Ashley Underwood KC > Chambers of Rachel Langdale KC > London, England > Barrister Profile

Ashley Underwood KC

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Work Department

Public Law

Position

Ashley Underwood KC is a hugely experienced public lawyer.

He routinely conducts judicial review work for and against public bodies. He is on the Attorney General’s panel of Special Advocates for national security work and regularly appears in SIAC and the High Court in relation to terrorism cases.

He is also a member of the Bar of Northern Ireland and is instructed in many of the major ‘legacy’ cases concerning allegations of State collusion in torture and murder. He is instructed on highly confidential matters of national security.

He is a prominent practitioner in inquests and inquiries, having acted as Counsel to a significant number of important investigations and also as Counsel to Interested Parties and Core Participants in others. Ashley’s current instructions include:

• Representing family members in the inquests into the deaths of Shukri Abdi and Dylan Freeman
• The challenge in Grand Cayman to the decision to remove two prisoners serving life sentences for murder to prisons in the UK
• As Special Advocate, in challenging the failure to hold a public inquiry into the Omagh bombing

Ashley has extensive experience in commercial and regulatory work for companies and for local government, which has included drafting standard terms of business and policies, arbitrating in disputes and acting in relation to licensing disputes. He has also appeared in many of the leading housing cases in the Appellate Courts.

Ashley’s regular clients include the Government Legal Department, local authorities, coroners, police services, NGOs and individuals seeking to vindicate their human rights.

Career

Call 1976; Silk 2001