Duncan Lewis Solicitors

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Ifrah is a solicitor within the personal injury and clinical negligence department and has significant experience in personal injury law having worked in the industry since 2012. Ifrah provides legal representation in relation to claims for personal injuries on behalf of individuals who have sustained serious injuries arising from road traffic collisions, accidents at work and accidents in public places. Her expertise includes, but is not limited to, cases involving traumatic brain injury and serious orthopaedic injuries. Ifrah also legal represents clients in relation to clinical negligence matters including, claims for delay in diagnosing, surgical injuries and orthopaedic injuries resulting from delay, misdiagnosis and negligence.

Oluwatobi Akinwande

Oluwatobi is a Family and Childcare Solicitor and Supervising Supervisor within the Family and Child Care department at Duncan Lewis Solicitors, based in the Birmingham office. She is an accredited member of the Law Society Family Law Advanced Scheme and has significant experience across both private and public family law matters, acting in cases that are privately funded as well as those supported by legal aid. In private law matters, Oluwatobi has a strong track record in handling domestic abuse cases, successfully obtaining emergency injunctions, child arrangement orders, prohibited steps orders, specific issue orders, forced marriage protection orders and female genital mutilation protection orders. She conducts her own advocacy and has represented clients before judges at all levels, including High Court Judges, Circuit Judges, Recorders, District Judges, Magistrates and Legal Advisers. In public law proceedings, she is highly experienced in care proceedings and regularly advises on Public Law Outline (PLO) review meetings, emergency protection orders, special guardianship orders and supervision orders. She has acted in serious and complex cases involving sexual abuse, non-accidental injuries, forced marriage and honour-based violence, representing both parents and children. Beyond her casework, Oluwatobi is actively engaged in pro bono work and community support. She attends legal advice surgeries, delivers training to professionals supporting victims of domestic violence and parents in children-related matters, and mentors aspiring lawyers. She is a mentor with the University of Law Mentor Scheme and the Tyro Lawyer Plus Programme, and also maintains a legal blog offering guidance to law students. She is a member of Women in Family Law and serves on the committee of the Birmingham Solicitors’ Group. She is fluent in Yoruba.

Bahar is a Director in the Public Law & Immigration departments at Duncan Lewis Solicitors. She specialises in all areas of public law with a niche practice in immigration and human rights judicial review matters. She is a fearless and dedicated advocate for human rights, which is demonstrated through her leadership in high-profile cases and extensive experience in representing clients before the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC), Administrative Court, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. Many of the resulting judgements from Baha’s work have far reaching implications beyond the immediate individual clients, and are frequently cited in both UK and European courts. Bahar has significant experience in bringing cases before the SIAC, where she represents clients against deprivation and exclusion decisions, where individuals are deprived of their status in the UK and are excluded from the UK on either national security grounds or serious organised crime grounds. The Lord Chancellor appointed Bahar as an Independent Funding Adjudicator and Cost Assessor to the Legal Aid Review Panel in 2021. She is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives and holds the Level 3 (Advanced) Immigration and Asylum Scheme accreditation.

Tamana is a Director in the Private & Business immigration department at Duncan Lewis Solicitors. She deals with a variety of immigration cases, including business immigration under the Points Based System, advising high-net-worth and skilled individuals on extending Tier 2 (General) visas, spousal applications and applications for British citizenship. Having practiced in this area of law since 2001, she has developed an expertise in dealing with complex appeals in the Immigration Tribunals, High Court, Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court. She assists both individuals and businesses, with a particular expertise in assisting clients with immigration applications under EU law. Tamana advises employers and provides bespoke training on various subjects including compliance with the Home Office’s Prevention of Illegal Working regime and how to use the online sponsorship management system. Many of Tamana’s cases involve complex legal proceeding and have gone to the Supreme Court and have received significant press and media attention. She was quoted as “an admirable solicitor and advocate” by the Court of Appeal in the case of HS Afghanistan where she represented her client before the Immigration Tribunal.

Linda is a consultant solicitor in the crime department at Duncan Lewis Solicitors. Handling a broad range of criminal matters from shoplifting and fraud, to murder and assault, she was previously involved in a multi-handed drug importation matter involving substantial amounts of monies, as well as a high-profile murder and a case involving a football coach charged with sexually assaulting a boy. Linda manages her own criminal defence team, they have dealt with an advance fee scam fraud, valued at half a million pounds, involving property developments in the Cayman Islands and Ireland. She was also involved in challenging the law on “Joint Enterprise" and Article 7 in the Supreme Court, by taking a case in which the defendant had been convicted of murder on the basis of Joint Enterprise to the Court of Appeal. Linda is both a court and police station duty solicitor, enabling her to attend police stations to advise and assist people who would otherwise have no legal representation.

Philippa Barton

Philippa is a Director in the Court of Protection (Property & Affairs) department at Duncan Lewis Solicitors. She specialises in acting as a professional deputy and trustee for mentally incapacitated clients. Many of her clients have received substantial damages awards for brain injury claims. She also manages the financial affairs of clients with dementia, mental health problems and learning disabilities. Philippa is sensitive and sympathetic in her dealings with clients and their families as many of her clients are vulnerable. She and her team are proud of the very personal service which their clients receive. She has experience of managing a wide range of complex family and financial circumstances. Where conflicts arise, Philippa takes a pragmatic and sympathetic approach to resolve difficult issues. Philippa regularly publishes articles in the legal press on issues relating to professional deputyship and vulnerable clients. Philippa also acts as an expert witness giving evidence as to likely future deputyship costs.

Jamie Bell is a solicitor in the public law and immigration department at Duncan Lewis Solicitors. He has significant experience in a wide variety of complex and high profile matters. He has a particular specialism in preventing the unlawful removal of asylum seekers and undertakes a substantial number of judicial review cases. Jamie has demonstrated particular commitment to representing Afghan claimants, beginning when he played an integral part of the legal team that embarked upon a series of judicial review claims challenging returns to Afghanistan because of the deterioration in the country’s situation. As part of the challenge, Jamie assisted with the preparation of over forty judicial review applications prior to charter flights on 10 March 2015 and 21 April 2015. Jamie and the team obtained unprecedented orders granted ‘generic relief’, preventing the mass removals of Afghan nationals. These orders have prevented the detention and removal of hundreds of Afghans. He has significant experience dealing with vulnerable clients, including those in detention, those suffering from complex psychological issues and victims of torture and trafficking. Jamie also has a specialism in challenging the detention of vulnerable clients and has achieved success securing their release and awards of damages for the client. In October 2016, Jamie visited the Calais refugee camp on two occasions, to give advice and support to unaccompanied refugee children in their applications to come to the UK under the ‘Dubs Amendment’, playing a leading role in the second visit in organising the taking of instructions and liaising with social workers.

