Stephanie Harrison

Practice

Stephanie practises predominantly in public and administrative law with a strong emphasis on civil liberties and anti-discrimination. She has expertise in all areas of immigration and asylum law and practice. She is committed to maintaining an appellate practice in hearings before the Adjudicator and the Immigration Appeal Tribunal and has extensive experience of judicial review and the Higher Courts including as junior counsel in the House of Lords in Shah and Islam (women as a social group) and Salem (asylum seekers and entitlement to benefits) Adan and Auitseguer (Germany as a safe third country).
The use of international human rights law including the European Convention of Human Rights is now integral to practice and she has considerable expertise in this area as well as experience in applications direct to the European Court of Human Rights. She is also competent in all matters of European Community law including EC Association Agreements. She was junior counsel in the case of Baumbast and R (free movement, the rights of children and family life) in the European Court of Justice.
Stephanie's practice also includes civil actions, mainly against state authorities, in particular arising from Immigration Act detention and discrimination-related cases.
Other immigration related areas: expertise in social welfare and housing law is essential to immigration and asylum practice. She has an established expertise in these areas and all matters relating to the support of asylum seekers and their families. She has developed a specialisation in family law cases with a strong immigration aspect, particularly Children Act applications, inter-country adoptions and abductions. She has expertise in immigration related criminal matters and the use of anti-terrorism legislation.
Anti-terrorism: Stephanie has appeared before the Special Immigration Appeals Commission in national security deportations including on behalf of two appellants interned under the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 as well as advising and representing organisations banned under the Terrorism Act 2000 in the Proscribed Organisations Commission.
Awards
Jointly with other lawyers involved in legal cases seeking equality for lesbians and gay men, Stephanie was awarded the Stonewall Equality Award in 1997.
Publications
Blake and Fransman's Immigration, Nationality and Asylum under the Human Rights Act: chapter on Article 14 discrimination and the ECHR; The Law and Practice in the Application of the Dublin Convention in the UK: European Institute of Public Administration.

• Contributor to 5th edition of Macdonald's Immigration Law and Practice.
• Contributor to Halsbury's Laws of England: Nationality, Immigration and Asylum.
• Contributor to Liberty's on line service on discrimination law. Has contributed articles to Legal Action and Socialist Lawyer.
  

Notable Cases

Stephanie has appeared in numerous reported cases. The following is a summary of her most important recent work.
Asylum:

Shah and Islam v SHHD, HL (see above)

Lul Omar Adan and others, HL (see above)

R v Uxbridge Magistrates Court ex parte Adimi and others, DC (Article 31)

Thomas Danian v IAT, CA (bad faith)

SSHD v Danaie, CA (Adjudicator's finding binding on SSHD)

Salem v SSHD CA, HL (benefits)

Muktiar Singh v SSHD, SIAC (Article 3) ECHR/National Security Deportation
Immigration:

R v SSHD ex parte Arman Ali (recourse to public funds and Article 8)

R v SSHD ex parte Obi (illegal entry and British citizenship)

Baumbast and R v SSHD, ECJ (free movement rights)

Human Rights:

A and Others v the Secretary of State for the Home Department, SIAC and CA (Anti-terrorism Crime and Security Act 2001; internment of foreign nationals and derogation from Article 5)

N v Secretary of State for the Home Department, CA (Human Rights Act damages)

Other:

R v Ministry of Defence ex parte Smith, CA (ban on gays in the military)

R v North West Lancashire Health Authority ex parte A, D, G, CA (rationing of NHS treatment)

Sheffield v Horsham, ECHR (amicus brief in transsexual rights case)

A&B v Newsgroup International (sex discrimination and restricted reporting orders)

Chief Constable of West Yorkshire v A, CA (exclusions of transsexuals from service as a police officer)

Year of Call

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