Sandra Akinbolu

Practice Areas

36 Public & Human Rights

Sandra is a skilful and experienced advocate, specialising in Immigration, Asylum, Nationality and Public law. Ranked as a Leading Junior by Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners, she is approachable, knowledgeable and committed to the interests of her clients.

Career

Call 2002

Professional Memberships

• Member Middle Temple Diversity and Equality Committee

• Member Middle Temple Access to the Bar Scheme

• ILPA

• ALBA

• Advocate

Work Highlights

Immigration, Asylum and Human Rights.

Sandra acts at all levels, from the advisory stage upwards, dealing with all aspects of public and private immigration work. She appears regularly in the Tribunal and Appeal courts, providing careful and professional representation in asylum, deportation, European and family cases. She also provides regular top quality advice on business immigration and nationality applications. Sandra is an experienced and popular trainer in this area, providing expert seminars for HJT, the leading provider of training in immigration and human rights law, as well as MBL, ILPA and Law Friends. She is a member of the ILPA European Subcommittee, and trains with ILPA. She is also the lead reviewer for Advocate, the Bar’s leading provider of pro bono work.

Public

Sandra has a busy judicial review practice, advising and appearing on refusals of fresh human rights and asylum claims, challenges to refusals to grant British citizenship, unlawful detention, challenges to age assessments, trafficking claims and the imposition of no recourse to public funds conditions, and injunctive relief for removals and administrative errors, amongst others. Sandra is a regular speaker at the HJT Judicial Review conference.

Direct Access

Sandra is Direct Access qualified, and accepts instructions in all areas of immigration, nationality and administrative law. Easily accessible and clear in her instructions, Sandra provides advice and representation to both individuals and organisations as appropriate. She is a compassionate and professional advocate for those negotiating the legal system.

Vulnerable clients

Sandra is committed to ensuring that vulnerable clients have a fair opportunity to have their voice heard. She is a Liaison Reviewer with Advocate, the Bar’s leading pro bono charity providing legal assistance, and works with UKGLIG, ILPA and various law centres to promote and protect the rights of the most vulnerable in society.

Industry Sector Expertise

Immigration, Asylum, Nationality and Public law.

Languages Spoken

Languages spoken: English, French & Spanish, with a working knowledge of Italian, Portuguese and Twi.

Experience

Notable cases

Patel (British citizen child – deportation) [2020] UKUT 45 (IAC) (29 January 2020) – British citizenship of a child is a relevant factor when assessing whether the ‘unduly harsh’ requirements of section 117C(5) are met. However, it is not necessarily a weighty factor; all depends on the facts.

OA (Nigeria) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2018] EWCA Civ 3042 (26 November 2018) – representing a vulnerable lesbian asylum-seeker, ultimately granted asylum in the United Kingdom. The Court of Appeal overturned a decision of the lower courts, directing that where expert psychiatric evidence has been provided in an asylum claim, it is relevant not simply to the risk relating to the Appellant’s health, but also as potential corroboration of the truth of her account.

Forrester v The Secretary of State for the Home Department [2018] EWCA Civ 2653 (29 November 2018)– challenging the decision of the UT to overturn a successful appeal against deportation. The Court of Appeal gave clear guidance as to the appropriate factors to balance in such a case.

Shehu, R (on the application of) v Secretary of State for the Home Department (Citizens Directive: no suspensive appeals) (IJR) [2016] UKUT 287 (IAC) – whether the SSHD has a right to remove a person claiming an EEA right of residence pending appeal.

Waqar, R (on the application of) v Secretary of State for the Home Department (statutory appeals/paragraph 353) ( IJR) [2015] UKUT 169 (IAC) (25 March 2015) – Sandra represented a person facing deportation, weeks after a change in the law defining ‘human rights claim’ for the purposes of the 2014 Immigration Act.