Leading civil liberties barristers | Garden Court Chambers

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Garden Court is recognised as one of the leading chambers in the UK specialising in civil liberties and human rights. We are highly ranked in both the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners for our expertise in this area of law and we have a large number of individual barrister rankings, including Band 1 rankings.

Over 40 years ago, Garden Court Chambers was founded on a commitment to hold state agents to account and promote fundamental human rights and freedoms. These principles are reflected throughout our work and embodied in our motto, ‘Do right, fear no-one’.

Garden Court Chambers were shortlisted for the Civil Liberties and Human Rights Set of the Year Award 2020 by the Legal 500.

the work we do

We have a proud history of winning contested cases on behalf of claimants in domestic, pan-European and international courts. Our cases have advanced the law and we have overturned great injustices in landmark, often controversial decisions, including the Hillsborough inquests, the suspension of the Detained Fast Track for asylum-seekers and the Supreme Court case on anonymity for detained mental health patients.

We are instructed on high profile cases such as the Grenfell Inquiry, the Undercover Policing Inquiry and the Child Sexual Abuse Inquiry.

Working with our public law barristers, we also bring related judicial review challenges to individual decisions made by public bodies as well as wider public law and human rights challenges to published policy.

Garden Court Chambers won the Human Rights and Public Law Set of the Year Award at the Chambers Bar Awards 2016. Our team includes those who have been shortlisted and won awards such as the Liberty Human Rights Award and the Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year Awards.

our expertise

Garden Court’s strength lies in our inter-disciplinary expertise. As the largest chambers in London with over 180 barristers, we can offer an unrivalled breadth and depth of related expertise from our core civil liberties practice areas: claims against the police and public authorities, inquests and inquiries, prison law and immigration detention civil claims.

our commitment to civil liberties and human rights

Our civil liberties and human rights barristers have long worked with campaigning and other organisations such as INQUEST, Liberty, JUSTICE, Just for Kids Law, and the British Institute of Human Rights. A number of barristers are approved counsel for the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

In addition, every member of chambers contributes to a ‘Special Fund’, which provides financial support for smaller organisations to carry out legal, campaigning or charitable work in defence of civil liberties, human rights and social justice.

Garden Court Chambers

Civil Liberties and Human Rights

To contact the Civil Liberties Clerks, please email civillibertiesclerks@gclaw.co.uk or phone +44 (0)20 7993 7600

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the work we do

our expertise

our commitment to civil liberties and human rights

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Protest Rights .subarea-cls-1, .subarea-cls-2 { fill: #ddbb4d; } .subarea-cls-1 { fill-rule: evenodd; }

The Team

Stephanie Harrison QC

Year of Call: 1991

Year of Silk: 2013

Henry Blaxland QC

Year of Call: 1978

Year of Silk: 2002

Dexter Dias QC

Year of Call: 1988

Year of Silk: 2009

Rajiv Menon QC

Year of Call: 1993

Year of Silk: 2011

Peter Wilcock QC

Year of Call: 1988

Year of Silk: 2012

Marc Willers QC

Year of Call: 1987

Year of Silk: 2014

Leslie Thomas QC

Year of Call: 1988

Year of Silk: 2014

Amanda Weston QC

Year of Call: 1995

Year of Silk: 2018

Brenda Campbell QC

Year of Call: 2002

Year of Silk: 2018

Stephen Simblet QC

Year of Call: 1991

Year of Silk: 2020

Allison Munroe QC

Year of Call: 1992

Year of Silk: 2020

Patrick Roche

Year of Call: 1977

Christopher Williams

Year of Call: 1988

Nicola Braganza

Year of Call: 1992

Helen Curtis

Year of Call: 1992

Rajeev Thacker

Year of Call: 1993

Jacqueline Vallejo

Year of Call: 1997

Nick Wrack

Year of Call: 1997

Emma Favata

Year of Call: 1999

Marina Sergides

Year of Call: 2000

Felicity Williams

Year of Call: 2000

Kate Aubrey-Johnson

Year of Call: 2001

Tim Baldwin

Year of Call: 2001

Irena Sabic

Year of Call: 2002

Abigail Smith

Year of Call: 2003

Joanne Cecil

Year of Call: 2005

Stephen Marsh

Year of Call: 2005

Sarah Hemingway

To contact the Civil Liberties Clerks, please email civillibertiesclerks@gclaw.co.uk or phone

+44 (0)20 7993 7600

Claims Against the Police and Public Authorities

Immigration Detention Civil Claims

Inquests and Inquiries

Prisoners’ Rights

Protest Rights