Amy Bennett is a Clinical (Medical) Negligence Solicitor at Duncan Lewis Solicitors, based at the firms' City of London office. Amy has worked exclusively in the field of medical negligence since qualifying as a solicitor over ten years ago. She has special expertise in stillbirth and neonatal death claims and has a genuine and passionate desire to assist parents through the litigation process after the loss of their child. In addition to her in-depth knowledge and expertise in stillbirth and neonatal death claims, Amy handles a number of additional medical negligence matters including childbirth injury claims; gynaecological related claims; and misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis claims. She assists clients who have suffered negligence as a result of surgical errors and errors involving prescriptions, and also assists those who have suffered from pressure sores. Amy's work extends to representing families in negligence claims involving children, and in claims where a wrongful death has occurred.

Family and child care director, Laila Bhunnoo, is a solicitor-advocate and specialises in representing parents, children’s guardians, and children in all Children Act matters. She has a wide practice assisting publically funded clients across London. Her practice covers special guardianship orders, care orders, supervision orders, emergency protection orders, UK and international adoption, child abduction, forced marriage protection orders, and FGM orders. Laila’s work also covers matters that involve same sex relationships, and she has significant experience representing vulnerable teenagers, often separately from their Guardian when conflict has arisen.Laila is a member of the Law Society’s Children Panel as a Children Representative and is an experienced advocate with Higher Rights of Audience, which entitles her to represent clients at all levels of court. She is repeatedly the ‘solicitor of choice’ for Children Guardians in connection with Rule 16.4 appointments. Being one of the few Asian specialists in this area, Laila is also often appointed in culturally complex cases. Laila was awarded Employer of the Year 2011 and 2016 by the National Mentoring Consortium for her work with the University of Westminster law students; mentoring BME university students to help them achieve a better understanding of the work place and developing their skills through increasing confidence in their own abilities.

Adam Bloodworth

Adam Bloodworth is a solicitor in the child care department at Duncan Lewis Solicitors. He specialises in all aspects of family and children law. He has considerable experience resolving issues that stem from the breakdown of a relationship, including; divorce matters, financial matters, protection from harm and matters pertaining to the arrangements for children. In addition to his excellent legal knowledge, Adam brings awareness and understanding to the emotional pressures generated in such a sensitive area of law.

Bernadette Chikwe

Bernadette is a Director of Housing, with over 22 years of post-qualification experience in housing law. Since joining the firm in 2013, she has supervised a dedicated team of solicitors, trainees, and caseworkers who specialise in a wide range of housing litigation and tenant-landlord disputes. With substantial experience as a duty solicitor at both Bow County Court and Central London County Court, Bernadette has developed expertise in handling rent arrears, possession proceedings, and other landlord-tenant disputes across private, local authority, and social housing sectors. She is also adept at managing mortgage possession and charging order proceedings, as well as assisting clients in suspending warrants of eviction. Her role as a duty solicitor includes providing crucial face-to-face advice and representation for clients before and after hearings, while also liaising with third parties and making necessary referrals. Bernadette has further demonstrated her versatility by supervising a remote advice service through the Legal Aid Agency’s Civil Legal Advice program. This innovative approach has allowed her to represent clients across the UK through remote communications, such as Skype, telephone, and email, offering vital legal support to those unable to access in-person services. Recognised as a "Recommended Individual" in The Legal 500 for her successful representation in possession proceedings, Bernadette brings a wealth of experience and a client-focused approach to her practice. In addition to her legal expertise, she speaks multiple languages, including Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, German and French, enhancing her ability to communicate effectively with a diverse range clients.

Dianne Cowie is a Director of Housing at Duncan Lewis Solicitors, with over 20 years of experience in social housing law. She leads a dedicated team of solicitors, trainee solicitors, and paralegals, handling a wide range of housing matters, including disrepair, possession proceedings, homelessness appeals, and judicial reviews. Dianne's team also provides invaluable support through pro bono clinics for vulnerable individuals. Dianne specialises in housing disrepair cases, ensuring tenants receive necessary repairs to their homes and, where appropriate, securing compensation for those affected. She has extensive experience in possession matters, particularly in cases involving allegations of anti-social behavior, often representing vulnerable clients in complex cases that raise public law and human rights defenses. Her expertise extends to high-profile cases that have been decided in the Administrative Court, Court of Appeal, and even the Supreme Court. Dianne is known for her client-focused approach, often advocating for settlement and negotiation to achieve the best outcomes for her clients. Recognised as a "Recommended Lawyer" in The UK Legal 500, Dianne is also ranked in Chambers and Partners for her exceptional work in social housing. With a career spanning over two decades, she has earned a reputation for delivering outstanding results and demonstrating a deep commitment to supporting her clients' needs.

Renu Daly is a Director in the Clinical Negligence department at Duncan Lewis Solicitors. Renu has worked on behalf of individuals and also as the Head of Legal Services for a multi-site acute NHS Hospital Trust. As lead for all legal matters, Renu developed a robust practical knowledge of healthcare policies and procedures, together with a strong understanding of the investigative process, having witness hospital errors and failings first hand. Renu’s cases have involved misdiagnosis, misprescription of drugs, failure to treat in a timely manner, failure to obtain consent, surgical errors and fatalities. She assists clients who have suffered injuries including brain injuries, birth injuries, obstetrics, sepsis, meningitis, gastrointestinal and hepatic injury, amputation, oncology, adverse drug reaction, cardiac injury, and pharmaceutical cases. Prior to joining Duncan Lewis Solicitors, Renu managed the creation and implementation of an abuse department. Through a media campaign, she called for a public inquiry into the practices of Addenbrookes Hospital after Doctor Myles Bradbury, a paedophile, was convicted of abusing patients. Renu hosted numerous press conferences and interviews on ITV, BBC, Channel 4 and Channel 5 for many of her clients to expose medical failings, provide public awareness, and support the prevention of these errors reoccurring. Renu regularly attends court to support, represent and advocate for her clients at inquests, many of which have resulted in nationwide media coverage.

Hardeep Dhaliwal

Hardeep Dhaliwal is a Director in the Crime Department at Duncan Lewis. He is responsible for managing and supervising a team of solicitors, trainees and caseworkers. Hardeep joined Duncan Lewis as an assistant solicitor in January 1999. His initial years at the firm involved representing clients and preparing a wide variety of cases at police stations, magistrates courts and the crown courts, ranging from relatively minor offences right through to very serious indictable offences. As the years progressed and as the criminal department at Duncan Lewis has grown, Hardeep's role has taken on a further managerial function in addition to continuing to service clients. Hardeep's present role has further evolved into marketing the department and ensuring that the team are recognised as leaders in representing clients charged with very serious high profile offences which are only triable at the Crown Court. This includes high value complex fraud cases and large scale drug importation cases. Over the past eighteen and a half years he has established a substantially large client base in East London and Essex. Existing clients who find themselves continuously facing criminal charges contact Hardeep for assistance on a regular basis as well as recommending his services to new clients.

