NO.8 CHAMBERS - Key Persons
Adam is experienced in all aspects of immigration and asylum law. He is particularly interested in refugee law. Adam has appeared at all levels of the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal and in the Administrative Court and Court of Appeal. In his spare time Adam enjoys reading, especially theology and he teaches on an applied Christian studies course.
Adam is ranked Band 1 for Immigration in the Midlands by Chambers and Partners 2013.
The 2013 edition of Chambers and Partners observes - Adam Pipe is "the counsel in the Midlands for immigration and asylum work. He is well versed in tribunal proceedings and has unparalleled experience of the immigration judges in the Midlands." Instructing further solicitors appreciate his regular updates on legal and practice developments as and when new issues in the field arise.
The 2012 edition of Chambers and Partners observes - "The "extremely thorough" Adam Pipe does a broad range of asylum, human rights and immigration work relating to the points-based system. Recent work includes a case about work permits and indefinite leave".
The 2011 edition of Chambers and Partners observes - "Adam Pipe has a growing immigration practice, covering both business immigration matters and asylum and human rights cases. Market commentators say he is 'exceptionally advanced' for his year of call".
Alison Scott-Jones has a particular focus on family and crime matters.
Chris has a common law practice together with a particular focus on property law. As well as general property matters, Chris deals with housing cases such as those involving anti-social behaviour injunctions and public sector possession claims, and acts for housing associations and private landlords as well as tenants in these types of cases. Chris has dealt with many clients with mental health problems and wishes to extend this area of his practice further.
Chris undertakes a large amount of personal injury work in and out of court. Chris also has wide experience in all matters related to contract law, tort, equity and trusts. Chris's experience extends to asylum and immigration law.
Chris takes a keen interest in matters relating to international development and aid. He works with, and fundraises for, an organisation in Uganda called African Hearts to provide shelter and education to street boys in Kampala. He has previousy volunteered for Tearfund and has spoken and fundraised on their behalf at churches and other meetings. Chris is currently involved in trying to grow awareness of the International Justice Mission in the Midlands area and hopes to carry on the work he did for Tearfund with the IJM.
Daniel was President of the Cambridge Union Society and was awarded Dr Cooper's Law scholarship at Trinity Hall, Cambridge. He was a Jules Thorn Scholar of the Middle Temple and is a Bencher of the Middle Temple.
Daniel Janner QC is frequently instructed in murder trials, often featuring drugs and firearms. These have involved complex forensic evidence such as death by arson; cell site analysis; anonymous witness and cases of "cut-throat" defences. He has considerable experience representing young defendants charged with murder.
Daniel Janner has appeared in numerous complex and serious fraud trials, often representing professionals [including solicitors, accountants and financial advisers].
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Deputy District Judge ( Civil )
Davinder has a successful practice covering all areas of immigration, asylum, and human rights cases. She regularly appears before the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal and the Court of Appeal.
She has considerable experience in both private and public law family matters. She is regularly instructed in all aspects of care and adoption proceedings, ancillary relief, matrimonial finance, inheritance disputes, property disputes, residence and contact cases. She has a particular interest in cases where family law overlaps with human rights and has been involved in proceedings under the Hague Convention and in Judicial Review.
Davinder is a Board Member to the voluntary sector organisations assisting women and children experiencing domestic violence. She provides lectures and training seminars to lawyers and community groups on domestic violence, childcare law, forced marriages and human rights.
Emma specialises in immigration, crime and general civil litigation.
She advises and represents in all types of immigration and asylum cases and has an interest in nationality law. She appears frequently before the First Tier Tribunal and the Upper Tribunal, including as junior counsel in the recent country guidance case of AK (Article 15(c)) Afghanistan. She is experienced in judicial review work and is instructed in Court of Appeal matters, recently having appeared for one of the Appellants in SS and Others (Zimbabwe). Her experience as a criminal practitioner enables her to be particularly effective in deportation cases. She also has a specific interest in immigration cases with an EEA element.
Emma is in the up and coming category for Immigration in the Midlands in Chambers and Partners 2013.
The 2013 edition of Chambers and Partners observes that Emma has a strong following and maintains a broad immigration and asylum appellant practice.
