The importance of the rule of law often makes the UK a safe haven for those fleeing persecution due to their race, religion, ethnicity, political opinion or membership of a particular social group. Our Immigration Group regularly advises clients, often with a high profile in their country of origin in respect of claims for protection under the Geneva Convention.
We work with clients to establish the nature of persecution, how best to evidence this and to articulate, the often well-established patterns of persecution in various countries. Persecution may take the form of illegitimate prosecution or corporate raiding, often at the behest of business adversaries or State authorities.
We work closely with experts, academics, investigators, private intelligence services, PR agencies, and NGOs both in the U.K. and internationally, to develop strategies and collate evidence in support of our client's claims for protection. We have a trusted pool of reliable experts able to address key issues from politics to prison conditions.
We advise individuals in complex and difficult circumstances who may be aware of, or acting in anticipation of, human rights issues or facing persecution. Often asylum is the residency of last resort and our considerable experience of utilising the full ambit of immigration law often allows us to obtain discretionary immigration solutions which may allow clients to secure residency in the UK obviating the need for lengthy, expensive and stressful asylum proceedings.
We work strategically and proactively with extradition colleagues both within the firm and our clients’ external advisors to provide a consolidated strategy and holistic advice having regard to the very nuanced interplay between asylum and extradition proceedings. We work collaboratively with all stakeholders to deploy the strongest protection for our clients in a cost effective manner.
We have experience of dealing with claims relating to a range of jurisdictions including Asia, LATAM, Middle East and Russia. Our team of lawyers have both cultural and linguistic familiarity with the jurisdictions from which our clients emanate.