Avril regularly appears in appeals before the First-Tier Tribunal, particularly in claims based on sexual orientation and political opinion. Avril has considerable experience working with vulnerable clients and draws on her knowledge in mental health and mental capacity law in this regard. Avril is also instructed in age dispute/age assessments for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, Avril hopes to develop her practice across the full range of personal and business immigration law.
Asylum and Humanitarian Protection
Avril has appeared in protection appeals in the First-Tier Tribunal involving a broad range of States including Cameroon, Iraq, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India, Cameroon, Albania, Vietnam, Iraq, and Iran. Avril also appears in claims involving victims of trafficking and modern slavery
Bail Applications, Human Rights Appeals and Deportation and Removals
Avril regularly appears on behalf of immigration detainees in bail hearings before the First-Tier Tribunal. Avril has also appeared in human rights appeals before the First-Tier Tribunal against the Entry Clearance Officer and in the First-Tier Tribunal against removal decisions under the EEA Regulations 2016. In approaching these cases, Avril’s knowledge of prison law, including questions of risk management such as the interpretation of OASys reports, is an asset.
Previous experience
Avril has gained extensive experience in the field of public law and human rights. Avril has worked in human rights NGOs and legal advice centres in Germany, Bolivia, the UK, and the Netherlands, including the AIRE Centre where she advised on family reunification and the Citizenship Directive. Through this work, Avril has developed skills for dealing with vulnerable clients, particularly in the fields of LGBT rights, immigration and asylum, access to healthcare, anti-discrimination, and violence against women. Before joining Chambers, Avril taught in the LL.M programme at the Walther Schücking Institute for Public International Law.
Avril is contactable out of hours and is always happy to assist charities and NGO’s on a pro-bono basis.
Avril speaks fluent Irish and German and has a working knowledge of French and Spanish
Memberships
Secretary of the Human Rights Lawyers Association
Executive committee member, Inner Temple Junior Bar Association
Qualifications
LLB Law and German Trinity College Dublin
LLM Public International Law University of Amsterdam
MSc. European Integration and Development Vrije Universitat Brussels (Free University of Brussels)
PhD Candidate Walther Schucking Institute for Public International Law, Germany
