Garden Court North Chambers

gcnchambers.co.uk

Alex is a public law and housing specialist. He has a wealth of experience in public law and especially in Human Rights related cases. He has been counsel in significant cases in both the Supreme Court and the European Court of Human Rights, which have resulted in substantial changes in UK law. Throughout his career he has represented the disadvantaged against the State and public authorities, seeking to hold them to account.

Alexander McColl

Alexander is fast developing a multi-disciplinary practice in criminal defence, protest rights, housing, parole board, mental health and judicial review.

http://www.gardencourtchambers.co.uk/barrister/anna-morris/

Ben McCormack has been a lawyer for over 20 years, specialising in mental capacity, public law and housing cases. He started out as a solicitor in a small firm on an estate on the outskirts of Manchester, before becoming a barrister at Garden Court North Chambers in 2005. Ben became Deputy Head of Chambers in March 2023.

Brigid is a defence advocate experienced in the most serious types of criminal cases and appeals including murder, serious sexual offences (such as paedophile rings and historical sex allegations), drug importation and terrorism. Brigid has a particular interest in vulnerable defendants and those with mental health conditions and is skilled at dealing sensitively with demanding clients in those circumstances.

Camille Warren has a practice that is focused on civil liberties across all her areas of expertise, which include: Inquests concerning the culpability of police and healthcare professionals; Civil actions against the police; Immigration; and Human rights law Camille has a particular interest in representing young people (including underage asylum seekers) leaving care and entitlement to support packages, and she also has extensive experience in representing victims of trafficking and modern slavery. Camille is instructed to undertake public law proceedings across all her practice areas.

Christian Weaver

Christian Weaver specialises in Actions against the State, Inquests, Public Inquiries and Parole Board work. He is the barrister to the family of Awaab Ishak, a two-year-old boy who died following prolonged exposure to mould in his home. Christian was the winner of the Legal Aid Newcomer of the Year Award 2023 at the Legal Aid Practitioners Group Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year Awards 2023. Christian is the founder of the legal project 'The Law in 60 Seconds' and author of the book The Law in 60 Seconds: A Pocket Guide to Your Rights.

Ciara specialises in representing bereaved families at inquest, whose loved ones have died in the community. Ciara’s expertise in housing, mental health and social care law gives her a unique edge in complex inquests arising from deaths in the community, particularly those who have died in supported accommodation settings such as: Approved Premises; supported accommodation commissioned by the NHS or local authority; unregulated housing for young people; ‘exempt’ accommodation i.e. accommodation that offers housing-related support in the private-rented sector; crisis houses; and proxy inpatient psychiatric settings. Ciara has particular experience working with young people and on inquests related to the deaths of young people to whom the state has owed social care responsibilities. Ciara stands out as an advocate because of her personable and kind manner, attention to detail and fearless representation on behalf of families.

Elizabeth Mottershaw

Elizabeth was ranked as a rising star in the 2023 edition of the Legal 500 in both immigration and social housing. Elizabeth’s practice focuses on housing, homelessness, and immigration. Her particular interest in vulnerable clients is seeing her develop a growing Court of Protection practice. She appears in possession, injunction, committal, unlawful eviction, and disrepair claims and in appeals against local authority decisions as to homelessness duties. She appears in human rights and asylum appeals. Elizabeth frequently acts for clients with complex mental health problems including PTSD and personality disorders, and regularly works with clients with serious drug and alcohol problems. Her work includes judicial review. Elizabeth also accepts instructions on international human rights law and international humanitarian law.

Hamish McCallum

Hamish McCallum specialises in Protest Rights, Inquests & Public Inquiries, and Public Law. He has extensive experience acting on behalf of protestors, bereaved families and in actions against the government and state bodies.

James was a housing law solicitor admitted in 1992 before being called to the Bar in 1998. Since then, he has become "one of the leading lights for social housing work" (Chambers and Partners 2010) and practises in all areas of housing law including: homelessness (appeals and judicial review) residential landlord and tenant, unlawful eviction and harassment, allocations judicial review and anti-social behaviour and gang related violence and drug dealing injunctions. He specialises particularly in housing cases involving human rights issues, complex possession proceedings, homelessness appeals, and disputes involving multiple parties and agencies in particular involving defendants with mental health issues and especially hoarding disorders.

Jonathan represents appellants at all levels of the Immigration and Asylum Chamber of the Tribunal, and has significant experience in matters of judicial review. In particular, he has experience of working with vulnerable clients such as those who have been rendered stateless or victims of trafficking, and he also has significant experience in business immigration matters due to his eye for technical detail.

