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?
Please call 020 7353 6802 or complete the form below:
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 both privately-funded and legally-aided cases. 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.
Civil Barrister
George’s civil practice is broad in scope, and includes, for example, many landlord and tenant cases, commercial contractual disputes, and contested insolvency cases (for both creditors and debtors).
George has also been successful in numerous 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.
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.
