Public Law

One Pump Court has a strong reputation for specialising in claimant-based advice and representation in judicial review claims at all levels of the domestic court process. We specialise in providing advice and representation in relation to decisions of central and local government, particularly in the areas of immigration and human rights law, housing and community care law, social welfare law and crime/ prison law. We have a strong commitment to representing the most vulnerable in our society, including asylum seekers, other migrants facing the threat of removal, the homeless, and judicial-review applicants more generally.

We provide a comprehensive service in relation to public law litigation, covering every step in proceedings: pre-litigation advice; drafting documents; representation at Court; and advice on negotiation and resolution of claims after the commencement of proceedings.

As one of the leading sets providing advice and representation for publicly-funded clients, we also believe our strategic planning for the future will enable us to continue to grow, both in size and quality of work, despite the current challenges the legal aid sector undoubtedly faces.

Members of the team also regularly provide seminars on subjects relevant to this practice area as part of each team’s annual programme, and also contribute to practitioner associations (such as the Immigration Law Practitioners Association (ILPA), Housing Law Practitioners Association (HLPA), Refugee Legal Group (RLG)).

The members at One Pump Court are well equipped to to advise on areas of Family Law where the only remedy might be obtained through judicial review, such as challenging leaving care arrangements, challenging care plans where a court feels there is no alternative to a care order, challenging special guardianship and kinship provision and challenging decisions made by adoption bodies in relation to those seeking to adopt. The interdisciplinary structure of One Pump Court gives us a distinct advantage over family-only sets of barristers in cases such as these which invarialbly do not fall neatly and solely into what many would regard as traditional family law.

Members of our Crime Team and Prison Law Team specialise in: discretionary decisions/acts/omissions of the Police (such as arrest; bail, and formal cautions); Ministry of Justice, UKBA, Parole Board and CPS decisions, including decisions to prosecute and in relation to private prosecutions; and decisions affecting the liberty of the subject in contempt of court committal applications.

Important cases that the Crime and Prison Law Teams have been involved in include:

R (Manser) v Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis [2015] EWHC 3642 (Admin) (Challenge to an adult formal police caution for ABH).

R (Karia) v Chief Constable of Hampshire Police (References: LTL 17/12/2015 Extempore) (Successful challenge to police action and wider force policy regarding application of PACE Code of Practice to replies to caution in a non-arrest situation).

First Capital East Ltd v (1) Ilmi Plana (2) Arsim Plana [2015] EWHC 2982 (QB) (Successful resistance to application to commit an alleged fraudulent insurance claimant for contempt of court).

R (Karia) v UKBA (unreported) Leave to Appeal granted – hearing October 2016 (Challenge to UK Border Agency powers to stop and search/examine persons and luggage).

Wokingham Borough Council v (1) Leslie Tucker Dunn (2) Debbei Patricia Dunn (3) Leslie Thomas Dunn [2014] EWCA Civ 633 (Successful resistance of application to commit 3 Gypsies to prison for contempt of court).

R(Gujra) v CPS [2012] UKSC 52; [2013] 1 AC 484. (leading case on application of DP’s policy to take over a private prosecution and then discontinue it).

R (Ellerton) v SS for Justice [2010] EWCA Civ 906 (an ultra vires act rendered a prisoner’s release on licence incapable of ever having had legal effect).

R (Adams) Independent Police Complaints Commission [2013] EWHC 2650 (successful challenge to decision of IPCC to decision to grant a police force a dispensation from statutory complaints formalities in respect of a misconduct complaint).

R(Torres) v Commissioner of Police for Metropolis [2007] EWHC 3212 (test case on police powers to impose pre-charge bail conditions).

Members of our Housing and Community Care Team specialise in: refusals to provide interim accommodation; allocations policies; eligibility for homelessness assistance; provision of community care support and provision of support and accommodation to families and children.

Invariably such matters require urgent attention on short notice and out of hours and for this reason the team maintains a duty rota to ensure that we are best able to provide such assistance to those instructing us.

Important cases that the Housing and Community Care Team have been involved in include:

Sanneh and R (HC) and others v SSWP and others [2015] EWCA Civ 49 (representing HC, eligibility for welfare benefits for Zambrano carers, application for pta pending in Supreme Court in relation to appellant HC).

Camden LBC v Sharif [2013] HLR 16: Supreme Court (homelessness, meaning of ‘accommodation’; adequacy of discharge of duty)

Yemshaw v Hounslow LBC  [2011] 1 WLR 433: Supreme Court (definition of domestic violence in homelessness cases)

Makisi and others v Birmingham CC [2011] HLR 27: Court of Appeal (requirements to be followed by local authority in homelessness review process).

Akhtar v Birmingham CC [2011] EWCA Civ 383; [2011] HLR 28: Court of Appeal, (provision of reasons in homelessness decisions)

Members of our Personal Immigration Team and Business Immigration Team specialise in: fresh claim refusals (e.g. including asylum and rights under the ECHR); certification of claims preventing in-country appeals; duration of leave (particularly in relation to Article 8 ECHR); 3rd country removals; unlawful detention; jurisdictional issues arising in relation to rights of appeal; decisions under discretionary policies; naturalisation decisions; and provision of welfare support from central government and local government (including provision of support by the SSHD and disputed age assessments).

Important cases that the Immigration Teams have been involved in include:

R (Gudanaviciene and others) v DLAC and Lord Chancellor [2014] EWCA Civ 1622; [2015] 1 WLR 2247 (test case on challenge to the ECF legal aid scheme under LASPO 2012).

R (EM and others) v SSHD [2014] UKSC 12; [2014] 2 WLR 409 (test case on third country removal certification and Article 3)

R (O) v SSHD [2016] UKSC 19; [2016] 1 WLR 1717 (immigration detention and mental health)

R (BXS) v SSHD [2014] EWHC 737 (Admin) (in country rights of appeal for EU nationals and certification)

R (Essa) v UT and SSHD [2012] EWCA Civ 1718; [2013] Imm AR 622 (Cart JR challenge to refusal to grant permission to appeal by UT; relevance of rehabilitation to deportation for EU nationals).

R (otao Akturk) v SSHD [2017] WLR (D) 145; [2017] EWHC 297 (Admin)

R (Alliance of Turkish Businesspeople Ltd) v SSHD [2019] EWHC 603 (Admin)

R (otao Karagul and others) v SSHD [2019] EWHC 3208 (Admin)

R(Bal & Ors) v Secretary of State for Defence R(Bal & Ors) v Secretary of State for Defence [2022] EWHC 2757

Our interdisciplinary experience and expertise means that members of One Pump Court are well placed to advise, assist and represent families at inquests where it is essential that those appearing have a solid grasp of principles of criminal and civil law in order that matters are fully addressed in advance of any future criminal, disciplinary or civil proceedings for damages.

Members have a particular expertise in representing parties in proceedings where a public body has been involved in or associated with the death, such as deaths in custody and psychiatric establishments.

Members are well equiped to advise, assist and represent on all elements of planning law from any application both in advance and retrospective, through to challenging and defending enforcement action (whether through enforcement notices or breach of condition notices).

Members have a solid grasp of the principles in this field and are able to assist with the full range of cases that can arise. In addition they have a particular expertise in the more obscure and specialist fields where planning issues can arise such as Gypsy and Traveller cases, waterways matters and those relating religious institutions.



Barristers specialising in this area


Key Contacts

Senior Clerk
Ian Burrow

Practice Manager
Mycal Thomas

Assistant Practice Manager
James Rourke

Telephone 020 7842 7070, Out of hours emergency telephone 0777 423 8444 (solicitors only), Email clerks@onepumpcourt.co.uk