Joseph Markus was called to the Bar in 2012. He specialises in publicly funded cases in the fields of housing, and community care, with a particular focus on public law. He has been instructed in a number of high-profile cases across his practice areas from County and High Court level to the Supreme Court. Joe has a particular interest in Gypsy/Traveller cases and has experience of Mobile Homes Act and trespasser possession claims across both England and Wales. Joseph is also a member of the Equality and Human Rights Commission Panel of Preferred Counsel (‘B’ Panel). He has particular expertise in claims brought under the Equality Act 2010, both in a housing context and otherwise.

Kate Stone is a human rights and public law specialist, with an emphasis on inquests and inquiries, judicial review and civil actions against public authorities. She has a developing Court of Protection practice. Kate was instructed as junior counsel for 22 families in the Hillsborough inquests (2014 to 2016). She is instructed as part of the Counsel team on behalf of Covid Bereaved Families for Justice in the UK Covid-19 Public Inquiry. She also specialises in international human rights law.

Kerry Smith was called to the Bar in 2002 and is an experienced practitioner, specialising in Immigration and Court of Protection work. She also has substantial expertise in human rights and public law challenges, with a strong and successful judicial review practice. Kerry is public access qualified and has a thriving practice, regularly accepting instructions from lay clients directly across her practice areas. Kerry is Head of Chambers at Garden Court North.

Kevin is an experienced housing law practitioner whose practice covers the full range of housing law including homelessness. Kevin's experience in housing dates back as far as 1993 when he worked for Manchester City Council’s homelessness service and since 2000 he has advised on housing law and landlord and tenant issues. Kevin is a former Trustee of Lifeshare UK, a homelessness charity in Manchester offering help and support to the street homeless. He is currently involved in a similar capacity with a number of other charities.

Lily Lewis has a multidisciplinary human rights and civil liberties practice. She specialises in inquests and public inquiries, public law, and social welfare law.

Lucy Mair is a passionate and experienced human rights barrister who practices in all areas of immigration and asylum law, with particular expertise in cases involving gender-based violence, especially for victims of human trafficking/ modern slavery and migrant victims of domestic violence. Lucy has acted in a number of reported trafficking cases including with regard to the correct approach to expert evidence, to the definition of forced labour and in reported migrant domestic violence cases regarding rights of appeal, procedural fairness and the correct approach to corroborative evidence. Lucy also represented a trafficking client in the first successful substantive claim for judicial review against a decision of the Upper Tribunal (a “CART JR”) which addressed issues of procedural fairness, country guidance and expert evidence.

Mikhil practises in public law and human rights law particularly arising from his immigration practice, specialising in judicial review including issues of nationality, injunctive relief of administrative decisions such as unlawful detention and removal decisions. He has also acted in decisions relating to leave to remain, permission to work, statelessness, access to student loans and has successfully required the SSHD to return clients unlawfully removed.

Mira Hammad specialises in Inquests and Inquiries and Criminal Defence including Protest Rights. Mira is currently instructed as part of a team representing a large number of clients bereaved as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Mira was recently instructed as part of a team representing bereaved families in relation to the Manchester Arena Inquiry. Mira is seconded part-time to the Hickman Rose Grenfell Inquiry Team, which represents bereaved, survivors and residents. Mira has also represented bereaved families in inquests arising from deaths in very varied and often complex circumstances. Mira’s criminal defence work focuses particularly on defending protestors. Mira represents protestors both in the Magistrates and the Crown Court. She has experience successfully defending a wide range of protest related offences, including aggravated trespass, blocking a public highway, criminal damage, s.241 TUA, harassment, public order offences and offences against police officers.

Natalie Wilkins

Natalie practises in asylum, immigration and nationality, family, housing and public law. Natalie’s multidisciplinary practice allows her to offer crossover advice in her practice areas, in particular family and immigration law. She also incorporates ongoing specialist learning into how domestic violence, mental health, trauma and/or neurodivergence impact her clients’ interaction with the justice system into all her work. Natalie’s legal studies focused on human rights and international law, especially the relationship with armed conflict and its effects. After working internationally for the United Nations and NGOs in conflict-related contexts, she decided to return to the UK to qualify as a barrister. Natalie’s experience in countries with weak rule of law and how that affects the lives of individuals makes her especially committed to helping to preserve the precious access to justice we retain in the UK and she remains committed to help those affected by conflict and human rights violations internationality through her refugee law practice.