The 2012 edition of Chambers and Partners observes that the "hard-working" Emma Rutherford has developed a notable immigration practice acting for both claimants and defendants. Clients praise her fighting spirit, saying that "she never gives up."
Emma is an experienced criminal advocate providing advice and representation in all types of criminal cases including sexual offences, drugs offences, offences involving violence and dishonesty. She appears regularly in the Crown Court for both the prosecution and the defence. She has an expertise in representing vulnerable defendants and has experience in acting in cases for Defendants in cases involving issues surrounding fitness to plead.
She is also experienced in representing in driving matters in the Magistrates Court and the Crown Court. In respect of general civil litigation, Emma represents both Claimant and Defendants appearing in cases listed on the small claims track and the fast track.
Gary is a vastly experienced advocate in Criminal cases. He also practices in regulatory law.
Harleen has been a barrister at No. 8 Chambers since December 2008.
Her principal areas of practice are Immigration and Family Law.
Jesse Richards murder trial [2012]. Difficult issues arose concerning the gypsy victim whose body could not be found and anonymous identification witnesses. The main prosecution witness was shot during the course of this high security case. http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/2012/03/21/jesse-richards-murder-trial-drug-smuggler-pleaded-with-gang-to-spare-his-life-92746-30587789.
Lord Thomas has appeared in terrorist cases both prosecuting and defending, the most notorious being the 'Brighton Bomb' case. He has been counsel in many appeals and applications to the Judicial Committee of the House of Lords. In the Privy Council, he has appeared in cases from Hong Kong, Singapore, Brunei and the Caribbean. His career has taken him frequently to Hong Kong on both criminal and civil matters. He has appeared in Malaysian courts in connection with the Carrian fraud case from Hong Kong on behalf of Lorrain Osman, following a long series of habeas corpus and judicial review applications in the UK on extradition issues.
He defended libel actions in Singapore brought by Lee Kwan Yu against the then leader of the Workers' Party, Ben Jeyaretnam. In the Carribean, he has appeared in the Trinidad Court of Appeal. His wide experience in civil litigation, mainly in personal injury cases, was recognized by his appointment to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board in 1985, a position from which he resigned on the introduction of the tariff system. In Wales, he has been instructed in a number of Statutory Inquiries ranging from road construction to proposals for the drowning of the Dulas Valley and the digging for gold in the Mawddach Estuary.
Lord Thomas has had a long and illustrious political career where he was made a Life Peer in 1996. He is a spokesman on Welsh Affairs and on Home Affairs (Specifically Criminal Justice Reforms, including anti-terrorism).
Lord Thomas's interests are Welsh affairs, law reform (criminal justice, human rights), Far Eastern affairs (Hong Kong and China), sport, rugby, where he is a WRU coach and referee, rowing (Captain House of Lords Eight), hill climbing, fishing, golf, scuba diving and music and music making.
Maninder Chaggar is an experienced advocate who has maintained an extremely successful Immigration and Asylum practice dealing with cases in all courts including the AIT, High Court and Court of Appeal. Maninder is willing to advise and represent all clients and has extensive knowledge of most nationalities, and has particular experience in Gender Persecutions.
As well as Human Rights issues Maninder also maintains a Criminal law Practice dealing with both defence and prosecution in both the Crown Courts and Magistrates Courts. Maninder has dealt with many trials including sexual offences, robbery and assault. Maninder is especially good at dealing with cases which have sensitive issues.
Marc Beaumont has one of the leading practices in England in professional regulation, defending barristers, solicitors, legal executives, Doctors, Dentists, Nurses, Surveyors, Architects and professional sportsmen and women before their professional disciplinary tribunals.
He has been described on BBC Radio as "the Barrister's Barrister". Marc also conducts appeals and judicial reviews in disciplinary cases. Marc is an ingenious, tenacious and courageous advocate. He pioneered the Bar's direct access scheme and has a strong chancery commercial practice comprising both solicitor-instructed and direct access work.
He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and arbitrates and mediates commercial, business and property disputes both in the UK and overseas. He is admitted to the New York Bar (FLC) and also practises as an international arbitrator at a niche firm in New York City. Marc is a panel Arbitrator at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland.
Mark was called to the Bar in 1997. He is Head of Chambers and is a specialist criminal practitioner.
