News
30 06 2022
High Court rules Home Office’s Special Development Order granting itself permission for asylum…
His practice is broad and includes matters involving human rights, equality, education, community care, immigration, housing, pollution, climate change and information law.
On the public law side his clients include individuals (including vulnerable children, destitute asylum seekers, migrants, homeless persons, and persons with disabilities), and public bodies such as state schools.
Alex is ranked in the Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners for environmental law. His clients include include NGOs and campaigners such as ClientEarth, the Environmental Law Foundation, Extinction Rebellion activists, Fossil Free London, the Good Law Project, Friends of the Earth, Rights: Community: Action, the RSPB, WWF-UK, and Urban Squirrels.
On the planning side his clients include individuals, community groups, local authorities, consultants and developers. He is one of Planning Magazine’s top-rated junior barristers under 35.
Notable work includes:
Alex accepts direct access and pro bono instructions where appropriate. He is a legal reviewer for the charity Freedom From Torture.
Alex has a doctorate in public international law from Cambridge, as well as law degrees from Oxford and LSE. During his doctorate he researched the legality of military intervention in civil wars. His previous work experience includes teaching economics, working in a secure prison, and working at the Law Commission on its driverless cars project. In his spare time he enjoys films, video games, and Scandinavian heavy metal music.
Alex practices in all aspects of environmental law and is ranked in both of the main legal directories in this area. He is particularly interested in pollution, climate change and the overlap between equality law and planning.
Alex works with a variety of environmental NGOs and campaigners including Extinction Rebellion, WWF, Fossil Free London, Friends of the Earth, ClientEarth, the Good Law Project, RSPB, the Environmental Law Foundation, Rights: Community: Action, and Urban Squirrels.
Notable instructions include:
Alex has advised on a varied number of environmental matters including genetically modified organism (GMO) legislation, neonicotinoid licensing, climate protests, EIA reform, endemic sewage pollution, and the Aarhus Convention. He has also advised on the implications of new public order legislation for climate protestors.
Alex has a broad public law practice and is regularly instructed in judicial review matters. He is often on the claimant side, but has also acted for Defendant local authorities, universities and educational institutions. Recently he has been instructed in public law cases involving elections, special educational needs assessments in schools, Housing Benefit, Universal Credit, asylum and immigration, age assessments and the vires of public authority actions. He has a particular expertise in judicial review claims relating to asylum accommodation and has been involved in many cases on behalf of asylum seekers.
Recent cases include:
Alex has a strong education law practice and been instructed on a variety of education matters. He advises individuals, schools, local authorities and the DfE. He is regularly instructed in SEN appeals and discrimination challenges in the First-tier Tribunal, involving issues such as whether an EHC plan should be made, choice of placement, overprovision, unreasonable public expenditure, and whether non-NHS approved treatments can be included in an EHC plan.
He often advises schools and local authorities on discrimination and equality issues.
He was instructed by Ofsted in a significant judicial review of a report brought by the educational establishment in question.
Alex has a keen interest in human rights, civil liberties and Equality Act issues. A lot of his work in this area is done on Legal Aid.
Notable work includes:
Alex regularly appears in immigration and asylum hearings, in the First-tier Tribunal, Upper Tribunal and High Court. He has appeared in the Upper Tribunal in several deportation cases and has a particular expertise in cases involving the EEA Regulations.
He also regularly advises on unlawful detention and false imprisonment cases, including merits and quantum issues.
Alex has an in-depth knowledge of international law. During his PhD he taught students on the undergraduate international law module. His doctoral research considered issues such as terrorism, military intervention, self-determination, neutrality and the UN Charter. He has presented his research at several academic conferences and at the UK Law Commission. His research on civil wars was cited in Professor Gray’s International Law and the Use of Force (4th ed), the leading academic textbook on military intervention.
Alex has been instructed on cases involving international human rights obligations, the extra-territoriality of UK discrimination legislation and the UNHCR. He acted for the defendant in a challenge to a UK resettlement scheme for refugees fleeing Syria, in which the claimant argued too many Muslim were being admitted onto the scheme in breach of equality law and public international law (Led by David Blundell KC).
