Work Department
Dispute ResolutionDirect AccessPosition
Call: 2011, 2006 (Solicitor of England & Wales)
Prior to joining 1 Pump Court Chambers, Catherine was an immigration solicitor at Fisher Meredith LLP for 5 years. Her experience included: judicial reviews; appeals at all levels; and fresh asylum and human rights claims. She had a wide range of clients including: individuals needing personal and business immigration advice; victims of trafficking and domestic violence; those considered to be a risk to national security; and unaccompanied minors.
She was ranked as an Associate to Watch by Chambers & Partners 2011 in the category Immigration: Personal: London. The entry said:
Associate Catherine Robinson enters the rankings this year due to her handling of complicated immigration cases with a terrorist aspect. She is particularly admired for her client-care skills: “She is respectful, kind and honest about the hazards within the asylum system, while still giving fearful and desperate people a sense of hope.”
Catherine completed her training contract at (as it was then known) Herbert Smith LLP, an international law firm.
Career
Catherine Robinson is a member of the immigration team. She has a wide range of experience in this field, this includes representing clients at all stages of the immigration and asylum process. Catherine’s immigration practice encompasses personal and business advisory work.
Catherine regularly appears before the First-Tier Tribunal and Upper Tribunal in immigration and asylum appeals and bail hearings.
Catherine has extensive experience of drafting judicial review grounds and applications for permission to appeal to the First-Tier Tribunal, Upper Tribunal and Court of Appeal and also undertakes unlawful detention work. She also has experience of cases before the Special Immigration Appeals Commission.
As part of her ongoing commitment to this area of law Catherine is keen to represent vulnerable individuals within the immigration system.
In October 2020, Catherine was appointed a Recorder, South Eastern circuit, Family division.
Voluntary work
Catherine acted on a pro-bono basis as junior counsel for the AIRE Centre in SM v ECO, Visa Section C-129/18, SM (Algeria) v Entry Clearance Officer [2018] UKSC 9 and Khan v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2017] EWCA Civ 1755. The instructing solicitors in these cases were Herbert Smith Freehills LLP and the senior counsel were David Chirico and Aidan O’Neil QC.
Catherine participates in the Bail for Immigration Detainees duty advocacy scheme.
From 2014 until 2018 Catherine was a trustee of Migrants Resource Centre (incorporating Asylum Aid). She was previously a member of the Management Committee of Lambeth Law Centre.
Languages
French and German
Memberships
Human Rights Lawyers Association
Medical Justice
Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association
Education
University of Warwick (1998-2002 LLB (European) – 1st class honours); University of Nottingham Trent (2002-2003 Legal Practice Course – distinction); School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London (2007-2009 (part-time) LLM – merit).
