Call: 2004 cp@onepumpcourt.co.uk
Specialist in
Experience
Claire specialises in Immigration, Public Law, Community Care, Modern Slavery and Trafficking. She is currently ranked in Legal 500 as a leading junior immigration practitioner. She has been “Recommended for trafficking cases”. She is instructed at all levels of the immigration and asylum process and in judicial review proceedings.
Claire is highly experienced in representing asylum-seekers, refugees and victims of Modern Slavery and Trafficking in appeals and judicial review proceedings. She has been involved in a number of test cases and obtained positive outcomes.
Claire is committed to representing vulnerable clients and often acts in cases involving individuals with mental health issues and children. She advises on Housing and support issues on behalf of immigrants, asylum-seekers, refugees and victims of trafficking, including children.
Claire has considerable expertise in Family Immigration cases. She is highly experienced in representing EEA nationals and their family members, including in deportation appeals concerning rights under the Withdrawal Agreement.
She provides expert immigration advice in proceedings before the Family courts.
She has an established practice in challenging as unlawful detention by the Secretary of State and in claiming damages before the County Court.
Claire has experience in Business Immigration and is able to provide specialist advice to solicitors, businesses and workers.
Claire regularly delivers training. Alongside her practice, she has worked as Training Lead and Consultant for the Anti-Trafficking and Labour Exploitation Unit (ATLEU) delivering training (from November 2022 to June 2024) on the legal rights and entitlements of survivors of modern slavery, including VTS leave. During this time, she contributed to the content on ATHUB and updated the advanced Trafficking course on Free movement.
Claire has also been involved in international work, representing asylum-seekers and refugees residing in the UK’s Sovereign Base Areas (“SBAs”) in the Republic of Cyprus. In 2011 she appeared before the Appeal Court of the SBAs in Episkopi, Cyprus.
She has an extensive background in Human Rights Law.
Prior to practising at the Bar, Claire completed a ‘stage’ at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg in 2005. She undertook internships at the International Criminal Court in the Hague, Netherlands, in 2004 and at the NGOs Justice and Redress in London in 2003.
She also worked as a paralegal on Criminal and Terrorism cases, in particular the 21/07/2005 Terrorism Case, from 2006-2007.
She went on to complete a pupillage in Immigration, Public Law and Crime.
She has extensive experience in Deportation and other Immigration cases involving a cross-over with Crime.
What the directories say
2023 Legal 500 “leading junior”
2020 Legal 500
“She is a leading junior immigration practitioner, with a particular expertise in Dublin return cases”.
2017 Legal 500
“Recommended for trafficking cases”
2016 Legal 500
“Her work includes a range of EEA matters including Dublin regulation issues”.
2015 Legal 500
“A leading junior immigration practitioner, and the clear market leader for Dublin return cases”.
Education
LLM in Human Rights Law King’s College London 2004-2005
Bar Vocational Course Inns of Court School of Law 2003-2004
LLB King’s College London 2000-2003
Scholarships:
Peter Duffy Scholarship awarded by Lincoln’s Inn for a ‘stage’ at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg 2005
ICC grant for an internship at the International Criminal Court in the Hague 2004
Hardwicke Scholarship Lincoln’s Inn 2003-2004
Professional Memberships
Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association (ILPA)
Bar Human Rights Committee (BHRC)
Refugee Legal Group UK (RLG)
Electronic Immigration Network (EIN)
Claire has previously authored articles for Freemovement : https://www.freemovement.org.uk/author/clairephyssas/
Languages
Greek (fluent)
French (intermediate)
Italian (basic)
Awards
Claire is ranked in Legal 500.
Key questions before the High Court and Court of Appeal included whether the SSHD had erred in refusing to recognise BG as a victim of trafficking and the role of the Court in victim identification.
Area of Law: Personal Immigration Asylum EU Law Human Trafficking Unlawful Detention Public Law Multidisciplinary Modern Slavery & Trafficking Team
— Read moreThis was an appeal against the decision of the First-Tier Tribunal, and in turn the Upper Tribunal
Area of Law: Personal Immigration Public Law
— Read moreThis case concerned a challenge to return to Malta under the Dublin Regulations based on a breach of the right to asylum under the EU Charter and the circumstances for asylum-seekers in Malta.
Area of Law: Personal Immigration Public Law
— Read moreThis is the first reported judgement concerning a challenge to removal under Dublin II on the basis of a breach of the public law duty of consistency.
Area of Law: Personal Immigration Public Law
— Read moreThis case concerned challenges to return to Cyprus under the Dublin II Regulation
Area of Law: Personal Immigration Public Law
— Read moreThis case concerned a challenge to return to Cyprus under the Dublin II Regulation.
Area of Law: Personal Immigration Public Law
— Read moreThe claimant challenged his return to the Netherlands from which he had previously been ‘refouled’.
Area of Law: Personal Immigration Public Law
— Read moreThe claimant successfully submitted that her claim for asylum amounted to a fresh claim.
Area of Law: Personal Immigration Public Law
— Read moreThe claimant, who was recognised as a refugee by UNHCR, challenged his return to Cyprus under the Dublin II Regulation on the basis of the circumstances for asylum-seekers in Cyprus.
Area of Law: Personal Immigration Public Law
— Read moreThe appellant successfully appealed to the UT on the basis that a valid application is not invalidated by the presence in the same envelope of an invalid application by a member of the same family.
Area of Law: Personal Immigration
— Read moreOne Pump Court has secured 30 rankings in the Legal 500 2025 guide! We are delighted with the incredible feedback received. Congratulations to everyone ranked
— Read moreClaire Physsas will be delivering a training session on Legal Challenges for legal representatives and support workers working with victims of trafficking
— Read moreOne Pump Courts Immigration team has been recognised again in this year’s Legal 500. 20 members across all our teams have been ranked individually.
— Read moreR (BG (ALBANIA)) V SSHD C4/2016/1722 – IN THE COURT OF APPEAL
— Read moreThe appellant, represented by Claire Physsas, successfully opposed the Secretary of State’s appeal to the Upper Tribunal.
— Read more