oxford Bonavero Institute Fellow, and then the Bertha Justice Fellow at the international human rights NGO, Reprieve. He worked extensively on terrorism and national security matters, including cross-jurisdictional cases involving the UK and US. Whilst at Reprieve, Rabah also assisted with the representation of Guantanamo Bay detainees. Rabah has delivered strategic litigation training abroad.
After Radovan Karadzic’s conviction for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, Rabah was a member of the Karadzic Appeal Team at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague.
Human Rights Lawyers Association (Executive Committee)
Bar Council of England & Wales (Social Mobility Advocate)
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple (assists with diversity and outreach programmes)
Criminal Bar Association
BCL, University of Oxford (Distinction)
BPTC, The City Law School
LLB, The City Law School (First-Class Honours – top in the year)