Hall of fameGarden Court Chambers
‘Laurie is unquestionably a leading authority in the field of immigration human rights and nationality law. His drafting skills are second-to-none and his advice is always spot-on.‘
Garden Court Chambers
Garden Court Chambers remains the ‘go-to set for immigration’ with its deep bench that covers the full scope of work touching on nationality and deportation, asylum and international protection, national security, EU free movement, and business immigration. Acting across all courts, including up to the Supreme Court and European Court of Human Rights, the set has significant experience handling complex appeals. The set has been deeply involved in the high-profile Rwanda litigation, with Amanda Weston KC and Sonali Naik KC leading Mark Symes, Isaac Ricca-Richardson, and Eva Doerr in AAA v Secretary of State for the Home Department, opposing the Government’s policy to remove persons who enter the UK irregularly, to seek asylum or otherwise, to the Central African country. Stephanie Harrison KC leading Gordon Lee have similarly been active in the public inquiry into the allegations of ill-treatment at the Brook House immigration detention centre, and the set remains actively engaged with the wide-ranging litigation that has arisen from the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, with Nicola Braganza KC and Irena Sabic KC engaging with a number of these cases such as R (NBS) v SSHD. Gemma Loughran, as was, is now an Upper Tribunal judge.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Clerks are excellent and in particular Harriet Massie, who responds extremely quickly and is always helpful.'
- 'The clerks service is always helpful and excellent. Helen-Louise D'Agostino and Harriet Massie have particularly stood out this year.'
- 'Garden Court are the go-to set for immigration and asylum. They are able to provide capable counsel for any matter. They consistently arrange superb training sessions for practitioners.'
- 'Garden Court Chambers is my go-to chambers for immigration matters. Counsel have been of a high quality and I have had only positive experiences.'
- 'The Garden Court immigration team are second-to-none.'
- 'The clerks are first class: very responsive and always working hard to find the right barrister for the case.'
Silks
Leading Silks
KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.
1Hall of fameGarden Court Chambers
'Stephanie is at the top of her game in terms of her knowledge of immigration law. She is one of the most formidable practitioners in this area, with excellent skills in written and oral advocacy.'
Hall of fameGarden Court Chambers
'Sonali is a tenacious advocate. She has a real breadth of experience to draw on and is therefore able to think strategically in legally novel and difficult cases.'
Hall of fameGarden Court Chambers
'Thoroughly committed and fearless in advancing her clients' interests. An excellent lawyer.'
2022 Silks
Hall of fameGarden Court Chambers
‘ A go-to barrister for immigration cases. She knows the law and policy inside out and they are excellent with the client. Reassuring and professional. ’
Hall of fameGarden Court Chambers
‘Nicola is a fighter. Her drafting is good and she is outstanding on her feet in court. She is great to work with – very communicative and very sensitive to clients’ needs.‘
Hall of fameGarden Court Chambers
‘She is absolutely the best. She knows really the law and is able to quickly identify the strengths and weaknesses in a case. She is 100% behind the client and her sole focus is on getting the best outcome for them and advocates fearlessly on their behalf.’
2023 Silks
Garden Court Chambers
‘Irena is the counsel of choice for all complex immigration and public law matters. Her ability to work collaboratively with her instructing solicitors is second to none.’
2024 Silks
Garden Court Chambers
‘Greg is fantastic to work with. He has excellent judgement and his advice is always genuinely useful as he quickly gets to the heart of the case and is realistic and pragmatic.'
Juniors
Leading Juniors
Leading juniors are those with significant experience of key cases, strong market recognition from both peers and clients, and are seen as future candidates for silk.
Garden Court Chambers
‘She is the guru of the cross over between family and immigration law. Quite frankly nobody knows even a fraction of what she does. You could not want for more in a barrister.'
Garden Court Chambers
‘Peter has an excellent knowledge and understanding of immigration law including how the Home Office works. He is very helpful and responsive. He provides practical solutions as well as legal advice.'
Garden Court Chambers
‘Ali is a truly exceptional barrister, delivering amazing results in the most difficult cases. He brings his grounding in the principles of asylum and public law to bear in every case.’
Garden Court Chambers
‘Rebecca can be trusted with the most complex matters. She is a true star of the immigration Bar. She is extremely experienced and knowledgeable.’
Garden Court Chambers
‘David’s knowledge of any particular case’s facts is beyond any other barrister. This, coupled with his knowledge of the law, makes him an incredible barrister and indispensable to have on your side.’
Garden Court Chambers
‘Sadat is unquestionably a leading junior barrister in the field of immigration law and human rights. His insight and the quality of his advice are second-to-none.‘
Garden Court Chambers
‘Helen is an excellent advocate. She combines compassion with precision and firmly advocates for her clients. She is also well-organised, prepares in advance and communicates well with all parties.’
Garden Court Chambers
'Patrick’s strengths include being incredibly fast to grasp all details of the case and having a mastery of every minute detail of the claim. He has amazing analytical skills, is always comprehensive, thorough and persuasive on feet and in drafting and never misses time limits and deadlines.'
