Yaaser Vanderman > Chambers of David Holland KC and Jenny Wigley KC > London, England > Barrister Profile

Chambers of David Holland KC and Jenny Wigley KC
Landmark Chambers
180 FLEET STREET
LONDON
EC4A 2HG
England

Position

Yaaser is ranked in Chambers and Partners and Legal 500 as a leading junior in four categories – Administrative and Public Law, Civil Liberties and Human Rights, Planning Law and Property Law. He works with a range of clients, including individuals, NGOs, major companies, regulatory bodies and Government, believing that he can provide the best service to each of his clients if he has the broadest experience possible.

He regularly appears at inquiries, the Tribunals, the High Court and Court of Appeal, and has been instructed in eight Supreme Court cases since 2019. Yaaser has been appointed to the Attorney General’s B Panel of Junior Counsel and is called to the Bar of Northern Ireland.

He is the author of Manual on Protest Injunctions: Practice, Procedure and Persons Unknown(2023) – a free online resource aimed at all those involved in claims where an injunction is sought to restrain protest and trespass activity.

He is regularly instructed in high-profile and test cases for claimants, defendants, interested parties and interveners. For example, he has recently been instructed in the following:

  • Various protest cases relating to abortion, university accommodation, energy companies, COVID-19, local parks and NHS trusts. For example, he acted for the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission in the Supreme Court following the Attorney General’s challenge to the Abortion Service (Safe Access Zones) Bill, which made it a criminal offence to protest within 100m of an abortion clinic. He also acted in the High Court challenge to the banning of the Sarah Everard vigil in Clapham Common. Yaaser has been involved in approximately 20 protest hearings since 2022.
  • Civil liberties and human rights cases including in relation to social security issues, abortion laws both in England and Northern Ireland, various COVID-19 policies and restrictions and bulk transfers of data protected by data protection laws. For example, he acted in the Supreme Court case of R (SC) v SSWP relating to the two-child benefit rule which limits child tax credit to the first two children. It is the leading case on various issues, including the margin of appreciation in the human rights context, the use of Parliamentary materials, and the use of unincorporated international agreements. He also acted for the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission in the successful challenge to the failure of the Government to secure that abortion services were, in fact, available to women and girls in Northern Ireland following legalisation of abortion in the Abortion (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2020.
  • Commercial Judicial Reviews in a range of sectors and on a number of subjects, including in relation to: challenges by sections of the pharmaceutical industry relating to the pricing of branded medicines to the NHS; the renewable energy industry and windfall levies; and, the airline industry. For example, Yaaser acted for the Government on a challenge brought by Manchester Airport Holdings and a number of airlines to the international travel system during the COVID-19 restrictions.
  • Energy, Utilities and Infrastructure including challenges to decisions to permit exploration, installation or exploitation of energy resources; challenges to decisions relating to other national infrastructure such as airport runways; and, promoting and objecting to Transport and Works Act Orders for railway schemes. For example, he has recently acted for the developer in a challenge to the licensing of gas storage caverns (holding approximately 500 million standard cubic metres of natural gas) to be constructed under the sea off the coast of Islandmagee, Northern Ireland. In addition, Yaaser acted for Network Rail in obtaining the consent for the East-West Rail scheme.
  • Administrative and public law including on education issues, immigration, housing, animal welfare and local government. For example, Yaaser was involved in the challenge to the A-level results system that was set up by Ofqual in 2020 to award students grades according to an algorithm as the pandemic meant they could not take their exams. He was also instructed in the Supreme Court cases of DN Rwanda v SSHD (involving the detention of a foreign national (for the purposes of deportation) on the basis of secondary legislation subsequently found to be ultra vires) and AM (Zimbabwe) v SSHD (on the circumstances in which removal of a seriously ill individual to another country would result in breach of Article 3 ECHR (inhuman and degrading treatment)).

Memberships

Appointed to the Attorney General’s B Panel of Junior Counsel

  • Administrative Law Bar Association
  • JUSTICE
  • United Kingdom Environmental Law Association
  • Young Public Lawyers Group (Chair of the Executive Committee)

Education

Qualifications

  • Harvard Law School – LLM
  • Oxford University, Keble College – BCL (Distinction)
  • Cambridge University, Clare College – MA (Hons) in Law (Double First)

Scholarships and Awards

  • Cambridge-Harvard Exchange Scholar
  • Eldon Law Scholar (most promising Oxford University graduate intending to practise at the Bar)
  • Commercial Remedies highest mark in the year (Oxford University)
  • Queen Mother Scholar (Middle Temple)
  • William Senior Prize for Law (highest in Clare College)
  • James William Squire Scholar (Cambridge University)
  • Foundation Scholar (Honorary) (Cambridge University)
  • Human Rights Lawyers Association Bursary Award
  • International Bar Association Educational Trust Scholar
  • Phoenicia Scholar (Bar European Group Conference)
  • ALBA Scholar (ALBA summer conference)

Publications

  • Yaaser is the author of the book Manual on Protest Injunctions: Practice, Procedure and Persons Unknown (foreword by Lord Carnwath). This is a free, online resource aimed at all those involved in claims where an injunction is sought to restrain protest and trespass activity.
  • 2017 – “Right to Protest and Direct Action” [2017] JR 338
  • 2017 – “Freeing up beds in hospitals – can a hospital patient be evicted?”
  • 2016 – “Substantive Legitimate Expectations” [2016] 3 Judicial Review 174
  • 2013 – “RT and KM v Secretary of State for Home Department – Problems with core/margin reasoning in claims of persecution [2013] Judicial Review 26
  • 2012 – ‘The Right to a Fair Trial in Tariq v Home Office: taking blind shots at a hidden target’ [2012] Judicial Review 70
  • 2012 – ‘Ultra Vires Legitimate Expectations: an argument for compensation’ [2012] Public Law 85
  • 2011 –  ‘Patmalniece and Lord Walker’s Dissent: does he have a point?’ published on UK Supreme Court Blog (run by Matrix Chambers and Olswang)

 

Lawyer Rankings

London Bar > Administrative law and human rights

(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 3

Yaaser VandermanLandmark Chambers ‘A highly skilled advocate, conscientious and diligent.’

Renowned setLandmark Chambers stands out for its expertise in handling prominent civil liberties cases, and members regularly act in administrative law matters before the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. Human rights work has been prominent in the team’s recent caseload. The ‘formidable advocateDavid Blundell KC and the ‘excellentYaaser Vanderman appeared for the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission before the Supreme Court concerning Reference by the Attorney General for Northern Ireland – Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Northern Ireland) Bill, a challenge case concerning the compatibility of legislation introducing buffer zones, in which protests are prohibited, around abortion clinics in Northern Ireland with Articles 9, 10 and 11 of the European Court of Human Rights; the Supreme Court upheld the legislation. In recent developments for the set, David Lock KC retired from practice in December 2022; Siân McGibbon joined the group from 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square in January 2023; and Alex Goodman KC took silk in March 2023.

London Bar > Planning

(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 4

Yaaser Vanderman  – Landmark Chambers

London Bar > Property litigation

(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 5

Yaaser VandermanLandmark Chambers ‘Very knowledgeable in this area, extremely well-prepared and with good judgement.’