Sophie Fretten is a director in the family and child care departments at Duncan Lewis Solicitors and has extensive experience in both public and private law children matters. She supervises a team of solicitors, trainees and paralegals who share her commitment and dedication to this very sensitive and important area of law. In relation to public law matters, Sophie handles cases that involve care proceedings, adoption, applications to discharge care orders, special guardianship orders and revocation of placement orders. She frequently acts for vulnerable parents including those with mental health issues, learning difficulties, young parents as well as interveners and parents in non-accidental injury matters. Additionally, she represents grandparents and other relatives that may require representation in such cases. Sophie undertakes private law children matters including contact and residence disputes along with domestic violence matters. She also undertakes her own advocacy at Court.

Vilash Gami is a Director in the Public Law & Immigration department at Duncan Lewis Solicitors. She specialises in asylum, human rights and public law work, with significant experience of litigation in the Administrative Court and Court of Appeal as well as in the First-Tier and Upper Tribunals of the Immigration and Asylum Chamber. Vilash represents vulnerable clients including minors, victims of torture, trafficking and domestic abuse, and those with mental health conditions. She represents clients in judicial review cases including: unlawful detention; false imprisonment; unlawful delay in processing immigration applications; third country removals; challenges to decisions to deny access to public funds; and challenging removals by way of urgent interim relief applications. Vilash is an accredited Senior Caseworker under the Law Society’s Immigration and Asylum Accreditation Scheme, enabling her to represent and advise both publicly funded (legal aid) and private clients.

Forida is a director in the family and child care department at Duncan Lewis Solicitors. She represents parents, guardians and children within public law proceedings and is well equipped to represent vulnerable parents and children who are subject to removal. She regularly represents clients in domestic abuse, defended and undefended divorces, and financial matrimonial matters as well as assisting clients in private children matters. Forida has extensive experience in representing vulnerable clients in matters that include; non-accidental injuries, sexual abuse, mental health difficulties, and drug and alcohol abuse. She assists parents and Local Authorities in relation to discharging care orders and adoption orders. Recently, she represented a child in a radicalisation case and is well-equipped to advise parents in similar cases in the High Court. Forida undertakes many private law proceedings relating to arrangements for contact and deciding which parent a child should live with. These include complex alienation, implacable hostility, sexual abuse based, protracted contact dispute and domestic abuse cases. She also represents parties in relation to removal from the jurisdiction and child abduction matters. Utilising her expert knowledge and cultural background, Forida understands and appreciates the cultural difficulties faced by vulnerable people within the community and assists them accordingly. She provides advice and assistance at the pro bono clinic in the East London Mosque and at Newham Asian Women’s Project, and regularly represents parties as Applicant and Respondent in relation to injunction and forced marriage act orders.

David Head is a Director of a Housing with over 20 years’ experience working throughout London, with significant experience in homelessness, disrepair and possession cases. As a Solicitor Advocate, David has experience in representing clients in the higher courts. He advises on numerous matters which have a cross-over with employment for companies, including TUPE; mergers and acquisitions and employment contractual drafting.

Toufique Hossain

Toufique Hossain is a Director in the Public Law and Immigration departments at Duncan Lewis Solicitors. He works predominantly under legal aid in order to represent those most in need. His practice is dominated by leading strategic litigation representing individual claimants and organisations who seek to challenge executive decisions, policies and practices. With great experience in high-profile litigation, Toufique continues to build a team passionate about human rights, developing wider judicial review practices, investigating novel points of law, and fighting injustices on behalf of those affected by unlawful government practices. Toufique has extensive experience in the Administrative Court, Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, litigating across a range of areas and regularly conducting high-profile challenges to unlawful policies and practices, including unlawful detention and unlawful removals from the UK. Toufique and his team have achieved many notable successes, most recently as the lead solicitors in the Supreme Court in relation to the government’s Rwanda policy. Throughout his life and career, Toufique’s driving motivation has been to advocate for the disenfranchised. Whilst he remains involved in high profile litigation, his more recent focus has been on building a team of talented lawyers with a clear passion for human rights. In 2024, Toufique was presented with the Outstanding Achievement Award at the Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year Awards, the highest honour that the judges can give, for his invaluable contributions to the legal aid field. Toufique is an accredited Supervisor and Level 3 Senior Caseworker under the Law Society’s Immigration and Asylum Accreditation Scheme.

Sophia Hussain is a Consultant Solicitor in the Family and Child Care department at Duncan Lewis Solicitors. She is based in the Leeds office and represents clients throughout the North of England. Sophia undertakes work in all areas of Family Law and Child Care matters. She has a wealth of experience representing both Applicants and Respondents in complex private law children matters, domestic abuse cases and divorce proceedings. She also has experience securing injunctions on the same day for vulnerable clients who needs urgent protection. Sophia represents clients from various backgrounds, including the most vulnerable, and those with difficulties ranging from drug and alcohol addition to complex health needs.

Rupinder Jagdev

Rupinder Jagdev is a Director in the Family & Child Care department at Duncan Lewis Solicitors’ Birmingham office. Rupinder undertakes the majority of her own advocacy and has a varied caseload which includes; injunctions, care proceedings and divorces. She also has extensive experience in public law proceedings and private children law matters which include complex cases concerning non-accidental injuries and interlinked immigration issues. Additionally, Rupinder provides advice and assistance to local refugees on a regular basis.

Anil is a Supervisor and Solicitor specialising in all aspects of children law proceedings and domestic abuse. With over six years’ experience in family law, he is recognised for his expertise in complex and sensitive matters, often involving issues of significant emotional, psychological, and physical risk to children and families. Having secured a scholarship at the University of Law in 2017, Anil began his legal career in family law the same year. Since then, he has developed a nationwide practice, supporting clients across the United Kingdom, particularly following the increased reliance on remote hearings and digital technology since Covid-19. Anil acts in a wide range of private children law disputes, assisting parents and caregivers in obtaining Section 8 Children Act Orders (including child arrangement orders, specific issue orders and prohibited steps orders). He is experienced in cases involving CAFCASS, Rule 16.4 Guardians, Section 37 Orders, S7 Reports, and enforcement or variation of orders. He also advises on legal aid applications in both private children disputes and domestic abuse matters. In cases of domestic abuse, Anil has successfully represented victims seeking urgent protective measures, including non-molestation orders, occupation orders, and female genital mutilation protection orders. His expertise extends to securing legal aid for vulnerable clients in these circumstances. Anil also represents parents, grandparents and extended family members in care proceedings. He is adept at navigating highly sensitive cases involving social services interventions, Section 47 investigations, child protection conferences, PLO meetings, Section 20 agreements, emergency protection orders, interim care orders, care plans, family group conferences, and adoption or placement proceedings. He frequently advises on cases involving allegations of non-accidental injury, sexual exploitation, deprivation of liberty, and secure accommodation. In addition to his casework, Anil has maintained strong links with local charities and community organisations, particularly in Birmingham.

