George has extensive experience dealing with Immigration, Asylum, Administrative, and Civil Law and is accepting instructions in all these fields.
George previously worked for the Government Legal Department in their immigration department, in the Attorney General’s Office (where he advised on both civil and criminal matters, including Unduly Lenient Sentences, Contempt of Court, and Consents to Prosecute), and he also spent six months as a lawyer at the Department for Transport, where he advised on the interpretation of various treaties and conventions. George has been practicing at the self-employed Bar since 2017 with a mixed common law practice.
Languages Spoken
French (competent)
Interested in instructing Mr Symes?
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Civil Barrister
George’s civil practice is broad in scope, and includes, for example, many landlord and tenant cases, chancery cases, commercial contractual disputes, and contested insolvency cases (for both creditors and debtors).
In addition to trials, George also deals with procedural and interim matters such as applications for relief from sanctions, strike-outs, summary judgments, applications to set aside orders, and applications for costs.
Notable cases
Afrasia International v Ramdhun
George acted as sole counsel for the Defendant in a five-day possession claim, and successfully prevented a possession order being made. HHJ Johns KC made specific reference to George’s “efficient and effective cross-examination” in his judgment.
Baylis & Anor v Haider & Ors [2024] EWHC 187 (Ch)
George acted as sole counsel for the First Defendant in a complex multi-party five-day chancery trial in the High Court, and obtained a successful outcome. The case raised points of non est factum, mistake, unjust enrichment, rectification of the land registry, and regulated activities under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.
Lycatel Property Services Ltd v Razzaq & Ors
George was instructed as sole counsel in a two-day chancery trial, dealing with a purported agreement to grant a lease. This matter involved various aspects of contractual construction, a detailed knowledge of property law, and careful cross-examination of witnesses.
Nirasu Property Investment Limited v Sareen
George was instructed as sole counsel in a four-day chancery trial, which involved numerous heads of claim, including mistake, non est factum, estoppel, resulting trusts, common intention constructive trusts, misrepresentation, and allegations of sham documents.
Ogunkanmi v Chia [2025] EWHC 1404 (KB)
George acted as sole counsel for the Claimant in a defamation matter, which involved various jurisdictional points, as well as requiring submissions on the appropriate level of damages. George was able to secure his client damages of £25,000 in respect of the harm he suffered in the UK as a result of the accusatory posts.
Sunnymeads Motor Co Ltd v Tolfree-Cross [2024] EWHC 2822 (KB)
George was instructed in an urgent injunction application, and the return hearing, which involved a business operating from a commercial property. Choudhury J referred to George’s submissions as “forceful and eloquent”, and HHJ Pearce (sitting as a High Court Judge) found George’s submissions to be “well-argued”.
Immigration Barrister
George has been dealing with Immigration Law since he first began practising at the Bar, and appears very regularly in the First-Tier and Upper Tribunal in both Asylum and Immigration matters. In the past, George used to be instructed by the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which has given him an invaluable insight and experience.
He routinely handles cases regarding political opinion, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, trafficking, and other convention and non-convention reasons, from clients of various nationalities. In addition, he has significant experience in ECHR cases, such as Article 8 claims for private and family life, and challenges to refusals of entry clearance. He is also instructed in EEA cases, such as challenging the Secretary of State’s refusal to issue Residence Cards. George also deals with deportation cases.
George often appears in the Upper Tribunal for Judicial Review proceedings, for example, in those cases where clients do not have, or have been refused, a right of appeal.
George combines his immigration practice with his civil work to deal with appeals to civil penalty notices, where (for example) the Secretary of State alleges right-to-work checks were not carried out properly.
Notable cases
PG v SSHD (UI-2023-002193)
George was instructed as junior counsel in a case involving deprivation of British Citizenship, and prepared the appeal skeleton argument for the hearing.
PDK v SSHD
George was instructed as counsel in a civil penalty notice appeal, in which he successfully persuaded the court that they did have a discretion to reduce the penalty imposed, resulting in the penalty being cut in half. Until this point, many county court Judges had been declining to exercise any discretion, or even accept that they had any.
Public Law Barrister
Given his background in the Government Legal Department, George also works on Public Law matters, including (for example) advising on and appearing in challenges to public bodies in legitimate expectation cases in the High Court.
Notable Cases
D & S v HMP Bullingdon
George was instructed as counsel for the Defendant in a case where the First Claimant had made various allegations of wrongdoing on the part of prison officers. George successfully applied to have the matter struck out. George was also successful in obtaining an order that the First Claimant’s application to set aside the strike out was totally without merit.
