Claudia assists members of Chambers by carrying out expert legal research in all areas of law.
Claudia jointly won Legal Aid Support Staffer of the Year at the LAPG Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year Awards 2022.
Background
Claudia studied at Hertford College, Oxford (BA Hons Jurisprudence, 2010) and Harvard Law School (LLM International Human Rights, 2012).
She was called to the Bar by Inner Temple in October 2013 and completed her pupillage at Garden Court in October 2014. She was a practising barrister from 2014 to 2018, specialising in immigration and asylum law, before starting her present role in January 2018.
In addition to providing expert legal research and analysis to members of Chambers, Claudia also works closely with Breaking the Chains, a joint project of Shpresa and the Migrant and Refugee Children’s Legal Unit (MiCLU) at Islington Law Centre, to improve outcomes for asylum-seeking Albanian young people.
Claudia’s primary expertise is in immigration, asylum and nationality law. She is a co-General Editor of Macdonald’s Immigration Law and Practice, an Assistant Consultant Editor of the British nationality volume of Halsbury’s Laws of England, a contributor to Butterworths Immigration Law Service, and writes a regular column on immigration law for Legal Action magazine. She is also a contributor to the forthcoming 4th edition of Fransman’s British Nationality Law and the forthcoming new title Child Migration: Family and Immigration Laws.
In her current role, she also assists members of Chambers in other areas of law, including criminal law, housing law, education law, community care law, family law, inquests and inquiries, and actions against the police. In addition to her core work in England and Wales, she has been involved in numerous cases in other Commonwealth countries and British overseas territories. She has also been involved in parliamentary work and has drafted amendments that have been debated in both Houses of Parliament.
Claudia, who was formerly known as David, came out as a trans woman in 2024. Claudia, who has a diagnosis of autism, has a particular interest in the intersection of disability and asylum law. With Jennifer Blair of the Helen Bamber Foundation, She co-authored ‘Bridging a Protection Gap: Disability and the Refugee Convention’ in 2021. For many years, she has advocated for greater judicial recognition of the impact of disability on the asylum process.
Publications
Co-General Editor, Macdonald’s Immigration Law and Practice, 11th edition (forthcoming)
Contributor, Fransman’s British Nationality Law, 4th edition (forthcoming)
Contributor, Child Migration: Family and Immigration Laws (forthcoming)
Co-General Editor, Macdonald’s Immigration Law and Practice, 10th edition
Assistant Consultant Editor, Halsbury’s Laws of England, 5th edition, volume 4 (2020), British Nationality
Contributor, Butterworths Immigration Law Service
Author, ‘Trafficking and organised crime in Albania - May 2024,’ Garden Court Chambers news, 9 May 2024
Author, ‘Immigration case law: update’, Legal Action 2024, Feb
Author, ‘Immigration case law: update’, Legal Action 2023, Jul/Aug
Author, ‘Immigration case law: update’, Legal Action 2023, Feb
Author, ‘Immigration case law: update’, Legal Action 2022, Jul/Aug
Author, ‘Immigration case law: update’, Legal Action 2022, Feb
Author, ‘Immigration case law: update’, Legal Action 2021, Jul/Aug
Co-author with Jennifer Blair, ‘Bridging a Protection Gap: Disability and the Refugee Convention,’ Helen Bamber Foundation, April 2021
Author, ‘Immigration case law: update,’ Legal Action 2021, Feb, 32-35
Author, 'Trump’s State Department excludes key human rights issues from its reports', Garden Court Chambers News, Oct 2020
Author, ‘Immigration case law: update,’ Legal Action 2020, Jul/Aug, 40-43
Author, 'In search of justice for young Albanians - #RefugeeWeek2020', Garden Court Chambers News, June 2020
Author, 'Vietnam: risks of re-trafficking on return', Garden Court Chambers News, May 2020
Author, 'Albanian blood feuds: an update', Garden Court Chambers News, April 2020
