Amanda Weston KC > Garden Court Chambers > London, England > Barrister Profile

Garden Court Chambers is a ‘sizable set with extremely good strength in depth’ and expertise across the full spectrum of community care matters. Amanda Weston KC has more than two decades of experience in representing vulnerable adults, young people, children, and parents in social care matters. Gráinne Mellon is a ‘highly knowledgeable, skilled and committed barrister’ who successfully represented a vulnerable 15-year-old in the case R (LB) v Surrey County Council concerning the duties of local authorities to assess children in need and their carers.

Garden Court Chambers remains the ‘go-to set for immigration‘ with its deep bench that covers the full scope of work touching on nationality and deportation, asylum and international protection, national security, EU free movement, and business immigration. Acting across all courts, including up to the Supreme Court and European Court of Human Rights, the set has significant experience handling complex appeals. The set has been deeply involved in the high-profile Rwanda litigation, with Amanda Weston KC and Sonali Naik KC leading Mark Symes, Isaac Ricca-Richardson, and Eva Doerr in AAA v Secretary of State for the Home Department, opposing the Government’s policy to remove persons who enter the UK irregularly, to seek asylum or otherwise, to the Central African country.  Stephanie Harrison KC leading Gordon Lee have similarly been active in the public inquiry into the allegations of ill-treatment at the Brook House immigration detention centre, and the set remains actively engaged with the wide-ranging litigation that has arisen from the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, with Nicola Braganza KC and Irena Sabic KC engaging with a number of these cases such as R (NBS) v SSHD. 

Garden Court Chambers is regarded by many as a  ‘leading human rights set‘, and has an excellent track record in representing claimants in complex cases across the public law arena, more broadly as well as in specialised areas such as social housing and immigration. Amanda Weston KC garners praise as ‘an outstanding silk in this area‘ and ‘a very successful and effective advocate‘. 2023 silk appointment Irena Sabic KC has ‘great experience in complex litigation – a persuasive advocate‘. Patrick Roche has ‘exceptional judgement‘ and is highly regarded for representing claimants in challenges brought against state authorities. Public law specialist Gráinne Mellon is ‘a reliably excellent junior‘ who regularly handles judicial reviews and claims for damages brought under the Human Rights Act 1998.

Garden Court Chambers is a ‘great set with varied levels of counsel’ who advise on all aspects of public and private children law. Amanda Weston KC is known for her work in cases related to child trafficking and sexual abuse, while ‘extremely knowledgeable barrister’ Amanda Meusz has extensive experience of representing vulnerable parents and children in public law proceedings.