Blog
21 11 2023
Health and Social Care Law
Arrangements to limit and reallocate unaccompanied asylum-seeking children declared unlawful
Notable highlights of Miranda’s practice include:
Prior to joining Landmark, Miranda worked as the Judicial Assistant to Lord Kerr JSC at the Supreme Court. She has also worked at the European Court of Human Rights.
She is currently instructed on the Infected Blood Inquiry, led by Fiona Scolding KC.
Miranda is ranked in both public law and immigration:
Miranda was shortlisted for the Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year’s ‘Newcomer of the Year’ award in 2020. In 2022 Miranda co-founded the Ukraine Advice Project, which provides free legal advice for those fleeing the conflict in Ukraine. The Ukraine Advice Project has won numerous awards including the Pro Bono Initiative of the Year at 2022 Advocate Awards.
Miranda works in a broad range of public law areas, including unlawful detention, community care, healthcare provision, trafficking, and prison law. Much of her work involves strategic claims and policy challenges. She is regularly instructed in urgent judicial review claims and applications for interim relief. She is a member of the EHRC’s panel of counsel and is ranked in Chambers and Partners 2022 as an ‘up and coming’ public law junior.
Miranda deals with public law issues at all levels. She is instructed in the Supreme Court challenge to the £1,012 fee charged to children wishing to apply for British citizenship.
Miranda has particular expertise in policy challenges related to support and protection for victims of trafficking. She is currently led by Amanda Weston KC in the Court of Appeal in EOG v SSHD, in which the High Court found that the Home Office’s policy prohibiting potential victims of trafficking from working or enjoying leave to remain was unlawful. Miranda is currently led by Samantha Knights KC in a challenge to the lack of support given to victims of trafficking in initial accommodation provided by the Home Office.
Miranda is currently working on the Infected Blood Inquiry, instructed by Leigh Day with Fiona Scolding KC and Hannah Gibbs. They represent a large number of infected and affected individuals. Miranda has a particular interest in medical law issues as she teaches medical law at LSE University. She has written extensively on healthcare claims in the immigration context.
Some noteworthy cases include:
Civil Law
Miranda has an extensive background in a range of private law areas, including employment, commercial and negligence claims. She has worked across the spectrum of civil law proceedings both as a judicial assistant in the Supreme Court and in private practice.
This means that Miranda is particularly well-placed to advise on civil proceedings arising out of public law challenges, including false imprisonment and/or damages claims. She is regularly instructed on civil damages claims arising out of tortious acts in the prison and detention estate.
Miranda works on a broad range of human rights claims, including issues of unlawful detention, prisoners’ rights and freedom of expression litigation.
Miranda is a member of the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s Panel of Counsel.
Miranda has experience in litigation before the European Court of Human Rights, having acted for individuals and institutions in the Court.
She is currently instructed by a victim of trafficking challenging the UK’s failure to protect her in proceedings before the European Court of Human Rights
Miranda acted for JCWI in its 2021 intervention in Otite v UK, challenging the application of s. 117C of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 and its impact on the private and family life rights of those facing deportation.
Miranda represented several freedom of expression NGOs intervening in the case of Khadija Ismayilova v Azerbaijan, led by Can Yeginsu. In its 2019 decision, the Strasbourg Court agreed with the interveners’ submissions that the state of Azerbaijan had failed in its obligations not only under Article 8 ECHR, but also under Article 10, in that it had failed to protect the privacy of Ms Ismayilova, a journalist, which had a potential ‘chilling effect’ on freedom of expression.
In 2020, Miranda, led by Ben Douglas-Jones KC, represented an appellant to the ECtHR challenging his conviction on the grounds that he had been deprived of a fair trial.
She also worked for the interveners on Big Brother Watch v UK, a successful challenge to the bulk interception and processing of metadata by the UK and its data sharing with foreign states.
She was awarded the 2017 Pegasus Scholarship and spent three months working as a stagiaire in the UK division of the Court.
Miranda has a particular interest in prisoners’ rights, having previously worked with Reprieve and the Howard League for Penal Reform. She regularly handles both public and private law challenges on behalf of prisoners.
Some noteworthy cases include:
Asylum and Human Rights
Miranda practices in all areas of immigration, with a particular focus on asylum and human rights. She is regularly instructed in matters before the High Court, Upper Tribunal and First Tier Tribunal, including judicial reviews and urgent applications for interim relief. She is ranked in Chambers and Partners and the Legal 500 as a leading immigration junior.
Her practice encompasses asylum and human rights appeals with substantial experience of deportation, trafficking cases, the Points Based System and claims related to children. Miranda is regularly instructed in challenges to removal, including urgent injunctions. She has been involved in strategic and individual challenges to numerous charter flights.
