Considered ‘leaders in the field of immigration and asylum law’, the barristers at Doughty Street Chambers are well-respected for their wide-ranging expertise in immigration, nationality, and asylum matters. The set routinely acts on behalf of individual claimants and NGOs including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), at all levels of the courts. Laura Dubinsky KC, supported by Agata Patyna and Alice Irving, led the UNHCR team in R (YXY) v SSHD, the second round of Rwanda litigation following the introduction of the Safety of Rwanda Act 2024. At present, Dubinsky, Patyna and Sarah Dobbie are representing 94 asylum seekers in civil claims for damages for false imprisonment following their detention at Manston House. David Lemer is noted for his expertise in national security cases before the Special Immigration Appeals Commission, while Simon Cox is involved in significant test case challenges under the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement, including a judicial review concerning the rights of carers of British citizen children in relation to the EU Settlement Scheme.
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Profile
Work Department
Position
David practises predominantly in immigration, asylum, public law, and employment and as well as general civil litigation.
David has been listed as a leading junior in the directories since 2013 and has been appointed as a Special Advocate by the Attorney General. He also sits as a Fee Paid Judge of the First Tier Tribunal, (Immigration and Asylum Chamber).
David’s general public law practice is wide-ranging with a particular recent focus on procurement issues, claims for and against Educational Institutions, and consultation challenges to hospital and school closures. His experience of regulatory and standards matters has also seen him instructed in statutory appeals on behalf of elected representatives, disqualified for breaches of their Codes of Conduct.
As an experienced civil litigator David accepts instructions in a wide range of areas, including unlawful detention matters, Article 1 Protocol 1 damages claims, discrimination claims, actions against the police and defamation actions (both Claimant and Defendant). He is also instructed on a wide range general contractual matters, from successfully representing Jeremy Corbyn MP in the high profile litigation concerning the proper interpretation of the Labour Party’s leadership election rules, to an international dispute concerning the ownership of a Boeing 757 representing Ethiopian Airways, in which he represented Ethiopian Airways.
Career
Year of Call: 2000; Middle Temple Inn.
Memberships
Amnesty International
Education
City of London School for Boys; Leeds University (1998, LLB Hons).
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Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- ‘David has a brilliant understanding of immigration law and its complexities.'