"This niche Birmingham firm is well regarded for its work representing individuals in human rights claims. It enjoys a strong reputation for its representation of claimants affected by the \war on terror, having acted for Iraqi civilians and the families of British soldiers killed in Iraq. The firm has expertise in international human rights law and acts for Daoud Mousa and nine others in the Baha Mousa public inquiry."
KEY INDIVIDUALS Philip Shiner leads the team and is considered to be "committed, driven, determined and admirable."
Band 1 (Philip Shiner)
Band 2 (Firm)
Civil Liberties
"This public law firm is renowned for its cutting-edge work defending the human rights of individuals connected to the Iraq war. It recently won success in the landmark ECHR case which condemned the UK government for breaching international human rights law for subjecting two Iraqis to the fear of execution in Iraq."
"KEY INDIVIDUALS Philip Shiner is an outstanding civil liberties solicitor who handles "terrific, ground-breaking cases" and "never gives up fighting for his clients."Dan Carey has emerged as a force in his own right. He is praised for his involvement in significant human rights cases including Al-Sweady, Evans, Al-Haq and the Baha Mousa Inquiry."
Star Rating (Philip Shiner)
Associate to Watch (Dan Carey)
Band 2 (Firm)
Chambers and Partners
PIL talk to BBC about the Government's Attempts to Extend Secret Hearings
Tessa Gregory, a solicitor at PIL, has contributed to a BBC Radio 4 programme about the Government's plans to extend the availability of 'Closed Material Procedures' (CMPs) into a wider range of civil hearings. CMPs involve the movement of civil hearings into 'closed Court' with parties' access to proceedings limited to representation by a 'Special Advocate' who has been vetted by the Government and who can only provide limited information about what is occuring in the proceedings. The Government's attempts to extend CMPs have seen widespread criticism and concern that, as the BBC programme's title suggests, the UK is moving to a system of 'secret justice'.
PIL have experience of CMPs having represented clients in a series of cases in which the procedures were deemed necessary (see, for example, Al-Jedda (SIAC) SC/66/2008; (Evans) v Secretary of State for Defence [2010] EWHC 1445 (Admin); R (Al-Sweady & ors) v Secretary of State for Defence [2009] EWHC (Admin); R (Ali Zaki Mousa) v Secretary of State for Defence [2011] EWCA Civ 1334). PIL's experience of CMPs has revealed the procedures to be systematically unjust; providing the Government with an unfair advantage over other parties to proceedings such as to undermine fundamental legal rights including the right to see and challenge all the evidence massed against you as well as the principle that justice should take place in public. Ultimately, CMPs will compromise the right to a fair trial; a cornerstone of the UK legal system.
Tessa has recently represented Katia Zatuliveter (the Russian national falsely accused of being a spy by the UK government) and is currently representing Omar Awadh Omar (a Ugandan national accused of involvement in the Kampala bombings) in proceedings that involve the use of CMPs. She is therefore in a unique position to provide an insight into the profound shortcomings of the procedures and the the very real concern that people should have about the Government's proposals.
You can listen to Tessa on 'Secret Justice' at the link below -