In Miranda is a member of the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s Panel of Counsel. She is also a contributor to Macdonald’s Immigration Law & Practice.
Miranda is regularly instructed on strategic litigation, often including challenges to Home Office policy.
Miranda is currently instructed on a strategic challenge to the level of fees for children seeking to register or naturalise as British Citizens, in PRCBC and ors v SSHD in the Supreme Court, led by Richard Drabble KC.
Miranda also undertakes advisory work on a broad range of immigration-related issues, including naturalisation and citizenship issues.
Some noteworthy cases include:
Economic Migration
Miranda acts for individuals and institutions in relation to matters arising under the Points-Based System and other Immigration Rules routes. She also regularly advises economic migrants on administrative reviews and judicial reviews of Home Office decisions.
Miranda also has particular experience in representing Tier 4 visa holders. Miranda is a contributor to Macdonald’s Immigration Law & Practice (10th edition) and wrote the chapter on students. She is regularly instructed in matters affecting students, including challenges arising out of the English Testing Service scandal.
Miranda practices in community care law and accepts instructions in judicial review claims concerning community care provision, including support under the Children Act, Care Act, age assessment challenges and provision of accommodation and support to asylum seekers and victims of trafficking. She is highly experienced in handling urgent applications for interim relief.
Miranda has particular expertise in claims related to support and protection for victims of trafficking.
In 2021, Miranda appeared, led by Simon Cox, in a number of linked challenges to the Home Office’s failure to provide accommodation for failed asylum seekers during the pandemic, QBB et al v SSHD.
In 2020, Miranda appeared with Amanda Weston KC in EOG v SSHD [2020] EWHC 3310 (Admin), a successful challenge to the prohibition on working and lack of support for certain victims of trafficking. The High Court declared that the Home Office’s policy, which failed to provide any route to leave to remain or right to work for potential victims of trafficking, was unlawful.
Miranda has acted in a number of challenges that have led to beneficial changes in Home Office policy regarding the support given to victims of trafficking. She was instructed in NN & LP v SSHD, a successful challenge to the 45-day limit to support for recognised victims of trafficking. As a result of this litigation, the Home Secretary agreed to withdraw this challenge and remove the time limit which had previously been imposed on victims of trafficking seeking to access support. Miranda is currently led by Samantha Knights KC in a challenge to the level of financial support provided to victims of trafficking.
Miranda acted with Alex Goodman in YPG v SSHD, a challenge to the reduced levels of support available for victims of trafficking who are pregnant or have young children. The Home Office amended their policy as a result of this litigation, leading to higher rates of support for victims of trafficking.
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.
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A fantastic barrister, whose drafting is excellent and who really thinks of everything for her clients."
Blog
21 11 2023
Health and Social Care Law
Arrangements to limit and reallocate unaccompanied asylum-seeking children declared unlawful
Read more
Training - The Illegal Migration Act 2023 - Modern Slavery provisions
Miranda Butler
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Public Law
Public Law in 2023: Quarterly Re-cap
Samantha Broadfoot KC, Miranda Butler, and Charles Bishop
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News
12 07 2023
Landmark Chambers shortlisted for 17 awards at The Legal 500 UK Bar Awards 2023
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Cases
R (SPM) v SSHD | [2023] EWCA Civ 764
A number of policies regarding asylum support held to be unlawful. Alex Goodman KC and Miranda...
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News
26 06 2023
Judgment handed down regarding support for victims of trafficking
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Public Law in 2023: Quarterly Re-cap
Fiona Scolding KC, Miranda Butler, and Charles Bishop
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Blog
10 03 2023
Health and Social Care Law
Court of Protection refuses permission for posthumous sperm donation
Read more
The Impact of Paposhvili v Belgium: a country study (Journal of Asylum, Immigration and Nationality Law)
Immigration, Chambers and Partners, 2024
Administrative and Public Law, Chambers and Partners, 2024
Immigration (including Rating Law), Legal 500, 2024
Administrative Law and Human Rights, Legal 500, 2024
Administrative and Public Law, Chambers and Partners, 2023
Immigration, Chambers and Partners, 2023
Immigration, Legal 500, 2023
Administrative and Public Law, Chambers and Partners, 2022
Immigration, Chambers and Partners, 2022
Immigration, Legal 500, 2022
Immigration, Chambers and Partners, 2021
James Elliot, Partner, Wilson Solicitors LLP, 2020
Chai Patel, Legal Policy Director, JCWI, 2020
Contact our friendly and helpful Practice Managers for more information about our barristers and services or to make an enquiry.