Laurie Fransman QC is a leading immigration silk who undertakes all aspects of immigration, nationality and asylum casework, but with an emphasis on high-level protection cases, often involving situations generating multiple clients spanning more than one country.
He participates in policy development at NGO, governmental and inter-governmental levels (Council of Europe; UNHCR) and has also participated in the UK and elsewhere in the drafting of constitutions and legislation.
Laurie has "Star individual" ranking in the 'Immigration Silks' category of Chambers UK Bar Guide. In the Legal 500, he is ranked in Tier 1 in the category "Immigration - Leading Silks".
INTERNATIONAL: IMMIGRATION, ASYLUM & NATIONALITY LAW
Overview
A large proportion of Laurie's cases are international in the sense that he acts for clients seeking protection in countries outside the UK. In such cases, he has acted (together with local lawyers) in countries such as France, Germany, Monaco, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Spain, Switzerland, etc. He also acts for clients in nationality cases outside the UK, such as in respect of British overseas territories (Bermuda, Gibraltar, the Sovereign Base Areas of Cyprus, and the British Indian Ocean Territory) and in respect of other countries (e.g. Australia).
Notable Cases
Confidentiality generally prevents Laurie identifying the individuals for whom he acts and has acted. It is fully in the public domain, though, that in Austria he acts for the Ukrainian Dmytro Firtash whom the US is seeking to extradite. At first instance, the court dismissed the extradition request on the ground that it is politically motivated. The case continues.
See coverage in Garden Court blog, BBC, The New York TImes, DW.com and The Independent.
In Australia Laurie advises the government on the impact of British nationality law on members of the Australian parliament and has been instructed by the government in respect of several members of both houses of parliament.
See High Court of Australia report, BBC, news.com.au, and The Guardian.
In respect of the British Indian Ocean Territory he has acted for the Chagos Islanders, or Chagossians. See coverage here.
Contact Laurie
UK: IMMIGRATION, ASYLUM & NATIONALITY LAW
Overview
All aspects of immigration, nationality and asylum, but with an emphasis on high-profile and complex protection cases, often involving situations generating multiple clients spanning more than one country (see section above on "International: Immigration, Nationality & Asylum Law").
Notable Cases
Confidentiality generally prevents Laurie identifying the individuals for whom he acts and has acted. These include many who have been granted asylum in the UK.
An example of a case that is fully in the public domain is Mohamed Nasheed, former President of the Maldives, and the Maldives' only democratically elected President. See coverage in The Independent, Amnesty, BBC, The Guardian and The Telegraph.
Laurie has also been consulted by the UK government (Home Office Legal Advisors Branch) regarding the Windrush phenomenon (not representing the UK government, but advising on the law and its effects).
The courts and tribunals in which Laurie appears include SIAC (partly 'closed' tribunal dealing with national security cases).
Contact Laurie
POLICY WORK
Laurie participates in policy development at NGO, governmental and inter-governmental levels (Council of Europe; UNHCR) and has also participated in the UK and elsewhere in the drafting of constitutions and legislation.
Particularly, he has drafted nationality Bills (private) or nationality amendments to Bills in passage and was partly responsible for provisions such as the British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act 1997 (British citizenship for ethnic minorities in Hong Kong), s.6 of the British Overseas Territories Act 2002 (British citizenship for the Ilois, or Chagos Islanders) and s.13 of the Nationality Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 (British citizenship for certain pre-1983 children of British mothers). He also participated in the process resulting in the European Convention on Nationality 1997.
Contact Laurie
Publications
Laurie is on the editorial board of Journal of Immigration, Asylum & Nationality Law (Bloomsbury Professional, 1987 to date) and was previously on the editorial board of Immigration and International Employment Law (IRS/Eclipse, 1999 - 2001), and UK contributing editor to Immigration Law and Practice Reporter, New York (1985).
Most notably, Laurie is
- the lead external lawyer responsible for both the 'Immigration and Asylum' and 'British Nationality' titles in Halsbury's Laws of England, the definitive statement of English law
- founder and principal author of the leading work on British nationality law, Fransman's British Nationality Law.
Details of these and other publications:
- Halsbury’s Laws of England, (LexisNexis 5th ed, vol.4 (2020)), Consultant editor and principal contributor to the “British Nationality” title.
- Halsbury's Laws of England (LexisNexis 5th ed, vol. 4 (2011) and vol. 57 (2012)), Coordinating editor and principal contributor to the "British Nationality" and "Immigration and Asylum" titles
- Fransman's British Nationality Law, 3rd ed (Bloomsbury, 2011)
- Blackstone's Guide to the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009 (OUP, 2009), co-author
- Macdonald's Immigration Law and Practice (Butterworths 7th ed, 2008), contributor
- "Commonwealth, Subjects and Nationality Rules", Max Planck Encyclopaedia of Public International Law (OUP)
- Jackson & Warr's Immigration Law and Practice (Sweet & Maxwell, 2001), contributor
- Immigration, Nationality and Asylum under the Human Rights Act 1998 (Butterworths/Two Garden Court Chambers, 1999), contributor and co-editor with Nicholas Blake QC
- Citizenship and Nationality Status in the New Europe (Sweet & Maxwell/IPPR, 1998), contributor
- Strangers and Citizens (Rivers Oram Press, 1994), contributor
- The Constitution of the United Kingdom (IPPR, 1991), contributor
- Immigration Emergency Procedures (LAG, 1986), jointly
- Tribunals Practice and Procedure (Hemstal Press, 1985), jointly
- British Nationality Law and the 1981 Act (Fourmat, 1982)
Education
- LLB (Hons)
Professional Membership
- Immigration Law Practitioners' Association (ILPA) - Founder and Member