Author, ‘Immigration case law: update,’ Legal Action 2020, Feb, 23-26
Author, “The Ghost of Human Rights Claims Past: Immigration Appeal Rights after Robinson,” Judicial Review, November 2019
Author, ‘Healthcare for British citizens in the EEA after a no-deal Brexit,’ Free Movement, September 2019
Author, ‘Immigration case law: update,’ Legal Action 2019, Jul/Aug, 20-23
Author, ‘Blood feuds: what happens when the Home Office shares information with the Albanian authorities?,’ Free Movement, June 2019
Author, 'Albanian boys and young men: the risk of trafficking and re-trafficking on return', Garden Court Chambers News (June 2019)
Co-Author, with Gurpinder Kaur Khanba 'A practical response to the surge in certification of asylum claims by Albanian nationals', Garden Court Chambers News (June 2019)
Author, 'Albanian asylum claims: our resource hub', Garden Court Chambers News (June 2019)
Co-Author, with Sadat Sayeed 'Immigration and Asylum Case Law in 2018 (Part 1): Developments in International Protection and Human Rights', Judicial Review, 24:1, 19-31 (May 2019)
Author, 'Albanian blood feuds and certification: a critical view', Garden Court Chambers News (April 2019)
Contributor, 'Macdonald's Immigration Law and Practice' (1st and 2nd supplements to the 9th edition)
Contributor, 'Butterworths Immigration Law Service'
Author, 'Briefing: how lawyers can help young people in the asylum system' (December 2018), Free Movement
Co-author with Sadat Sayeed, 'Immigration and Asylum Case Law since 2016 - A Complex Picture: Part 1', Judicial Review 22:3 (2017)
Co-author with Sadat Sayeed, 'Immigration and Asylum Case Law since 2016 - A Complex Picture: Part 2', Judicial Review 22:4 (2017)
Training and Seminars
In April 2024, Claudia chaired and spoke at Garden Court’s webinar ‘Neurodivergence Webinar Series: Part 6 - Neurodivergent Lawyers’.
In December 2023, Claudia delivered training for the Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association, ‘Habeas corpus,’ with Stephanie Harrison KC.
In October 2023, Claudia spoke at Garden Court’s seminar ‘Unsafe: Reality vs rhetoric on the frontline of refugee law’, in collaboration with Shpresa and Islington Law Centre.
In June 2023, Claudia delivered training for the Immigration Law Practitioners Association, ‘Home Office Asylum Refusal Letters: taking a child rights approach to dismantling reasons for refusals,’ with Anna Skehan of Islington Law Centre.
In March 2022, Claudia spoke at Garden Court's webinar 'Restricting Human Rights: Government Consultation on a Bill of Rights and Garden Court’s response', click here to view the recording.
In February 2022, Claudia organised and spoke at Garden Court's webinar 'Disability-focused Country of Origin Information', in collaboration with Asylos.
In October 2021, Claudia spoke alongside Professor Leslie Thomas QC at a Gresham College lecture entitled 'The Immigration Act 1971: Celebrated or Flawed?'.
In April 2021, Claudia organised and spoke at Garden Court's webinar 'Disability & Asylum Law - Webinar with Helen Bamber Foundation & UNHCR'
In February 2021, Claudia spoke at MiCLU and Shpresa Programme's seminar 'The merits of Albanian asylum claims based on fear of domestic violence'.
In October 2020, Claudia spoke at MiCLU and Shpresa Programme's seminar 'The CPIN and assessing merits in Albanian claims'
In June 2019, Claudia organised and spoke at Garden Court's event 'No right of appeal: the mass certification of Albanian asylum claims', in collaboration with Shpresa and MiCLU.
In November 2018, Claudia organised and spoke at Garden Court's event 'By their side, on their side - Reviewing support arrangements for refugee claimants', in collaboration with Shpresa.
Awards
In 2022, Claudia was jointly awarded Legal Aid Support Staffer of the Year at the LAPG Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year Awards.
In 2018, Claudia was presented an award by Shpresa acknowledging her fantastic pro bono assistance to the organisation and the young people they assist.
Education
- BA Hons Jurisprudence, Hertford College, Oxford, 2010
- LLM International Human Rights, Harvard Law School, 2012
