Rory O'Ryan

"A 'clever and committed' practitioner"

Chambers and Partners 2007

"...extremely thorough and clear in his advice"

Chambers and Partners 2011

"has an ‘astute eye for detail and technical arguments relating to the Immigration Rules and EEA Regulations’.”

Legal 500 2011

Practice

Public law
Rory acts in judicial review proceedings in areas including immigration and asylum, asylum support, homelessness and allocations, and community care. Includes experience of applications for interim injunctive relief, by urgent paper application, telephone application, and, since the regionalisation of the Administrative Court, by way of without notice applications in person.

Immigration
Rory has fifteen years’ experience in the asylum and immigration field, having previously worked as Legal Officer for the Refugee Legal Centre before being called to the Bar. He has considerable experience of conducting asylum, human rights, PBS and entry clearance appeals at first instance and on appeal/reconsideration, and has appeared in the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.

Rory deals with increasing numbers of appeals against deportation following the introduction of automatic deportation of ‘foreign criminals’ by the UK Borders Act 2007, under which such persons must be deported unless contrary to the Refugee or ECHR conventions or EC law. He deals with deportation cases involving serious criminal offences including manslaughter, rape and other serious sexual offences, and cases involving supply of class A drugs.

Rory also has considerable experience of bringing judicial review challenges against refusals by the Secretary of State to accept fresh claims for asylum.

Social Welfare and Housing
Rory acts in both public and private residential landlord and tenant possession proceedings, in particular arising from neighbour nuisance; disrepair claims including claims for personal injury; unlawful eviction; anti social behaviour injunctions; homelessness, including appeals to the county court; and judicial review of housing authority decisions.

Rory has been instructed by the Official Solicitor in cases where a party lacked mental capacity, and has appeared in the Court of Protection in relation to proceedings under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Rory has experience in asylum support cases, and is developing his experience in community care law. Rory has also appeared as Counsel before the Social Security Appeal Tribunal (now the Social Entitlement Chamber of the First Tier Tribunal).

Rory is a regular speaker at training seminars on public, housing and immigration law.

Notable cases

• Mahad (previously referred to as AM) (Ethiopia) v Entry Clearance Officer [2009] UKSC 16 – third party support and joint sponsorship in settlement entry clearance cases (> news story / judgment ) on appeal from AM (Ethiopia) & Ors & Anor v Entry Clearance Officer [2008] EWCA Civ 1082 > news story / judgment
• AA (Somalia) v Secretary of State for the Home Department : AH (Iran) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2007] EWCA Civ 1040; [2007] All ER (D) 395 (Oct) (different appellants with closely related factual circumstances) > judgment
• SA and IA (Undocumented Kurds) Syria CG [2009] UKAIT 00006 (02 February 2009) (notable country guidance case.) Rory O’Ryan appeared for SA.
• NB and JN (right of permanent residence) France [2007] UKAIT 00039

Recommendations

Regional Bar - Northern Circuit - Regulatory and Public Law (2011) "Rory O’Ryan has an ‘astute eye for detail and technical arguments relating to the Immigration Rules and EEA Regulations’.” (Legal 500 2011) more

Leading Junior in Immigration : Northern (2011) " Rory O'Ryan is "extremely thorough and clear in his advice," Chambers & Partners 2011 more

Leading Junior in Immigration : Northern (2010) "Rory O'Ryan has extensive immigration experience, having previously worked as a legal officer for the Refugee Legal Centre (now Refugee and Migrant Justice), before being called to the Bar." Chambers & Partners 2010 more

Leading Junior in Immigration : Northern (2009) "Rory O'Ryan is another of the set's acknowledged immigration experts, and has grabbed his share of the limelight recently due to his work in cases involving Somali asylum seekers." Chambers & Partners 2009

Leading Junior in Immigration : Northern (2008) "Rory O'Ryan is especially adept at cases involving Somali asylum seekers and demonstrates a solid base of immigration knowledge" Chambers & Partners 2008.

Leading Junior in Immigration : Northern (2007) "New entrant Rory O'Ryan's practice encompasses all aspects of asylum, immigration and nationality law including human rights and entry clearance cases. His previous experience as legal officer for the Refugee Legal Centre was described as being 'a beneficial tool in his box.' A 'clever and committed' practitioner, he also displays particular expertise in Somali asylum cases." Chambers & Partners 2007 more

Articles and media comment

> 28/3/11 - Should Further Submissions be Treated as Fresh Claims? (Lexis Nexis Current Awareness)

Professional Associations

Housing Law Practitioners Association

Northern Administrative Law Association

Background

Five years' experience of Adjudicator and Tribunal hearings prior to call to the bar, as Caseworker and subsequently Legal Officer at Refugee Legal Centre, London (1995-2000). Prior to that, several years employed as Welfare Rights Worker, including employment in Liverpool City Council Welfare Rights Unit, and London East AIDS Network.

Pupillage at Arden Chambers, and Mitre House Chambers, London.

Tenant of Garden Court North Chambers since 2002

Publications

Contributed to Terrence Higgins Trust Guide to Benefits for People with HIV/AIDS.

Contributor to Macdonalds Immigration Law and Practice, 8th Edition (forthcoming, 2010)

Languages

Spanish (fluent), French (basic).