Unlawful Detention

Our team within the Goldsmith Public Law Group is made up of specialist counsel in Immigration and Public Law, with several members who also work in other areas of law too. Our aim is excellence in legal service provision.

Find the right barrister

Please contact Neil Dinsdale one of our Clerks, who will advise you on the best representation for your requirements and budget. Please call on 0207 427 6802 or email.

Our Expertise

Our team has a reputation for securing successful results in some of the most difficult of cases, where individuals may be seeking any of the following:

• Challenging detention as unlawful by way of a judicial review claim, including in cases of vulnerable persons;
• Seeking compensation for periods of unlawful detention;
• Pursuing other remedies against the Home Office and/or their agents, such as written apologies, admissions of wrongdoing and strategic challenges to detention procedures themselves.

Our expertise is underscored through extensive training programmes that we provide on immigration issues more widely and in particular on unlawful detention. Most recently, these include:

• September 2017 – Collaboration between Goldsmith Chambers and BID delivering a seminar on unlawful detention, hosted by Allen & Overy;
• October 2018 – Sangeetha Iengar delivered training on bail applications for Law Friends Society Conferences;
• November 2018 – Joint Civil and Immigration team training on unlawful detention hosted by Goldsmith Chambers;
• February & May 2019 – Samina Iqbal delivered training on “unlawful detention claims in the civil courts” hosted by Asten J Professional Training and by Law Friends Society;
• 21st May 2020 on Bail & Unlawful Detention, delivered by our Head of Chambers Anthony Metzer QC and Pierre Georget (Eventbrite link here).

Unlawful Detention and Covid-19

The Goldsmith Immigration Team is well-known for our work with those who have been or are detained under immigration powers. We also work very closely with Bail for Immigration Detainees(‘BID’). You will have noted media coverage in relation to detainees, which was highlighted by BID in their letter to the Home Office on 11th March 2020 – a letter that was also co-signed by Medical Justice, Detention Action, Medact, Right to Remain, Women for Refugee Women, JCWI, Migrants Organise, Liberty, and ILPA. We shar their concerns about the very real risk of an uncontrolled outbreak of COVID-19 in immigration detention. The letter called for the release of immigration detainees.

Has the Home Office moved fast enough?  Has the Home Office reviewed each person’s detention? Have they released all that could/should have been released?

As the dust settles, it may be that some of your clients will have a valid claim for compensation, if it is found that they were unlawfully detained

We are committed to publicly funded work, as well as privately funded and strategic litigation.  Our team provides an immense depth of experience.  Please contact Neil Dinsdale or Jordan Lloyd to discuss any aspect of your case, however complex, to explore how Goldsmith Public Law Group members can advise and assist you.

For further information about our services and fees, please click here.

Direct Access

If you are looking for representation on a direct access basis please click here or alternatively contact Neil Dinsdale. You may also be interested in reading our client information leaflet, which explains the role of a barrister in your case.