News

Public law director James Packer will be providing training on immigration cases in the Court of Appeal and litigation funding by Conditional Fee Arrangements (CFA) and Damages Based Agreements (DBA) to immigration lawyers in association with the Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association (ILPA).

The specialist course will look at all aspects of running immigration cases in the Court of Appeal, covering both statutory appeals from the Upper Tribunal of the Immigration Asylum Chamber, and appeals in judicial review cases of all kinds. The session will address permission to appeal, the second appeals test, the developing doctrine of the Upper Tribunal as a ‘specialist tribunal’ and the implication that has for Court of Appeal cases, and procedural issues including the approach of the Court of Appeal to provide interim relief in various kinds of appeal.

The course will also cover costs and funding issues, which are likely to be of particular importance to practitioners who must adapt to the changing legal aid landscape, and tactics.

James will be joined by Tim Buley QC from Landmark Chambers and together they will be covering the following topics:

• Court of Appeal procedure


• Interim relief: when is it needed and what is the approach of the Court of Appeal?


• Second appeals test


• The Upper Tribunal as a specialist tribunal


• Cost and funding


• CFAs and DBAs


• Tactics

James’ expertise in this area will be a great benefit to those attending the session, he has extensive experience handling cases at the Court of Appeal and has particular interest in funding and costs matters, having contributed a chapter on costs to the practitioner handbook ‘Criminal Judicial Review’.

James was also successful in a judicial review against the Lord Chancellor, challenging the blanket refusal to provide legal aid funding for judicial reviews where permission was refused on the papers. The result of this challenge will assist legal aid providers representing some of the most vulnerable in society and should, in turn, enhance access to justice.

The training will take place on 11th February 2020 in London and is open to all immigration lawyers – both members and non-members of ILPA - conducting work in statutory immigration appeals in the tribunal system, judicial review work of all kinds, and civil claims for false imprisonment.

Full course details can be found at the ILPA website.


About James Packer

James Packer is a public law director at Duncan Lewis Solicitors based in the Dalston office. He is a Recommended Lawyer in the 2020 edition of The Legal 500 for his human rights, appeals, and overstay work in London. He litigates across a broad range of areas and regularly conduct test cases concerning issues that involve; access to the courts, unlawful detention, enforced removals from the United Kingdom, challenges to
decisions to refuse legal aid and associated litigation.

Contact James on 020 7275 2772 or at jamesp@duncanlewis.com