He has also provided advice on a variety of public international law matters, including:
Alex accepts planning instructions from individuals, community groups, local authorities and property developers, and regularly advises on a range of planning issues. He is often instructed as sole counsel against leading planning KCs in inquiries and judicial review/statutory review claims. He is one of Planning Magazine’s top-rated junior barristers under 35.
Notable cases include:
Alex’s briefing note on the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, written with Paul Brown KC, has been widely circulated and attracted a signed written response from the Secretary of State.
A lot of Alex’s planning work has an environmental element and can be seen under the environmental expertise tab.
Landmark's barristers often work at the intersection of our core practice areas; bringing a wide range of skills, knowledge and experience to bear on a particular dispute or issue facing a client.
Our focus is always on achieving the best possible outcome for our client. By viewing the client's objectives in a holistic way - and not purely through the lens of one rigidly-defined legal area - we deliver the best possible advice and representation in complex matters that engage multiple specialist areas of law.
Whether it's providing support as an individual cross-practice barrister or a cross-disciplinary team of Landmark counsel, we are able to draw on an outstanding array of complementary skillsets and knowledge bases. This often achieves a better result than instructing multiple barristers from different specialist sets. This also improves the quality of client care through increased levels of communication, quicker response times, and a coordinated approach to clerking and fees, made possible by our team-based cross-practice approach.
Please contact our practice management team for more information.
Alex chairs the Public Interest Litigation Group within chambers. Much of his work has a public interest element and involves legal challenges brought to further his clients’ wider campaigning objectives, as can be seen under the other tabs.
He accepts Legal Aid instructions and pro bono instructions in appropriate cases.
Aarhus Convention and Environmental Justice
Air Quality
Climate Change and Emissions Trading
Ecology and Biodiversity
Environmental Assessment (Environmental Outcomes)
Environmental Enforcement
Environmental information
Environmental Regulation
Habitats and Species
Nuisance
Pollution and Contaminated Land
Protection of the Countryside
Water
Wildlife
Education
Human Rights and Civil Liberties
Immigration
International
EU Law post-Brexit
Judicial Review
NHS, Health and Community Care
Development Plans and other planning policy
Green Belt
Heritage
Planning Appeals, Inquiries and Hearings
Planning Enforcement and Injunctions
Planning Judicial and Statutory Reviews
Residential
Public Interest Litigation
Energy
EU Law post-Brexit
Alex is a very dedicated barrister. He has strong analytical skills and an impressive work rate."
News
30 06 2022
High Court rules Home Office’s Special Development Order granting itself permission for asylum…
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News
19 04 2022
Secretary of State grants permission for major inner city regeneration scheme
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News
10 02 2021
Home Office abandons military barracks-style asylum camp at Yarl’s Wood
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News
18 03 2021
Government agrees to review of inaccessible shielding communications
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News
14 02 2023
Inspector upholds enforcement notice requiring demolition of dwelling almost 7 years after…
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News
17 02 2022
Disabled mum succeeds in 40k benefits appeal
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Planning High Court Challenges - Part 2
David Forsdick KC, Jenny Wigley KC (Joint Head of Chambers), Dan Kolinsky KC, Siân McGibbon, Nicholas Grant, and Alex Shattock
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Cases
R (Parkes) v SSHD [2023] EWHC 2580 (Admin)
Alex Goodman KC and Alex Shattock appeared on behalf of the Claimant, instructed by Deighton...
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Blog
09 08 2023
Aarhus
13 – The Aarhus costs rules: time for reform?
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Cases
High Court dismisses challenge to on-shore gas exploration project
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News
29 06 2023
Permission granted in post-Hillside challenge to large outline planning permission
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News
16 06 2023
Planning Magazine’s Law Survey 2023 features 36 Landmark barristers
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Blog
31 05 2023
Aarhus
8 - The Retained EU Law Bill and the Aarhus Convention
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Blog
05 04 2023
Aarhus
4 - Aarhus Basics No 1: What is Aarhus costs protection?
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Environment, Legal 500, 2024
Environment, Chambers and Partners, 2024
Research for Chambers UK Bar, 2022
Email to Chambers from solicitor client
Contact our friendly and helpful Practice Managers for more information about our barristers and services or to make an enquiry.