Year of Call: 2000
(Former solicitor - admitted 1990)
Immigration Judge (P/T - 2006)
Rita is an associate tenant at Mansfield Chambers.
Background
Rita’s motivation for a career in Law arose from her extensive campaigning background on equality and anti-discrimination issues.
Prior to being invited to join Tooks Chambers in 2000 where she completed a successful transfer to the Bar she had already gained over 12 years experience as a former Solicitor/Partner, specialising in Asylum, Immigration and Nationality, aswell as social welfare law cases, to include homelessness, domestic violence and abuse claims.
Having completed her solicitors training with Seifert Sedley Williams, a renowned civil liberties firm, where she was privileged to have been trained by late Larry Grant, in 1990 she went on to successfully found an Immigration Dept. within a large established legal aid firm in Newham, (E. Edwards Son & Noice, now, Edwards Duthie) taking quality specialist advice and assistance to a deprived London Borough with a growing immigrant and refugee population. Her role in the implementation of case management structures and her own reputation for uncomprised high quality case work resulted in the firm becoming one of the first to achieve recognition for its high quality representation in the field through the award of a Legal Aid Immigration franchise in 1994. Her experience of working within and with community organisations continues to inform her pragmatic, firm but sensitive approach to her cases.
As a Barrister she is particularly recognized by her instructing solicitors for her understanding of the importance of, and challenges in effective preparation and for her high success rate at first instance resulting from her commitment and determination to securing a positive outcome for traumatized and vulnerable clients at the earliest possible opportunity. She is also regularly instructed in representing claims under the PBS scheme and EU Regulations.
Rita’s extensive knowledge and skills derived as a former specialist solicitor together with her previous experience in recruitment; supervision and training in all areas of Immigration and Asylum law continue to be expertly utilised in her work as a Barrister representing the most disadvantaged in society, and, since 2006, through her appointment as a part time Judge of the First Tier Tribunal (Immigration & Asylum Chamber). Rita is one of the founding members of Mansfield Chambers which was established in October 2013.
Her longstanding history as an immigration specialist together with her campaigning and management background provides Rita with a strong foundation from which to advocate on behalf of vulnerable individuals, women and young people in an extensive range of immigration/social/public law challenges.
Areas of practice
Rita practices in Administrative/Public Law, specialising in all areas of Asylum, Immigration, EEA (freedom of movement) law and cross jurisdictional areas with an emphasis on vulnerable persons, gender and family/children’s issues.
Publications and Training
Rita has been a Contributor to the Legal Action Group Immigration Updates.
Rita has routinely provided legal training seminars to include to the OISC, Legal Aid Board/LSC on best practice and to ‘Legal Snapshot’ training seminars on new developments in immigration and asylum law.
Appointments
Immigration Judge (2006)
Present – P/T Judge of the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration & Asylum Chamber).
Qualifications
PG Dip European Law – Kings College London
Law Society Finals (LSF) (London)
Common Professional Examination (CPE) (London)
BA (Joint Hons) Sociology & Government – University of Essex
Other relevant information
Punjabi (fluent spoken); Urdu & Hindi
Basic French & Turkish
Enjoys socialising, travelling, photography and spending quality time with her family.