One Pump Court

FamilyPersonal ImmigrationModern Slavery & Trafficking TeamSpecialist Family & Immigration Team

Call: 2012

Rachel is an award-winning barrister practicing in family, immigration and public law. She has particular expertise in the overlap between immigration and family law, and in working with victims of modern slavery and human trafficking and sustained abuse.

Rachel has particular aptitude in working with clients of exceptional vulnerability. In 2019 Rachel was awarded the LAPG Special Award at the Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year Awards (third ever award), which recognises exceptional commitment to access to justice.

Rachel is the co-director of Claiming Space, a Community Interest Company she co-founded in 2017 to provide support, and training for practitioners working with vulnerable populations. In 2021 Rachel co-authored the best-selling practitioner text, Vicarious Trauma in the Legal Profession: a practical guide to trauma, burnout and collective care, which outsold all other books released by its publisher, LAG, in its first year of sale.

Rachel regularly delivers training on immigration and family law matters; her journal article, ‘Immigration issues in children law proceedings’ January [2020] Fam Law 88,  on the intersection between these two practice areas was endorsed in the Court of Appeal (https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Civ/2020/731.html see §35).

Rachel has spoken widely at conferences, on national radio, podcasts, and in print media, about vicarious trauma and its impact on practitioners.

Immigration Law Practitioners Association Young Legal Aid Lawyers (former Co-chair) Bail for Immigration Detainees Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers Family Law Bar Association Association of Lawyers for Children

BA Hons English Literature (Durham University), First Class Graduate Diploma in Law (University of Law), Distinction Bar Professional Training Course (University of Law), Very Competent