Sonia Birdee > Garden Court North Chambers > Manchester, England > Barrister Profile
Garden Court North Chambers Offices
3RD FLOOR, BLACKFRIARS HOUSE,PARSONAGE
MANCHESTER
M3 2JA
England
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Sonia Birdee
Work Department
- Discrimination law
- Public Law
- Housing
- Civil actions against the Police and public authorities
- Community care and mental health
Position
Sonia Birdee is a specialist in challenging discrimination arising in the context of housing and claimant led actions. She has acted to safeguard the rights of tenants and those seeking housing across the full spectrum of housing law for over 15 years.
Sonia acts for claimants in discrimination actions across most aspects of the Equality Act 2010.
She acts in judicial review proceedings and proceedings raising public law and human rights issues. She acts for claimants in claims against the police.
Sonia undertakes publicly funded work and CFA work and was appointed to the Equality Human Rights Commission panel of preferred counsel in 2019.
Career
She represents tenants and homeless applicants across the full range of housing law. She has particular experience representing Gypsies and Travellers.
Sonia has a multi-disciplinary practice which also covers community care and discrimination, areas which commonly overlap with housing law. She is regularly instructed by the Official Solicitor.
Sonia represents claimants who have experienced discrimination in breach of the Equality Act 2010 and her practice includes all of the protected characteristics and all duties, save for employment, within that Act.
Sonia represents applicants in judicial review proceedings most commonly in community care. She has extensive experience of dealing more broadly with public law arguments in a housing law context.
Sonia is instructed to represent claimants in all aspects of claims against the police. In trials, she is able to draw on her experience as a criminal defence advocate when she developed an expertise in cross examination of police officers.
Memberships
- Discrimination Law Association
- Association of women barristers
- Association of Asian Women Lawyers
- Bar Human Rights Committee
- Liberty
- Justice
Education
Sonia read jurisprudence at Wadham College, Oxford and completed the bar vocational course at the University of the West of England.
BVC (Very competent);
BA (Hons) Jurisprudence.
Lawyer Rankings
Regional Bar > Northern Circuit > Social housing
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 2Viewed as ‘a strong set for housing law’, Garden Court North Chambers‘ members handle a wide spectrum of work in the space, including unlawful evictions, disrepair claims, homelessness matters and possession claims. James Stark is sought after for his expertise in advising on cases involving human rights issues, and Sonia Birdee is very well known for representing tenants in discrimination cases under the Equality Act 2010. Joseph Markus regularly represents vulnerable clients in homelessness cases. Elizabeth Mottershaw is ‘judicious and measured – a reliable and solid advocate‘. In December 2022 Gary Willock moved to Trinity Chambers.