Ella Gunn

Year of Call: 2018, 2012 (Australia)

"I have worked with Ella for around a year now. Ella immediately impressed me with her dedication to the client’s case and her unremitting focus on obtaining the best result, regardless of the amount of work involved."

Solicitor Client

"She is meticulous, knowledgeable, and wise beyond her years of practice. She has worked on a very complex matter with us and picked up on aspects of the case that we hadn’t picked up on. Above all, she has excellent communication skills and is always available when you need her. She is a dream to work with."

Solicitor Client

"I have found Ella to be a very efficient and professional counsel. I remain impressed with her work ethic and dedication to work. She is very thorough and great to work with. I also found her very approachable and easy to reach."

Solicitor Client

Contact

To get in touch:​ Or you can contact the relevant​ Practice Team Clerks directly and they will be happy to assist with your enquiry.

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Ella specialises in public law and human rights with a focus on asylum and immigration, unlawful detention, community care, and climate change.

Ella regularly acts as sole counsel in appeals before the First-tier and Upper Tribunals and is experienced in conducting judicial reviews before the Administrative Court. Most recently, she has been instructed as junior counsel in several urgent and high profile cases. She is public access accredited and is qualified as a solicitor in Australia.

Immigration: Asylum and Human Rights

Overview

Ella is regularly instructed to appear in the First-tier and Upper Tribunals in relation to a range of immigration matters including complex asylum, deportation, entry clearance, family reunion, deprivation of citizenship, status under the European Union Settlement Scheme, and immigration bail. She has experience representing the most vulnerable of individuals including unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, victims of torture, and victims of trafficking.

Notable Cases

Court of Appeal grants emergency injunction for asylum seeker bound for Rwanda 
Instructed as junior counsel led by Adrian Berry and Sonali Naik KC in a challenge to an asylum seeker’s removal from the UK to Rwanda. Late in the evening on Tuesday 14 June 2022, less than an hour before the flight was due to leave, an injunction was secured at an emergency hearing before the Court of Appeal.

High Court orders release from immigration detention 
R (on the application of CN) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2020] 10 WLUK 85
The High Court ordered that the Claimant be released from detention within seven days. Multiple grants of conditional bail by the First-tier Tribunal had not led to the Claimant’s release due to delays in the Defendant sourcing appropriate bail accommodation.

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Immigration: Personal and Business

Ella accepts instructions related to British Citizenship and Naturalisation applications, Settlement (Indefinite Leave to Remain) and other visas including visit visas, family-based applications, and those relating to the Points Based System. She also has experience in sponsor licence cases including assisting with representations against the proposed revocation of such licences.

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Administrative and Public Law

Overview

Ella welcomes instructions in judicial review claims involving challenges to immigration detention, fresh claims, certification, removal, decisions under the National Referral Mechanism, asylum support and age assessments. 

Notable Cases

Court of Appeal grants emergency injunction for asylum seeker bound for Rwanda
Instructed as junior counsel led by Adrian Berry and Sonali Naik KC in a challenge to an asylum seeker’s removal from the UK to Rwanda. Late in the evening on Tuesday 14 June 2022, less than an hour before the flight was due to leave, an injunction was secured at an emergency hearing before the Court of Appeal. 

High Court orders release from immigration detention 
R (on the application of CN) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2020] 10 WLUK 85
The High Court ordered that the Claimant be released from detention within seven days. Multiple grants of conditional bail by the First-tier Tribunal had not led to the Claimant’s release due to delays in the Defendant sourcing appropriate bail accommodation.

Court of Appeal provides guidance as to the approach that should be taken by the Competent Authority when determining whether an individual is a victim of trafficking 
MN and IXU v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2020] EWCA Civ 1746 
Stephanie Harrison QC, Gemma Loughran, and Ella Gunn were instructed by Herbert Smith Freehills LLP to represent the AIRE Centre who intervened alongside Anti-Slavery International in these appeals.

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Community Care Law

Ella is instructed in challenges to age assessments on behalf of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and in matters involving the entitlement of children and adults to support under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. 

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Environmental Law and Climate Justice

Overview

Ella has a particular interest in climate change and is developing a public law and human rights practice which covers this area. 

Notable Cases

Ella is instructed in Agostinho and others v Portugal and 32 other Contracting States, a case before the European Court of Human Rights brought by six Portuguese youths, alleging breaches of human rights arising from climate change.

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Pro Bono

Ella has a strong commitment to pro bono work. Since 2018 she has been instructed by Bail for Immigration Detainees (BID) in applications for immigration bail before the First-tier Tribunal.  