Nina Grahame KC

Nina was appointed KC in March 2019. She is a senior criminal defence practitioner of considerable experience.

Pete Weatherby KC

Pete is a human rights barrister who practices domestically in public inquiries, inquests, criminal, public, prison and police law. He is a both a trial and appellate lawyer. Pete has appeared at all domestic court levels and before the European Court of Human Rights, including the Grand Chamber. He specialises in cases involving miscarriages of justice, freedom of expression, extradition and ‘terrorism’, and he has a particular expertise in statutory interpretation. Pete led the team representing 22 of the bereaved Hillsborough families at the new inquests, and continues to act for them in a number of matters, including their campaign to get the Public Authorities (Accountability) Bill 2017 (‘Hillsborough Law’) enacted. He was one of the drafters of the Bill which seeks to provide a lasting legacy and prevent what happened to the families happening to others. Since the conclusion of the Hillsborough inquests, Pete has appeared for the partner of Anthony Grainger at the Public Inquiry into his death (a police shooting), and represented 80 of the victims of the Grenfell disaster during phase one of the Inquiry, and more recently he appeared for bereaved victims of the Manchester Arena bombing outrage at the inquests. He currently leads the team representing the Covid Bereaved Families for Justice group in the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.

Rory has worked in the field of asylum and immigration law since 1995. His practice covers the full spectrum of immigration law, ranging from personal and business immigration issues, PBS, EU free movement and protection and human rights appeals in the First tier Tribunal, Upper Tribunal and beyond, having appeared in the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. Rory is recommended as a leading junior in Immigration by both Chambers and Partners and Legal 500, past comments stating that he " ..is praised by instructing solicitors for his sensitive handling of refugees and vulnerable claimants"; "He's very methodical and disciplined in his approach, and very forensic. He's very approachable too, and accessible." Rory also acts in judicial review proceedings in areas including immigration and asylum, asylum support, homelessness and allocations and community care. He also has a growing Court of Protection practice, which includes cases arising from the social welfare and housing spheres in which Rory is instructed by the Official Solicitor where a party lacks mental capacity.

Rosalind Burgin

Rosalind Burgin accepts nationwide instructions in criminal defence, protest rights and housing law. She is committed to acting for the individual against the state or private bodies. Her day-to-day practice involves defending protestors in the criminal courts and representing tenants in possession proceedings and claims involving anti-social behaviour injunctions. She has a growing practice in public law, namely judicial review proceedings in social security.

Sean Ell is experienced in all areas of immigration, asylum, EU and nationality law, and is happy to appear in cases in other areas of law particularly, where there is an overlap with immigration and human rights issues. He represents appellants at all levels of the Immigration and Asylum Chamber of the Tribunal and in the Court of Appeal, and has significant experience in judicial review matters. He is happy to accept instructions throughout England and Wales.

Sonia Birdee is a specialist in challenging discrimination arising in the context of housing and claimant led actions. She has acted to safeguard the rights of tenants and those seeking housing across the full spectrum of housing law for over 15 years. Sonia acts for claimants in discrimination actions across most aspects of the Equality Act 2010. She acts in judicial review proceedings and proceedings raising public law and human rights issues. She acts for claimants in claims against the police. Sonia undertakes publicly funded work and CFA work and was appointed to the Equality Human Rights Commission panel of preferred counsel in 2019.

Tasaddat Hussain

Tasaddat Hussain is an established, well respected, and highly sought after practitioner with an excellent success rate and 20 years’ extensive experience in Public law, judicial review, human rights and immigration.

Tom Royston specialises in immigration, housing, mental capacity and social security law. He won a Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year award in 2017, was shortlisted as The Legal 500 Regional Junior of the Year in 2019, and as The Legal 500 Public Law Junior of the Year, and Chambers UK Bar Award Human Rights and Public Law – Junior in 2023. Tom was a Times Lawyer of the Week in 2020, and has been listed for some years in Band 1 of both Chambers and Partners and The Legal 500. He has appeared eight times in the UK Supreme Court, and has experience of international litigation in the CJEU and ECSR. Most of his work is in tribunals, the county court and the Administrative Court. Tom is often instructed in test cases about systemic problems with how the state treats individuals.

Vijay Jagadesham

Vijay Jagadesham has a practice with a particular emphasis on the representation of vulnerable individuals within the immigration and asylum law field: including unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC), those facing age disputes and requiring interim relief, individuals suffering from significant mental health issues and disabilities, and victims of gender-based and sexual violence.