The ones to watch

Linda Tsang tracks the careers of five rising stars at the Bar and findsout why their

instructing solicitors rate them.Laurie FransmanTwo Garden CourtCalled to the Bar:

1979Professional achievements/associations:Co-founder and first chair of the Immigration

Law PractitionersAssociation, now executive member. Publications include British

NationalityLaw and the 1981 Act (1982) and Fransman's British Nationality Law (1989).Has

lectured and given training courses in the UK and the US on immigrationand nationality,

and is nationality law consultant to Halsbury's Laws ofEngland.Areas of

practice:Administrative law, immigration and nationality.What others say about him:A

number of solicitors express surprise that he has not yet taken silk."He is a whiz on

nationality, and is streaks ahead of anybody," onesolicitor says. He is recommended on

all immigration and nationalitymatters, but is particularly noted for employment and

self-employment inrelation to European law, as well as British nationality law. There

is alsoa particular emphasis on other areas, such as investment and conflict oflaws, and

he has also acted in cases involving Hong Kong, the US andeastern Europe.Solicitors in

this area look for counsel with a very broad and deepknowledge of the field, but just

as important is the fact that "he is goodwith individuals and also gives good practical

advice". He is "wellestablished", say many, "certainly very senior" and "one of the

select fewthat are always instructed - he is the key man in this field".Jim

GillespieEnfield ChambersCalled to the Bar: 1991Professional

achievements/associations:Founder member of the Immigration Law Practitioners

Association, andmember of the executive committee 1985-1992. Managing editor of

Tolley'sImmigration and Nationality Law and Practice. Also conducts trainingcourses in

immigration law for solicitors.Areas of practice:Specialist advice and representation

in all aspects of immigration andnationality law, including asylum.What others say about

him:He has experience at all levels, before adjudicators, the ImmigrationAppeal

Tribunal, judicial review and the Court of Appeal.He is described as "excellent, very

sturdy and steady and has a wealth ofinformation in his head and at his fingertips".

Another solicitor mentionsthat his previous work for the Joint Council for the Welfare

of Immigrants,representing clients in the Immigration Appeal Tribunal, means that he

is,"without doubt, an excellent advocate, and he appreciates how to deal with[clients]

sensitively".Another enthuses: "He is one of that generation of specialist

immigrationbarristers who are lateral thinkers and imaginative, and with hisexperience

and background with the Joint Council, he brings more than justlegal knowledge and

expertise to a case."Raza HusainTwo Garden CourtCalled to the Bar: 1993Professional

achievements/associations:Member of the Immigration Law Practitioners Association,

Industrial LawSociety, Society of Black Lawyers, Haldane Society, Justice. He assisted

inthe drafting of Justice's submissions to Parliament on the 1992 AsylumBill, and has

conducted training on basic immigration law, asylum andjudicial review for the Society

of Black Lawyers. He is a member ofJustice's European Monitoring Group and does regular

casework for FreeRepresentation Unit in immigration, employment and personal injury

law.Areas of practice:Immigration (all levels, with particular emphasis on judicial

review), allareas of employment, and civil litigation, including professionalnegligence,

breach of contract, civil actions against the police andpersonal injury.What others say

about him:One leading immigration solicitor who has "been briefing him since he wasa

baby barrister" says: "He is one of my first choices, especially if thejob is

complicated and the case needs an amount of imaginative thought."Another solicitor says:

"It's obviously a great advantage that he canspeak fluent Urdu and Hindi, but that is,

of course, incidental, as not allclients are necessarily from there."Another adds: "The

main thing is that he has a very sharp mind, and Ithink that he was one of the brightest

of that year. I would certainly putmy money on him."Another agrees that he is

"particularly bright", but that quality also hasto combine with approachability. The

solicitor goes on to say: "I want abarrister who will win my case, which is what you are

looking for, but theyhave to be approachable as far as instructing solicitors are

concerned -there is no point in counsel being brilliant if you can't deal with them,or

they don't listen to you."Richard ScannellTwo Garden CourtCalled to the Bar:

1986Professional achievements/associations:Member of the Haldane Society. Organises and

runs courses and lectures onimmigration law for the Immigration Law Practitioners

Association, and is asometime lecturer in immigration administrative law at the

University ofEast London.Writes for and is on the editorial board of Immigration

&Nationality Law and Practice. Writes quarterly for Legal Action on recentdevelopments

in immigration law.Areas of practice:Immigration and nationality law, specialising in

judicial review andrepresentation at all levels in all areas.What others say about

him:As a senior junior he is "obviously very well-established", and is "verybright and

particularly good with clients, which are the qualities I amlooking for in this

area".Another is more enthusiastic in his recommendation: "He is just the topsand

fabulous. He stands out in an area of law where you are looking forlateral thinking in

how to do the best for your client - you are lookingfor ways to do the best for a client

who is in a desperate situation, andthe barrister has to find a new interpretation of

the law. He is one of afew immigration barristers who are not hidebound, but are willing

to lookat other legislation and incorporate, for example, international andexternal law

in their consideration of a case."John WalshPlowden BuildingsCalled to the Bar:

1993Professional achievements/associations:Member of the Immigration Law Practitioners

Association, AdministrativeLaw Bar Association, Education Law Association, Bar European

Group.Areas of practice:Immigration and nationality law and judicial review.What others

say about him:"He stands out because he is hard-working, persistent and approachable."As

a more general comment, one solicitor says: "Immigration is a difficultarea, you

frequently have a client who is in desperate straits, so you needsomeone who will go

that extra mile, and that extra mile is both inintelligence and in coming up with good

points, but also having thejudgement to know when the point is not a good one and not

waste time onit. Walsh is one of a select group that will go that extra distance."He has

recently been involved in two cases on European Union law referredby the English courts

to the European Court of Justice on Article 59 on theprovision of services in the EU,

and a case involving the freedom of aTurkish businessman to establish himself in the UK

under the Turkey-ECAssociation Agreement.Another solicitor puts forward the theory that

a number of barristers dowell in this area because they have experience in other areas

beforepractising law. In Walsh's case, he was a secondary school teacher andschool

headmaster before studying law, "which makes him more well-rounded,with experience of

the world".The top five silks...Nicholas Blake QC'An all-round star with a razor-sharp

mind'Andrew Nicol QC'An obvious choice, with tremendous commitment'Ian MacDonald QC'Use

when things are desperately difficult'Nigel Pleming QC'Recommended for public and

administrative law'David Pannick QC'He has a high profile and deservedly so'