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Notable Cases & News

European Court of Human Rights Grand Chamber to Deliver Rulings in Landmark Climate Justice Cases

Marc Willers KC and Richard Harvey represent the Swiss Senior Women in Verein KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz and Others v. Switzerland. Richard Reynolds and Paul Clark represent the youth-applicants in Duarte Agostinho and Others v. Portugal and 32 Others.

28 March 2024

Climate Case to be heard at European Court of Human Rights against 32 European States brought by 6 Portuguese youth

Richard Reynolds and Paul Clark are representing the youth-applicants, led by Alison Macdonald KC of Essex Court Chambers. Counsel are instructed by Global Legal Action Network.

26 September 2023

Home Office removal of former Gurkhas paused

Ali Bandegani and Ella Gunn of the Garden Court Public Law and Immigration Teams are representing the individuals. Counsel instructed by Jamie Bell and Elleanor Wilkins-Bell of Duncan Lewis Solicitors.

6 April 2023

Garden Court Barristers secure injunctions from the Court of Appeal for last few asylum seekers on Rwanda Flight

The Garden Court team who secured consisted of Sonali Naik QC, Adrian Berry, Grace Brown, Mark Symes, Alex Grigg, Maha Sardar, Ella Gunn, Eva Doer, and Stephen Clark.

15 June 2022

Coordinated effort by 33 countries to overturn ‘urgent’ status of youth climate change case rejected by Strasbourg Court

Our Marc Willers QC, Irena Sabic, Richard Reynolds, Paul Clark and Ella Gunn of Garden Court Chambers represent the youth-applicants

26 February 2021

Court of Appeal provides important guidance as to the correct approach to be used by the Competent Authority when deciding whether an individual is a victim of trafficking

The Appellants were represented by Ronan Toal of the Garden Court Chambers Immigration Team. Our own Stephanie Harrison QC, Gemma Loughran, and Ella Gunn, instructed by Herbert Smith Freehills LLP, represented the AIRE Centre.

21 December 2020

European Court of Human Rights is fast-tracking a climate case against 33 European States brought by 6 Portuguese youth

Global Legal Action Network (GLAN) instructing Marc Willers QC, Irena Sabic, Richard Reynolds, Paul Clark and Ella Gunn of Garden Court Chambers.

30 November 2020

Portuguese young people file ground-breaking climate case with European Court of Human Rights against 33 countries

Global Legal Action Network instructing Marc Willers QC, Irena Sabic, Richard Reynolds, Paul Clark and Ella Gunn of Garden Court Chambers.

3 September 2020

Steven Galliver-Andrew and Ella Gunn join as tenants after completing pupillage at Garden Court Chambers in 2018-19

Steven Galliver-Andrew and Ella Gunn join Garden Court Chambers as tenants after completing pupillage in 2018-19.

1 November 2019

We are delighted to welcome four new pupils to Garden Court Chambers

Jeremy Frost, Steven Galliver-Andrew, Ella Gunn and Rachel Schon joined at the beginning of October 2018.

22 October 2018

All related news

Background

Ella holds an MSc in Refugee and Forced Migration Studies from the University of Oxford, and a first-class law degree from the University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia. Prior to joining the Bar, Ella held several legal research roles both within legal practice and academia in the UK and worked as a Judge’s Associate and solicitor in Australia. 

Publications

Editor, Butterworths Immigration Law Service, LexisNexis UK
Human Rights of Migrants in the 21st Century, Elspeth Guild et al eds, 2017 (Co-author of chapter on Family life).
‘The Role of the Special Advocate as An Alternative to Non-Disclosure: Examining and Looking Beyond the Balancing Act’, Working Paper, Refugee Studies Centre, University of Oxford, 2016.
Warendorf v Alo, Case Comment, Journal of Immigration Asylum and Nationality Law (2016) 30(2), 178.
Ali and Bibi v Secretary of State for the Home Department, Case Comment, Journal of Immigration Asylum and Nationality Law (2016) 30(1), 57.

Awards

First Class Honours, Bachelor of Laws (2011)
Freda Freeman Fellowship, Graduate Women Queensland (2014)

PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

Solicitor, Supreme Court of Queensland, Australia (2012)

Education

  • Bar Transfer Test, BPP Law School (2018)
  • MSc Refugee and Forced Migration Studies, University of Oxford (2015)
  • LLB (First Class Hons), Queensland University of Technology, Australia (2011)
  • Bachelor of Design Studies (Architecture), University of Queensland, Australia (2006)

Professional Membership

  • Administrative Law Bar Association (ALBA)
  • Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association (ILPA)
  • Bar Human Rights Committee
  • Young Legal Aid Lawyers

Languages

Spanish (Beginner) 

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