Manjinder Kaur Atwal

Manjinder Kaur Atwal is a highly experienced Director of Housing at Duncan Lewis Solicitors, with over 15 years' experience in housing and property law. Her practice spans a broad range of complex disputes, including possession claims, landlord-tenant disputes, homelessness, housing disrepair, unlawful evictions, judicial reviews, and injunctions. She regularly represents clients in both small claims and multi-track cases and conducts her own advocacy in court and tribunals. Renowned for her success in handling challenging cases, Manjinder is known for achieving exceptional results in matters that others deem unlikely to succeed. She has built strong relationships with external agencies and is recognised as a trusted expert in housing law, frequently providing guidance on urgent and complex issues. In August 2025, Duncan Lewis Solicitors commissioned a major study which exposed the shocking extent of exploitation and poor living conditions faced by renters in the UK. The ‘Rogue Landlord Report’, authored by Manjinder Kaur Atwal, revealed that millions of tenants are living in fear of eviction, enduring unsafe housing conditions, and in some cases, being asked for sexual favours or unpaid labour in exchange for rent. Manjinder appeared live on Good Morning Britain to discuss the report’s findings. Manjinder has discussed key issues like the Grenfell disaster, the housing crisis, and the impact of legal aid cuts on vulnerable tenants on prominent media platforms such as TalkRadio Live, The Guardian, and RoundTable. Her thought leadership extends to publications, where she has been listed as one of the Top 10 Solicitors Transforming the Social Housing Landscape by Business Today. Manjinder is ranked as a 'Leading Individual' and 'Next Generation Partner' by The Legal 500 and is also ranked in Chambers and Partners for her social housing work nationwide.

Lewis Roch-Kett is Solicitor in the Public Law Immigration Department at Duncan Lewis. He has extensive experience in a wide range of Judicial Review challenges, with a particular speciality in challenges to both the lawfulness and conditions of immigration detention. His most recent work has included: Acting as the Lead Solicitor for the Duncan Lewis cohort of clients for the Brook House Public Inquiry. The Public Inquiry investigated mistreatment and abuse of detained persons at Brook House in 2017, following undercover reporting by BBC Panorama. The lead challenge to the Home Office’s policy of removing asylum seekers to Rwanda. Lewis has been ranked as an ‘Associate to Watch’ in Chambers and Partners UK in the ‘Immigration: Human Rights, Asylum and Deportation, UK wide’ category. He won the Legal Aid Newcomer Award at the 2018 LALY Awards and has twice been a finalist at the Law Society Excellence Awards (2017 - Junior Lawyer of the Year, Highly Commended, and 2019 – Human Rights Law, Shortlisted). In April 2016, he became the first trainee solicitor to be awarded the Times Lawyer of the Week. Lewis is an accredited Level 2 Supervisor under the Law Society’s Immigration and Asylum Accreditation Scheme, leading his own small team within the firm’s Public Law department.

Nazia is a solicitor in the immigration department, also specialising in civil litigation. She frequently represents clients at the High Court in their judicial review matters and takes on a wide range of immigration related cases, including the following; Unlawful detention False imprisonment Unlawful delay in processing immigration and asylum applications Fresh claim challenges/unlawful denial of appeal rights Challenges to refusals of Article 8 ECHR family and private life applications Third Country removals Challenges to decisions to deny access to public funds Challenging removals by way of urgent interim relief applications Nazia has represented clients in all aspects of human rights claims from initial applications through to appeals in the First-tier and Upper Tribunal of the Immigration Asylum Chamber and the Higher Courts. She has also assisted clients with entry clearance applications, settlement applications and nationality matters. She has significant experience in dealing with vulnerable clients including minors, those in detention and those suffering from complex psychological issues, as well as victims of torture, trafficking and victims of domestic violence.

Meena Kumari is a Family & Childcare Director and Solicitor. She works regionally across our Bradford and Manchester branches, with a wealth of experience in complex children cases with an international element or where the children have special needs. Meena actively encourages parents to resolve disputes regarding their children in a non-confrontational manner. Meena has particular expertise in negotiating medium to high net financial settlements for clients in the course of separation, divorce and dissolution of civil partnership. This is an area of family law which can require a tenacious and proactive approach as well as meticulous attention to detail as failing to address difficult and complex financial issues promptly can lead to lengthy and costly delays. Meena has represented high profile individuals in achieving a beneficial result. Meena believes in adopting a proactive rather than a reactive approach to family law in each of its very different facets and strive to ensure that what is often a very difficult situation for clients is not made more difficult by reason of inaction or lack of foresight. She has a passion for advocacy and represents the majority of my clients’ at every court hearing. She is an active member of the Law Society’s Family Panel (Advanced) and in 2015 Meena joined the Law Society Law management section where she shares her management knowledge and skills amongst other members in the profession. Meena has also trained as a collaborative lawyer. She is passionate about providing a voice to the most vulnerable in society. She has historically set up legal surgeries and clinics to assist these individuals.

Alia Lewis is a director within the family and child care department at Duncan Lewis Solicitors. Alia’s expertise extends to all aspects of family law and she has a particular specialism in public law care cases and secure accommodation. Alia has extensive experience representing children through their guardian and through separate representation. She also represents parents, extended family members and interveners, and has conducted cases on behalf of the official solicitor. Her cases involve a range of issues including; physical, sexual and emotional abuse; neglect; factitious illness; non-accidental injury; drug and alcohol addiction; domestic abuse; learning difficulties; mental illness; psychological disorders, and physical disability. She conducts numerous cases that have an international element and undertakes the majority of her own advocacy in order to provide a continuity of representation to her clients. She is also experienced in chairing experts meetings.

Gemma Lynch is a Director in the Immigration department at Duncan Lewis Solicitors. She supervises a team of solicitors, trainees and caseworkers who represent clients in a broad range of immigration, asylum and human rights matters. Gemma is dedicated to representing the most vulnerable in society. She has extensive experience in representing unaccompanied asylum seeking children throughout the asylum process. Gemma also assists with judicial review matters including challenges to delays in making decisions on asylum applications and challenges to the Local Authority’s age assessments. She prides herself on representing children with care and sensitivity whilst providing them with the best possible legal representation. Gemma also has significant experience in representing asylum seekers from Afghanistan, including unaccompanied children and high ranking Afghan officials. She frequently assists clients from Eritrea, Iran and Syria with complex asylum cases. Gemma undertakes her own advocacy and represents her clients personally in the First and Upper Tier Tribunals across London and the South East. She has secured successful appeals particularly for victims of human trafficking from Albania and unaccompanied children from Afghanistan. She frequently acts for detained clients, challenging their detention through immigration bail applications and unlawful detention claims.