Garden Court Chambers
‘Mark is one of the finest immigration barrister at the Bar. His written work is breathtakingly good. His knowledge of asylum and human rights law is fantastic.‘
Garden Court Chambers
‘Ubah is a fantastic advocate, utilising a combination of forceful and persuasive advocacy to best put her client's case forward. She is a fighter but also graceful and prepared to negotiate when appropriate. Her real strength is in her appeal advocacy.'
4Garden Court Chambers
‘Grace is a great junior. She has good judgement and is a calm but persuasive advocate. Her drafting is clear and manages to present complex arguments with clarity.’
Garden Court Chambers
'Very thorough, as she doesn't fail to consider or address any angles of a case. Extremely knowledgeable of asylum and immigration law and applies it clearly and succinctly to the case. Her advocacy style is clear and compelling.'
Garden Court Chambers
‘Bijan is a compassionate and empathetic barrister, and his ability to work with very distressed and unwell clients is notable. The vulnerability of a client where the intersection between immigration and Court of Protection law is in play can place them under great pressure, but Bijan expertly navigates this tension to ensure the client’s position is advocated for and well advanced.‘
Garden Court Chambers
‘Gordon is an incredibly polished advocate. His particular strength is that he instinctively hones in on the most powerful points in a case and is very quick on his feet, dealing with any points raised by a judge with consummate ease.’
Garden Court Chambers
‘David is a highly competent, diligent and skilled advocate, with significant experience of highly complex and high-profile immigration applications and appeals.‘
Garden Court Chambers
‘She is forensic in her case preparation and an excellent advocate. She presents cases with clarity and fluency both in her oral and written advocacy.'
Leading Juniors
Leading juniors are those with significant experience of key cases, strong market recognition from both peers and clients, and are seen as future candidates for silk.
Garden Court Chambers
‘She is the guru of the cross over between family and immigration law. Quite frankly nobody knows even a fraction of what she does. You could not want for more in a barrister.'
Garden Court Chambers
‘Peter has an excellent knowledge and understanding of immigration law including how the Home Office works. He is very helpful and responsive. He provides practical solutions as well as legal advice.'
Garden Court Chambers
‘Ali is a truly exceptional barrister, delivering amazing results in the most difficult cases. He brings his grounding in the principles of asylum and public law to bear in every case.’
Garden Court Chambers
‘Rebecca can be trusted with the most complex matters. She is a true star of the immigration Bar. She is extremely experienced and knowledgeable.’
Garden Court Chambers
‘David’s knowledge of any particular case’s facts is beyond any other barrister. This, coupled with his knowledge of the law, makes him an incredible barrister and indispensable to have on your side.’
Garden Court Chambers
‘Sadat is unquestionably a leading junior barrister in the field of immigration law and human rights. His insight and the quality of his advice are second-to-none.‘
Garden Court Chambers
‘Helen is an excellent advocate. She combines compassion with precision and firmly advocates for her clients. She is also well-organised, prepares in advance and communicates well with all parties.’
Garden Court Chambers
'Patrick’s strengths include being incredibly fast to grasp all details of the case and having a mastery of every minute detail of the claim. He has amazing analytical skills, is always comprehensive, thorough and persuasive on feet and in drafting and never misses time limits and deadlines.'
Garden Court Chambers
‘Mark is one of the finest immigration barrister at the Bar. His written work is breathtakingly good. His knowledge of asylum and human rights law is fantastic.‘
Garden Court Chambers
‘Ubah is a fantastic advocate, utilising a combination of forceful and persuasive advocacy to best put her client's case forward. She is a fighter but also graceful and prepared to negotiate when appropriate. Her real strength is in her appeal advocacy.'
4Garden Court Chambers
‘Grace is a great junior. She has good judgement and is a calm but persuasive advocate. Her drafting is clear and manages to present complex arguments with clarity.’
Garden Court Chambers
'Very thorough, as she doesn't fail to consider or address any angles of a case. Extremely knowledgeable of asylum and immigration law and applies it clearly and succinctly to the case. Her advocacy style is clear and compelling.'
Garden Court Chambers
‘Bijan is a compassionate and empathetic barrister, and his ability to work with very distressed and unwell clients is notable. The vulnerability of a client where the intersection between immigration and Court of Protection law is in play can place them under great pressure, but Bijan expertly navigates this tension to ensure the client’s position is advocated for and well advanced.‘
Garden Court Chambers
‘Gordon is an incredibly polished advocate. His particular strength is that he instinctively hones in on the most powerful points in a case and is very quick on his feet, dealing with any points raised by a judge with consummate ease.’
Garden Court Chambers
‘David is a highly competent, diligent and skilled advocate, with significant experience of highly complex and high-profile immigration applications and appeals.‘
Garden Court Chambers
‘She is forensic in her case preparation and an excellent advocate. She presents cases with clarity and fluency both in her oral and written advocacy.'