Source: https://gcnchambers.co.uk/barrister/ian-macdonald-qc/
Timestamp: 2019-08-21 00:21:17
Document Index: 543407685

Matched Legal Cases: ['EWCA ', 'EWCA ', 'EWCA ', 'EWCA ', 'EWCA ', 'EWCA ', 'EWCA ', 'EWCA ', 'UKHL ', 'UKHL ', 'EWCA ']

Ian Macdonald QC | Garden Court North Chambers Ian Macdonald QC | Garden Court North Chambers
Immigration, Inquests and public inquiries, Public law (judicial review)
MA; LLB (Cantab); Grand Knight of the Order of Liberty (Portugal); Bencher of the Middle Temple
A giant of the field of immigration law. He is recognised as a leading author in this area.
He wrote his first book for Butterworths on immigration and race relations law in 1969. His book Macdonald's Immigration Law and Practice is now in its 9th edition and is the standard textbook used by immigration practitioners, immigration officials, adjudicators and judges.
Ian was born in Glasgow and remains committed to his Scottish heritage. Friends went to the Scottish Bar and prospered, but apart from reading for the English Bar in the Faculty of Advocates' Library in Edinburgh, and being in a Swiss law firm in Geneva, he has so far stuck to the English Bar, where he has built up a very successful practice. Ian started life at the Bar in a very establishment set, specialising in local government and planning law, and had done a bit of teaching at what is now Kingston University. Then he heard of a zany bunch of young radicals who had set up shop in Lincoln's Inn just after finishing pupillage, and rushed to join them. Thus began Garden Court Chambers in 1974. Ian went on to become joint head of Garden Court Chambers and then also became the first Head of Garden Court North Chambers when it was founded in 1996.
Ian’s immigration practice continues to cover the whole field of immigration law, both court work and advice. Ian has been instructed in many of the well-known anti-deportation campaign cases and has been counsel, both as junior and as silk, in numerous reported immigration cases from Immigration Appeal Tribunal level up to the House of Lords, and has been to Strasbourg and to the European Court in Luxembourg.
Ian is regularly instructed privately to provide advice and representation in immigration matters, including revocation of sponsorship licenses of educational institutions, the position of students at these colleges, students accused of using a proxy to take their English language tests, loss of sponsorship licences by employers, penalty charges for illegal employment, Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) and (Investor) applications, Tier 2 (General) applications by or on behalf of workers and advice to football clubs and other sporting bodies about options for overseas players.
In 1998 he was appointed by the Attorney General as special advocate to the Immigration Appeals Commission dealing with national security cases, and acted in that capacity in both pre and post 9/11 appeals. He resigned in December 2004 in protest against the indefinite detention powers without trial imposed by the Anti Terrorism Crime and Security Act 2001, and has since acted in control order appeals.
Ian has always undertaken inquest work, acting for bereaved families, since the early days of his practice, appearing at St Pancras Coroners’ court on an almost weekly basis in the 1960s. In 1981 he represented families of those who had died in the Deptford fire and became famous for riding his bike from the inquest to the High Court to challenge rulings of the coroner. In 1987 he was appointed chair of an inquiry into racial violence in Manchester Schools, following the murder in the playground of 13-year-old Ahmed Ullah by another pupil. His widely proclaimed report was published in book form under the title Murder in the Playground. In 1998 he was leading counsel for Duwayne Brooks in the Lawrence Inquiry, helped to run community self defence on behalf of young Asian clients, who mobilised to resist attacks by racist mobs on their community in Burnley in 2002, and was briefed with Terry Munyard in autumn 2003 on behalf of the Sylvester family in the Inquest into the death under police restraint of the late Roger Sylvester. His recent cases include:
Ongoing inquest into death of victim shot by police in London which involves undisclosable secret information, which may make it impossible to hold an Article 2 (ECHR) compatible inquest; and
Ian undertakes judicial review work relating to immigration, prison law and other civil and criminal law cases.