Arti is a Solicitor and Supervisor in the Child Care Department at Duncan Lewis Solicitors. She qualified as a solicitor in 1996 and, over the last 25 years, has worked in a number of private practices across the Black Country, Staffordshire, Coventry and Warwickshire, and Shropshire. She has represented clients in courts across these regions, as well as before the High Court and the Court of Appeal, including cases with international elements, and has instructed and worked alongside experienced barristers on a wide range of matters. Throughout her career, Arti has represented parents and children, both directly and through their Children’s Guardians, in all aspects of public law proceedings. These include applications for care and supervision orders, emergency protection orders, placement for adoption orders, and adoption applications, as well as applications for contact with children in care, and applications to vary or discharge care or supervision orders and revoke placement for adoption orders. She is also experienced in Rule 16.4 proceedings. Arti regularly advises and represents other family members, such as uncles, aunts, and grandparents, in relation to Special Guardianship Orders where they seek to care for children subject to proceedings. On occasion, she has also represented local authorities. She has handled a wide variety of cases involving issues such as domestic violence, substance misuse, sexual abuse, and non-accidental injury. She has also represented parents and children with educational or mental health difficulties, and has acted in cases involving the Official Solicitor. Arti is also experienced in Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC) proceedings, representing parents and children in cases deemed suitable for this process within care proceedings. She recognises the particular challenges of this area of law, given the human emotions involved, the vulnerabilities of both parents and children, and the possibility of permanent separation. She is strongly committed to protecting human rights and strives to ensure her clients are fairly and justly represented, giving a voice to those who may not feel able to speak for themselves. Arti speaks Hindi and Punjabi, enabling her to assist clients in these languages where appropriate.

Immigration director, Jenna McKinney, has extensive experience specialising in all aspects of immigration, European Economic Area (EEA) law, asylum, and human rights. She leads a team that specialises in representing detainees with their immigration and public law matters; specifically, appeals, asylum, general immigration, challenges against removal or deportation and unlawful detention judicial review claimant work in the High Court. She also represents in civil claims in the county courts and the Queen’s Bench Division.Jenna attends attend prisons and immigration detention/removal centres throughout England and Wales and regularly assists clients with applying for bail, release and those facing deportation.She has considerable expertise in unlawful detention judicial review claimant matters and has a significant practice in unlawful immigration detention cases with high net claims for damages and challenging immigration removal cases; in particular, Dublin II third country removal cases. Jenna conducts her own advocacy, representing clients at hearings before the First-tier and Upper Tribunal of the Immigration Asylum Chamber. She is a legal aid specialist, representing vulnerable clients, including: minors; vulnerable women who have been raped; those with mental health issues, and those with medical issues including people living with HIV.She has also been involved in numerous complex cases that settled out of court including MO v SSHD in which MO was one of the claimants in the test litigation of Medical Justice V SSHD, Equality and Human Rights Commission intervening [2017] EWHC 2461 (Admin) which held that the Home Office had applied an incorrect definition of torture to immigration detainees and challenged the Adults at Risk Home Office statutory guidance for immigration detainees.Jenna regularly provides training on challenging immigration detention. She has previously assisted the charity Detention Action in their litigation challenging the Detained Fast Track by providing expert witness evidence and case studies on behalf of Duncan Lewis Solicitors. This evidence was extensively referred to by the Court in the judgement declaring the Detained Fast Track Process unlawful in 2014.

Child Care director Emine Mehmet has extensive experience in all aspects of child care and family law. She specialises in representing parents, children’s guardians and children in all Children Act matters, particularly in cases involving abuse, drug/alcohol misuse, neglect, rare illness and non-accidental injuries. Her caseload also includes a broad range of privately and publicly funded family and child care matters, including; care proceedings; private law children disputes; domestic abuse matters; divorce and ancillary relief and cohabitation disputes. Emine Mehmet is committed to assisting the most vulnerable and ensuring access to justice. She is head of the Duncan Lewis Pro bono Committee which has received a number of national industry awards in recognition for its excellent work. She won the Jordan’s Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year at the 2016 Family Law Awards and was commended in the category; Best Contribution by an Individual at the 2017 LawWorks Pro Bono Awards. She was nominated for a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Asian Legal Awards 2022 and also gained a Fellowship from the University of East London in 2022. Emine was named as a Finalist for Partner of the Year at the Family Law Awards 2025.

Darren Middleton

Darren Middleton is a Director of Immigration at Duncan Lewis Solicitors based at the firms' Birmingham office. He is an accredited Supervising Senior Caseworker under the Immigration and Asylum Law Accreditation Scheme. Darren specialises in working with vulnerable individuals and complex cases, including further submissions, and deportation. Darren is experienced in preparing asylum and immigration appeals for the Tribunal. He has provided representation for nationals of Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Mongolia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sudan, Uganda and Zimbabwe, who have had their appeals successfully allowed by Tribunal. He has successfully provided representation at the appeal stage where the SSHD has sought to deprive an individual of British citizenship on the basis of deception. Darren is a participant in the Immigration and Asylum Chamber Committee Working Group at the Tribunal in Birmingham, which meets on a periodic basis.

Gabor is a Director of Immigration with Duncan Lewis Solicitors and has a broad practice across all areas of private and publicly funded (legal aid) immigration, asylum and public law matters. He has extensive experience in representing clients in detained and port removal cases, EEA applications, citizenship and naturalisation and immigration or civil liberties related judicial review claimant cases. He regularly challenges decisions by judicial review to the High Court in matters of: Detained and port removal cases EEA applications Naturalisation Unaccompanied asylum seeking children matters Regarding judicial review, Gabor has extensive experience in: Delay Age assessment challenges Dublin III removals Unlawful detention cases Gabor supervises a team of solicitors, trainees and caseworkers and conducts his own advocacy at the First-tier and Upper Tier Tribunals of the Immigration Asylum Chamber. He is accredited by the Law Society under the Immigration and Asylum Accreditation Scheme as a Level 2 Senior Caseworker and Supervisor and is DBS Enhanced; these qualifications enable him to personally represent vulnerable clients such as those detained under immigration powers, victims of torture, rape, PTSD and unaccompanied asylum seeking children. Gabor also deals with spouse and unmarried partner applications and applications outside the Immigration Rules. Gabor has significant knowledge of Hungarian extradition and detention proceedings as well as Hungarian nationality and immigration law. He successfully prevented the removal of a Roma gypsy client who was wanted by three county courts in Hungary for criminal proceedings. He liaised with the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) and the Hungarian Police Centre for International Co-operation in terms of obtaining the European Arrest Warrants which were lodged in Hungary. Following this Gabor then lodged a judicial review application in the High Court and the Secretary of State conceded the matter.

