Awards and Recommendations for Maria Thomas
‘Maria Thomas is a superstar. She is fiercely bright and able to see the big picture. She brings total commitment to her cases.’
Legal 500 2025 Edition.
Administrative and Public Law / London
"Maria Thomas is a superstar. She is fiercely bright and able to see the big picture. She brings total commitment to her cases" - Legal 500
"Maria is a legal aid star – magic circle service for her vulnerable and disenfranchised clients, a joy to work with, a ferocious litigator and a winner. In short, an inspiration." – Senior Counsel, Matrix Chambers.
I am a Solicitor and Supervisor within the Public Law and Immigration departments at Duncan Lewis Solicitors. In 2024 I was recognised as a 'Recommended Lawyer' by the Legal 500. In 2021 I was shortlisted for Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year in the Public Law category. I am driven by a desire to provide the best possible service to those most marginalised, and am highly committed to securing justice on behalf of my clients.
I am leading Duncan Lewis' legal team in the Cranston Inquiry, in which we are instructed by the families of 24 of the victims and a survivor of the 2021 Channel disaster, when a migrant boat sank in the Channel between England and France, resulting in the biggest loss of life in the Dover straits in over three decades. Following pressure exerted on the Secretary of Transport by our legal team on behalf of the families for more than two years, the Cranston Inquiry https://cranston.independent-inquiry.uk/, was set up in January 2024 to investigate the events of that night. The Inquiry is chaired by Sir Ross Cranston who will conduct an to ascertain who the deceased were and when, where and in what circumstances they came by their deaths; consider what further lessons can be learned and, if appropriate, make recommendations to reduce the risk of a similar event occurring.
In 2023 I developed a challenge to the Modern Slavery Statutory Guidance in respect of Public Order Disqualification, which led to the policy being withdrawn in January 2024. The new policy requires the Secretary of State to undertake a risk of re-trafficking assessment prior to making a POD decision, offering a critical layer of protection to victims https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/jul/26/home-office-ordered-to-change-rules-that-restrict-help-for-trafficking-victims.
In 2021 I led a challenge to the Secretary of State for the Home Department’s secret policy of truncating screening interviews (DA & Ors v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2020] EWHC 3080 (Admin) (13 November 2020), which had led to large numbers of trafficking victims being removed under the old Dublin III regime, without their trafficking claims being investigated. Later, as a result of DA & Ors, the Secretary of State was compelled by the Court to return an individual who had been removed to France pursuant to the secret policy (AA (Sudan) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2021] EWHC 1869 (Admin).
In addition to my work as a solicitor I am a PhD candidate at University of Nottingham at the politics school. My research is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, and is looking at the tension between the state's legitimate interet in immigration control and its domestic and international obligations to protect all victims of modern slavery and assist their recovery regardless of criminality and immigration status.
I am part of the Care Standards Advisory Group chaired by the Human Trafficking Foundation, which is providing advice and guidance in respect of the ongoing updates to the Care Standards.