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.
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

Ali Bajwa QC
Year of Call: 1993
Year of Silk: 2011

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

Sean Horstead
Year of Call: 1996
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
Year of Call: 2006

Alex Grigg
Year of Call: 2007
Kirsten Heaven
Year of Call: 2007

Richard Reynolds
Year of Call: 2007

Shahida Begum
Year of Call: 2008

James Mehigan
Year of Call: 2008

Thalia Maragh
Year of Call: 2009

Jacob Bindman
Year of Call: 2010

Paul Clark
Year of Call: 2010

Owen Greenhall
Year of Call: 2010

Taimour Lay
Year of Call: 2011

Ifeanyi Odogwu
Year of Call: 2011

Tom Stoate
Year of Call: 2011

Una Morris
Year of Call: 2012

Michael Etienne
Year of Call: 2012

Susan Wright
Year of Call: 2013

Stephen Clark
Year of Call: 2013

Miranda Butler
Year of Call: 2013

Laura Profumo
Year of Call: 2016

Tihomir Mak
Year of Call: 2016

Franck Magennis
Year of Call: 2016

Fatima Jichi
Year of Call: 2019
Associate Members
Mark George QC
Year of Call: 1976
Year of Silk: 2009

Anna Morris
Year of Call: 2006

Terry McGuinness
Year of Call: 2009