Adeeba is a Director in the Family & Child Care department at Duncan Lewis Solicitors. Adeeba’s areas of expertise include handling international and domestic family law proceedings in the High Court, with a niche specialism in child abduction, surrogacy, and international adoption cases. She also regularly assists client with divorce, separation, domestic and international financial proceedings, including pre and post-nuptial agreements. In child abduction matters, Adeeba regularly issues family proceedings both domestically and in different jurisdictions outside the UK. She liaises with organisation and authorities in other jurisdictions to ensure vulnerable children are successfully returned to their home country. She has handled a significant number of cases worldwide including the return of children adducted to Pakistan and Jamaica, two highly complex cases as neither country’s accession to the Hague Convention is ratified. Adeeba also has expertise in surrogacy cases where couple have a surrogate mother in England or another country to carry their child and looks to secure parental orders to ensure the couple are legally recognised as the child’s parents. Adeeba handles both privately and publicly funded matter and undertakes her own advocacy where possible. Her broad client base includes vulnerable victims of domestic abuse, international high-profile clients, and cases with a public interest due to concerns of extremist links or children’s medical conditions. She works closely with a number of non-profit organisations that support and advise vulnerable members of their communities. Adeeba also gives talks and pro bono advice at domestic violence organisations, helping victims of abuse to secure protection through emergency injunctions.

Karolina Natkaniec

Karolina is a solicitor in the commercial and civil litigation department at Duncan Lewis Solicitors. She has significant experience in a wide variety of commercial and civil litigation claims, particularly those involving commercial disputes, disputes arising under a contract, misrepresentation cases, insolvency, and professional negligence matters. She is also experienced in dealing with property related disputes especially those involving disputes over the ownership of a property (under the Trusts of Land and Appointment of Trustees Act 1996). She has represented parties in disputes arising from repairing obligations, service charges, deposits, and other contractual terms in tenancy agreement and leases. Karolina has acted for both claimants and defendants under various funding arrangements. She is commercially aware of the need to resolve disputes for clients swiftly and efficiently.

Anthony is a director in the civil litigation department at Duncan Lewis Solicitors. He has extensive experience in civil and commercial litigation and specialises in acting for claimants in negligence actions against solicitors, barristers and accountants. He has a strong practice in multi-jurisdiction matters. Anthony also specialises in dispute resolution and uses a wide range of tools such as arbitration, mediation and litigation. He frequently handles insolvency matters that include bankruptcy, winding up proceedings, and applications to set aside transactions at undervalue. He has a particular interest in property litigation; and trust claims involving determination of beneficial ownership, contested probate claims and boundary disputes.

James Packer is a Director in the Public Law department at Duncan Lewis Solicitor. He regularly conducts test cases concerning issues that involve: access to the courts, unlawful detention, enforced removals from the UK, challenges to decisions to refuse legal aid and associated litigation. He also has a specialist practice in complex asylum cases, especially for high net worth and high profile individuals and is frequently involved in appealing costs decisions, often to the Court of Appeal. James has extensive experience in cases which have been decided in the Administrative Court, Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. He has also brought successful challenges to the European Court of Human Rights. He also handles tribunal advocacy work and has a significant practice in Upper Tribunal and Court of Appeal cases. In a judicial review against the Lord Chancellor, James was part of the team at Duncan Lewis that successfully challenged the blanket refusal to provide legal aid funding for judicial reviews where permission was refused on the papers. The result will assist legal aid providers representing some of the most vulnerable in society and should in turn enhance access to justice. James has experience in a wide variety of judicial review litigation including; a challenge to a decision to impose a planning levy on a development; challenges to decisions by the Secretary of State for Justice to recall prisoners released on licence; challenges to the continuation of police bail, and a successful challenge to a decision by the SRA to simply send a ‘letter of advice’ to his client’s former solicitor. James also handled a challenge to the removal of a parking place for a disabled self-employed person, a challenge to a refusal to amend a Statement of Special Educational Needs, and challenges to local authority assessments such as housing and social security entitlements of various types. James provides accredited training for ILPA, HJT and AMT.

Krina Parmar is a Director in the Family & Child Care department at Duncan Lewis Solicitors. Krina specialises in public and private law children matters, with significant expertise in: forced marriage applications; female genital mutilation (FGM) applications; emergency matters including removal of children and domestic abuse, and forced marriage applications. Many of Krina’s case are culturally complex with international aspects. Krina represents parents, family member and children as parties to applications for child arrangements orders, special guardianship orders, child abduction matters, adoption proceedings, and care proceedings including serious non-accidental injuries where a baby has died. Krina is regularly instructed in high profile non-accidental injury cases and has been led by Kings Counsel in these matters. Krina undertakes all her own advocacy where possible to ensure clients receive a continuous and consistent service. Krina also frequently trains professional in the areas of domestic abuse, forced marriages and FGM. She has considerable experience representing victims of domestic abuse and vulnerable clients, including those with learning disabilities. Additionally, Krina attends pro bono surgeries for Women’s Aid and has a strong relationship with victim support and the police. She is also a police station accredited representative.

Sunil is a Director in the Litigation department at Duncan Lewis Solicitors. His areas of expertise include commercial and civil dispute resolution. Sunil's main practice areas include: Corporate insolvency such as representing former directors of insolvent companies facing allegations of unlawful trading and breaches of duties. Personal insolvency which may involve high value petitions some of which relate to complex financial arrangements. Multi-Track litigation such as contractual disputes between commercial entities, partnership disputes, contentious probate such as challenging capacity, disputes over the beneficial ownership of property and high value and complex debt recovery. Construction disputes.

Harriet Phillips

Harriet is a family and child care solicitor at Duncan Lewis Solicitors, based in the Birmingham office. She has experience handling a wide range of family and child care legal matters.Primarily, she represents parents whose children are the subject of care order, supervision order, and placement order applications. She manages care cases on a day-to-day basis and represents clients who have difficulties with mental health, substance misuse, and anger management. She also represents parents who have learning difficulties and tailors her representation to ensure that they clearly understand the proceedings that they are involved in. She has experience of representing parents in cases that concern allegations of non-accidental injuries towards their children, as well as assisting parents when social services initially become involved in respect of their children to work to prevent care proceedings being issued.Harriet's expertise extends to Section 8 Child Arrangement Order proceedings where she represents clients in applications to vary and enforce existing Child Arrangements Orders. She also handles applications for prohibited steps orders and specific issue orders, for instance in applications to take the children on holiday to Non-Hague Convention countries which are dealt with in the High Court. She has had conduct of two complex Child Arrangements matters in the High Court where allegations of radicalisation were made. Additionally, she represents clients in applications for non-molestation orders and in applications to extend existing non-molestation orders. This often involves dealing with vulnerable clients who have experienced significant trauma and whose cultural background can impact on their need for protection.