He has extensive trial experience including serious fraud and money laundering cases, associated confiscation proceedings, cases concerned with drugs importation and the evasion of duty and cases involving serious violence and sexual offences including rape and allegations of child sexual abuse.
He has particular expertise and experience in relation to commercial, company and Revenue and Customs fraud prosecutions and Money Laundering cases having defended in cases prosecuted by the Serious Fraud Office, the Serious and Organised Crime Agency and the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and is able to provide advice and representation in relation to the seizure, forfeiture, restraint, confiscation and recovery of assets in both criminal and civil recovery.
Mark specialises in regulatory law, including Fire Safety Law, Trading Law, Food Safety, Health and Safety, Environmental and Planning prosecutions and Licensing including Taxi Licensing.
He has acted on behalf of members of the armed forces and the police and is an accredited High Cost Case panel advocate. He is regularly instructed to advise and act on behalf of Local Authority Regulators and the Fire and Rescue Authorities.
He is a member of the Criminal Bar Association and the Association of Regulatory and Disciplinary Lawyers. Mark is authorised by the General Council of the Bar to take instructions on a Direct/Public Access basis.
Martin Thomas is one of the most respected and experienced QCs in England and Wales. His practice has involved him in more than 250 homicide trials and appeals in England and Wales, including significant courts martial, the most prominent of which was the Baha Mousa case.
Naomi has been a practicing Barrister called to the Bar in 1992. She specialises in Family and Immigration law. In particular Naomi has developed a practice in which she has gained considerable experience in all jurisdictions including the High Court and Appeal cases.
Naomi's practice includes Care Proceedings, cases involving children being removed from the jurisdiction to non-Hague Convention countries, Private Law and Domestic Violence cases.
Naomi is particularly experienced in assisting cients who suffer from mental health difficulties, cases in which same sex relationships may be a feature, discrimination cases and clients who have learning disabilities.
Paul is a former Chartered Surveyor and now has a full time practice as a barrister, mediator, adjudicator and arbitrator.
His practice has a broad civil and commercial base specialising in construction, planning, landlord and tenant, insolvency, insurance and professional negligence including all aspects of:-
Paul is an experienced mediator and is accredited as being ‘Grade A' with the ADR group. He is also an accredited family mediator.
Philip Brunt has practised at the Birmingham Bar since 1993 and joined No.8 Chambers in 2006.
He prosecutes and defends all kinds of criminal cases, and has a varied civil practice as well.
On the civil side he has a particular interest in Employment, Planning and VAT cases.
Richard is an experienced advocate in Criminal cases. He defends and prosecutes in the Crown Court and is a Grade 3 prosecutor.
He also practices Immigration Law.
Robert Cowley has a particular focus on crime matters. He also practices in regulatory law.
Ruth also has extensive experience in applications concerning all aspects of Child Arrangement Orders, Occupation and Injunctive proceedings.
Ruth prides herself on providing excellent client care.
Saiqa was called to the Bar in 1995 and, having accumulated considerable and wide-ranging experience in general civil law, family and immigration over more than two decades, she now has a broad family, immigration and asylum and civil practice.
Sally is an experienced advocate in all aspects of criminal law appearing regularly in the Crown Court for both prosecution (Grade 3 CPS approved) and defence. She also practices in regulatory law.
She has undertaken a range of work in the Family Proceedings Court and County Court representing parents and Local Authority in care proceedings and in private law cases including residence and contact.
Sally has experience in a wide range of asylum and immigration law in the AIT.
She is authorised by the Bar Council to take instructions on a Direct / Public Access basis.
Shabinah is an experienced advocate and litigator known for her straight-talking no-nonsense approach as well as being approachable to both lay and professional clients. She is committed to delivering excellent service to every client by supplying prompt, pragmatic paperwork as well as providing fearless advocacy. She has experience of successfully navigating away from court action with the use of her negotiation skills. However, where cases result to trial, her clients are well prepared as she adopts a commercial and economic approach to costs
Stephen Vokes is, and has been for a number of years, rated leading junior Counsel in the Midlands in the areas of Immigration and Asylum work according to Chambers and Partners Guide to the Legal Profession.
He practices exclusively in this field, and has done so for over 20 years, and appears regularly in the High Court and Court of Appeal.