FZ(China) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2015] EWCA Civ 550 (23 April 2015);
Iqbal & Dependants v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2015] EWCA Civ 169 (03 March 2015);
IA027072009 & Others [2014] UKAITUR IA027072009 (5 November 2014);
DC0000032013 & ors [2014] UKAITUR DC0000032013 (3 July 2014);
Warnborough College Ltd, R (on the application of) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2013] EWHC 3915 (Admin) (13 December 2013);
Warnborough College Ltd, R (on the application of) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2013] EWHC 1510 (Admin) (10 June 2013);
WGGS Ltd (t/a Western Governors Graduate School), R (on the application of) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2013] EWCA Civ 177 (08 March 2013);
Evans, R v [2013] EWCA Crim 125 (23 January 2013);
Anam, R (on the application of) v Secretary of State for the Home Department (No. 2) [2012] EWHC 1770 (Admin) (27 June 2012);
The Minister for Justice and Equality v Shannon [2012] IEHC 91 (15 February 2012);
Sultan of Pahang, R (on the application of) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2011] EWCA Civ 616 (25 May 2011);
Jeffers v The Labour Party [2011] EWHC 529 (QB) (10 March 2011);
MN (Tanzania), R (on the application of) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2011] EWCA Civ 193 (04 March 2011);
Anam v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2010] EWCA Civ 1140: Immigration Detention for mentally ill;
R v Mohammed and Others [2010] EWCA Crim 2400: Section 31 Asylum and Immigration Act 1999 as defence to criminal offence allegedly committed by refugees;
Acting for Liberty (intervener) in RB (Algeria) & Anor v Secretary of State for the Home Department: OO (Jordan) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2009] UKHL 10: HoL case in December 2008 on memoranda of understanding re alleged terrorists – Algerian (linked Abu Qutada case);
Acted for Sultan of Pahang in SS and Others (Sovereign immunity claim – Certificate conclusive) Malaysia [2009] UKAIT 00007: To decide whether the Sultan’s security and domestic staff were exempt from immigration control by reason of sovereign immunity;
Leading counsel in immigration Judicial Review alleging discrimination against Iraqi males within a certain age band in imposing the need to obtain entry clearance (Case settled 2009);
R v Husband and Biggs (Jan 2009): Another “Baby P” type case;
RB (Algeria) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2009] UKHL 10 (18 February 2009): Instructed by Liberty (Interveners) SIAC deportation orders, Article 3, Article 5 and Article 6 ECHR, validity of memoranda of understanding;
SS and Others (Sovereign immunity claim – Certificate conclusive) Malaysia [2009] UKAIT 00007 (11/02/2009): Where an appellant claims State immunity a certificate issued by the Secretary of State under section 21 of the State Immunity Act is conclusive and may not be questioned by the Tribunal;
Leading counsel in OO v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2008] EWCA Civ 747; [2008] Imm AR 747: Which overruled an earlier line of AIT decisions on consequences of students failing an exam or changing their courses;
Leading counsel in Abdi and Others v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2008] EWHC 3166 Admin: Unlawful detention policy for foreign criminals on release from their prison sentence;
Counsel for appellant where Secretary of State for the Home Department tried to use Memorandum of Understanding with China in a non-terrorist context (possible death penalty for corruption), settled in 2008 after protracted appeal and JR proceedings; and
Advised Libyan Abdelbaset Ali in his Appeal in the Scottish Courts in the Lockerbie bombing case (2008).
Macdonald’s Immigration Law and Practice (9th ed) with Ronan Toal and other members of the immigration team in Chambers;
2/10/12 – UK’s rejection of Afghan interpreter asylum bid (BBC Newsnight);
21/11/11 – Dereci (European citizenship) case commentary;
21/7/11 – “Exploitation” in the context of the offence of trafficking (Lexis Nexis Current Awareness);
New Nationality Law with Nicholas Blake (1984);
Race Relations: The New Law (1977);
Race Relations and Immigration Law (1969);
The Land Commission Act 1967 (co-author);
Resale Price Maintenance (1964);
Ian is on the editorial board of Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Law and was former consultant editor of Butterworth’s Encyclopaedia of Forms and Precedents; and Nationality and Immigration; and
Ian has written numerous articles on (inter alia) immigration, counter terrorism, race and employment law for New Law Journal, IDS Brief Supplements, Oxford Economic Law Review, Race & Class Today, the national media, Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Law and for journals in Canada and the United States.
Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association (President 1984 – 2013);
Administrative Law Bar Association;
Bar European Group; and
Ian’s Privacy Notice may be viewed by clicking here.
A vastly knowledgeable and highly respected silk who has a long history of assisting asylum seekers and others facing immigration and nationality issues. He offers a wealth of experience and routinely undertakes Tribunal, High Court and Court of Appeal work. Strengths: "He is the godfather of immigration. He's been doing it for decades, and he knows about every area. He's a stalwart in the industry."Chambers and Partners 2018
A giant of the field of immigration law. He is recognised as a leading author in this area.Chambers and Partners 2017
A heavyweight authority on immigration and nationality law.The UK Legal 500 2016
He is involved in the big, detailed cases on the important points.Chambers and Partners 2016
An innovator in the field.The UK Legal 500 2015
An incredibly accomplished silk who has a long history of working at the forefront of immigration law, having practised since the 1960s.Chambers and Partners 2015
The go-to person in extremely complicated cases.The UK Legal 500 2014
Ian Macdonald QC is the author of key immigration practitioners’ textbooks. His elevation to Senior Statesman status is in recognition of his long-standing contribution to the field of immigration law.Chambers and Partners 2013
His personal approach is valued by sources, ...his 'affable, outside the box style endears him to peers and clients alike'.Chambers and Partners 2009
The UK Legal 500 recommendations 2015