Vicash Ramkissoon

Vicash Ramkissoon is a director in the business and private immigration department at Duncan Lewis Solicitors. His practice encompasses a wide area including advising high net worth individuals under the Tier 1 category to conducting complex appeals in the Administrative Court on British Nationality matters. Vicash has a strong practice advising international businesses and high net worth individuals in complex Tier 1, 2 and 4 applications under the Points Based System (PBS). He regularly advises high net worth individuals from Asia, the Middle East and Russia in relation to obtaining visas under the Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) & Tier 1 (Investor) categories. He also specialises in Tier 2 sponsorship licence matters and advising businesses on their immigration strategy and compliance issues. He conducts immigration business claimant judicial review matters; in particular, challenges on behalf of Points Based System applicants. He also has extensive experience in advising businesses on Tier 2 and 5 sponsorship, immigration strategy and conducting compliance audits. He is often requested to assist companies facing criminal or civil penalties in relation to working illegally.

Emily Reed is a Director in the Family and Child Care department at Duncan Lewis Solicitors based in Stoke on Trent, Manchester and the surrounding areas. She is a member of the Law Society's Children Law Accreditation Scheme and represents children, parents and other family members. She has a particular interest in children work including both private and public law cases. Emily’s experience of public law cases includes cases involving chronic neglect, drug and alcohol abuse, mental health concerns including personality disorders, non-accidental injuries, and children beyond parental control including violent and inappropriate sexual behaviour. She represents parents and other family members as well as children both through a Guardian and also taking instructions directly from older children. Her focus for private law proceedings involves representing parents and children in disputes regarding child arrangements, as well as complex matters where the child is joined as a party to the proceedings and represented by a Children's Guardian. Emily has experience in handling protracted contact disputes, concerns about welfare, allegations of physical abuse against the children, and serious domestic violence. Emily also has experience representing clients in wardship, child abduction (Hague and Non-Hague Convention Countries) and FGM matters as well as assisting victims of domestic abuse obtain protective orders.

Director Caroline deals with all aspects of wills and probate including; drafting wills to include a wide range of complicated situations; advising in relation to any inheritance tax which may be due from the estate; dealing with the tax situation in both taxable and non-taxable estates; and handling the affairs of a loved one who has died without making a will. She also specialises in handling Powers of Attorney matters relating to both health and welfare and finance and property. She has a proven track record in successfully dealing with a variety of contentious probate claims; this includes claims made under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975, claims for equitable relief under proprietary estoppel, constructive trusts, and resulting trusts, and TOLATA claims. In addition, Caroline also has extensive experience in dealing with both non-litigated and litigated Clinical Negligence claims as well as considerable experience in representing clients who have been accused of committing motoring offences. Caroline carries out work for the employment department at Duncan Lewis Solicitors with a particular focus on settlement (compromise) agreements.

Olivia Amy Rose

Olivia Amy Rose is a Consultant Solicitor within the Crime department at Duncan Lewis Solicitors. Amy joined Duncan Lewis in 2020 after qualifying as a Solicitor in 2019. She is Police Station Accredited and has Higher Rights meaning that she can represent clients at all stages of their criminal proceedings. Amy has a broad range of experience with all criminal matters dealing with everything from minor driving offences to allegations of murder.

Henna is a family and child care solicitor in the Birmingham office at Duncan Lewis Solicitors. She undertakes her own advocacy representing clients at the family court before district judges, circuit judges and the magistrates. She has considerable experience assisting sensitive and vulnerable clients whilst maintaining a high level of professionalism. She specialises in care proceedings particularly those with local authority involvement; private law proceedings, notably applications for contact and residence; emergency injunctions; divorce; and financial proceedings. She regularly attends local refugees and other organisations in order to provide training, legal advice and my assistance on a monthly basis.

Angela is a Director in the Court of Protection and Public Law departments at Duncan Lewis Solicitors. Angela act for clients in all aspects of litigation in both the welfare and property/affairs jurisdiction of the Court of Protection. She has a particular interest in acting for family members in both section 16 and section 21A applications where there has been the removal of a family member to a specialist facility or care home at the objection of P’s family. Angela has an impressive track record of successfully challenging capacity assessments and deprivation of liberty orders. She also acts for the Official Solicitor on behalf of P in a range of applications. Angela's property and affairs work involves acting for individuals and family members in disputes about capacity, the validity of Lasting Power of Attorneys, and related revocation applications arising from suitability disputes and financial abuse. She has been involved in numerous high value cases where funds have been managed by deputies including family members, solicitors and local authority officers.

Amritpal joined Duncan Lewis Solicitors in March 2016 as a Caseworker and went on to complete his training contract within the Immigration and Public Law department at the firm’s Birmingham office. He qualified as a solicitor in March 2019 and now practises as a Supervising Solicitor in the Private and Business Immigration department, also based in Birmingham. He began his legal career handling private immigration matters, gaining extensive experience and building strong relationships with clients – particularly vulnerable individuals – as well as leading counsel. Amritpal is known for his adaptability, professionalism and integrity, and is committed to going the extra mile to achieve positive outcomes for his clients. Amritpal has significant experience working with vulnerable clients, including those in detention, individuals with complex psychological issues, and victims of torture and trafficking. He has a particular specialism in challenging the detention of vulnerable clients, achieving successful releases and securing damages on their behalf. He is accredited as a Senior Caseworker under the Law Society’s Immigration and Asylum Accreditation Scheme at Level 2, reflecting his expertise in this field. His caseload includes a wide range of matters such as asylum applications, fresh claims, Points-Based System applications for high-net-worth and skilled individuals, Tier 1 applications, family and partner visas, entry clearance, visitor visas, EEA matters, human rights applications, bail, nationality and citizenship applications, deportation, passport applications, and sponsorship and affidavit matters. In addition, Amritpal has extensive experience in Judicial Review claimant challenges, particularly those relating to immigration, asylum and civil liberties. These include cases involving unlawful detention, Dublin III/Third Country removal, challenges to the Competent Authority, delays in processing immigration and asylum applications, fresh claim challenges and unlawful denial of appeal rights, as well as refusals of Article 8 ECHR family and private life applications. Amritpal is multilingual and fluent in Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu and Mirpuri.

Daljit Singh Shina is a Supervising Solicitor in the Housing department based in Duncan Lewis' City of London office. He is also a host on the firm's 'This is Housing' podcast. Daljit is instructed on a variety of publicly and privately funded housing matters including claims for possession, landlord and tenant disputes, applications for eviction, suspension of warrants for possession, housing disrepair, unlawful evictions, harassment, homelessness reviews, homelessness appeals in the County Court, and applications for judicial review. Daljit has considerable experience dealing with cases ranging from small claims matters to complex multi-track cases, and matters which haven been determined by the Court of Appeal. He regularly assists as a Court Duty Adviser and advocate on behalf of clients at the County Court. Daljit volunteers and supports Help for Southall Street Homeless (HSSH) which is a homeless charity set up to assist rough sleepers who suffer with various medical needs and/or substance abuse issues in Southall (West London) and the neighbouring arears. He also volunteers with CRISIS at Christmas and assist homeless people in London over the Christmas period. Daljit's volunteering work has developed his ability to work with and assist some of the most vulnerable and high-risk people in society. Daljit is ranked as a Leading Associate in The Legal 500 UK for his outstanding social housing work across London and the South East.

Pardeep Somel is a Director in the Immigration department at Duncan Lewis Solicitors. She supervises a team of solicitors, trainees and caseworkers that specialise in asylum work, representing victims of torture, human trafficking, gender-based persecution, and detention and removal challenges. Pardeep has extensive litigation experiences in all courts, from the First-tier Tribunal through to the Administrative Court and the Court of Appeal. She specialises in working with vulnerable individuals including minors, victims of domestic abuse, torture and trafficking with complex cases. Her broad range of experience includes settlement and entry clearance applications. Pardeep regularly represents detainees held in prison or immigration detention centres as well as those who have been released on immigration bail, by challenging both the Secretary of State’s powers to detain and the removal decision. Pardeep litigates in a wide range of immigration, asylum and detention related judicial reviews including: the failure to provide suitable accommodation within a reasonable time period; the failure to apply detention rules correctly; unlawful decisions to detain to those accepted as victims of torture or trafficking; third country removals; false imprisonment; and delays in processing asylum applications.

Rebecca Thomas is a Director in the Personal Injury & Clinical Negligence departments at Duncan Lewis Solicitors. She supervises a team of solicitors, trainees and paralegals who are all dedicated to obtaining the best possible outcome for their clients. Rebecca is also responsible for risk assessing all of the clinical negligence and personal injury claims handled by Duncan Lewis. Rebecca has significant experience in dealing with severe and complex clinical negligence and personal injury cases, including claims involving birth injuries, brain injuries, surgical injuries, orthopaedic injuries, delays in diagnosis, and misdiagnosis. She also has extensive experience in representing clients in ophthalmic cases including retinal detachment and laser surgery claims. One of Rebecca’s most recent cases involved obtaining a six figure award of compensation on behalf of a client against two NHS Trusts in a complex case following an appendectomy. She also obtained substantial damages against a national firm of opticians on behalf of a client who permanently lost all sight in one eye as a result of the optician’s failure to recognise that the client was suffering from retinal detachment.

Sunjay Versani is a Director of Crime and Prison Law at Duncan Lewis Solicitors. He is responsible for these practice groups, as well as Motoring and Regulatory Law, at the firm’s City of London and Harrow offices. Sunjay is a highly-regarded criminal defence specialist and has been part of Duncan Lewis since 2009. He manages a formidable team of lawyers whose high calibre work is perennially recognised with industry quality hallmarks and by the independent legal directories. Sunjay was Called to the Bar in 2007 and Admitted to the Roll in 2008. As such, he is counted amongst the small cadre of English lawyers able to both appear before and conduct litigation in all courts and tribunals throughout the jurisdiction. Beyond which he is also licensed to practice in the British Indian Ocean Territory. This vertical integration of skills has allowed him to act in many thousands of contested cases across the gamut of English and international criminal law. Sunjay is well-versed in the cut-and-thrust of adversarial proceedings and in the conduct of work of public importance. He has stood before the highest courts in the land and has been instructed in sensitive, complex and voluminous litigation on behalf of a multitude of individuals and entities, across borders and languages. During his career, Sunjay acted in the well-known Waya litigation, which led to a landmark Supreme Court judgement casting a much-needed sea-change in proceeds of crime jurisprudence. As sole instructed counsel, he defended a multi-million-pound insider fraud upon the NatWest bank at the Old Bailey and successfully managed to reduce a lengthy sentence in one of the very first cases to be televised live in the 100-year history of the Court of Appeal. Sunjay secured a favourable outcome in a case involving the stalking of musician Rita Ora, and negotiated a discontinuance for a member of Elton John’s staff falsely accused of misuse of computers. He also led the defence of a high-profile client wrongly implicated in the 'Putney Bridge Pusher' investigation – an internationally-publicised incident of a jogger pushing a female pedestrian into the path of an oncoming London bus. Sunjay has an enviable track record in defending cases involving alleged sexual wrongdoing, white-collar and social security fraud, as well as sundry violence, dishonesty, narcotics, and road traffic prosecutions. Sunjay also undertakes specialist extradition work (routinely dealing with international requests under both parts of the Act). He advises those with discrete legal needs which often arise in parallel to criminal proceedings. He has assisted professional clients in navigating workplace investigations and disciplinary/regulatory issues with their overseeing bodies.

Family and child care director, Kathy Walker, has extensive knowledge of all family and child care matters. Kathy has been involved in many complex care proceedings, which have included non-accidental injury, high profile ‘honour killing’, somatic symptom disorder, fictitious illness, rare genetic conditions, death of a child mid-proceedings, parents with a mental health condition lacking litigation capacity who have then had to be appointed an official solicitor to represent them within care proceedings, along with all the other factors that normally cause the local authority to issue proceedings such as sexual abuse, neglect, drug and alcohol misuse, emotional and physical harm. Kathy represents children of all ages, she believes it is important that the court knows what the child has to say and often arranges for the child or children to see the judge themselves so that they can tell them exactly how they feel. Kathy has significant experience and knowledge of domestic violence cases and is passionate about helping the most vulnerable to escape their perpetrators. She has represented victims of domestic violence throughout her career and now ensures that all her team members are trained to be able to recognise the signs of domestic abuse. Kathy undertakes the majority of her own advocacy and often appears before District, Circuit, High Court judges and magistrates.

Rohena is a Director in the Public Law & Immigration department at Duncan Lewis Solicitors, specialising in immigration, asylum, human rights, and public law. She supervises a team of solicitors, trainees and caseworkers who are all committed to delivering a high standard of representation to clients facing complex legal issues which fundamentally affect their lives. Her expertise covers all areas of immigration and asylum law, as well as prison law and terrorism challenges involving the unlawful deprivation of citizenship. She has a particular interest in representing vulnerable clients with mental health conditions, unaccompanied asylum seeking children, victims of torture and those being held under immigration powers. She has extensive experience of challenging decisions through judicial review, removals from the UK, pursing unlawful detention claims, fresh asylum claims, fresh claim refusals, and other related public law challenges. Rohena is an accredited Supervisor and Level 3 (Advanced) Senior Caseworker under the Law Society’s Immigration and Asylum Accreditation Scheme which means she has a high level of specialist knowledge and experience in the area of immigration law and enables her to advise and assist both private paying and publicly funded (legal aid) clients.