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Basic facts about the department
– 2 partners
– 5 other qualified lawyers
– Office location: Belfast

 

What the team is known for: Considerable experience representing claimants in domestic and international public law claims, often with a human rights crossover. Adept at judicial reviews, inquests and litigation before the ECHR. Notable for its strong track record handling historic claims arising out of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

 

Strengths (Quotes mainly from clients)

 

“Incredibly innovative about how they approach cases. They are usually ten steps ahead and always thinking outside the box. They think broadly and very strategically about cases.”

 

“An excellent team of lawyers. Their client care is second to none and when it comes to knowing the law, they know it really well.”

 

Work highlights: Successfully represented a group of 12 individuals, often referred to as the Hooded Men, in judicial review proceedings challenging the Northern Ireland government’s refusal to apply for the reopening of an ECHR case, which concerned interrogation techniques employed by the British government against the Hooded Men in 1971 and whether they could be considered as torture. The claimants sought to reopen the case in light of new evidence that the British government had previously misled the court.

 

Advised Rights Watch UK and The Pat Finucane Centre in relation to their intervention into Supreme Court proceedings concerning the application of Article 2 of the ECHR on decisions to hold a public inquiry into events preceding the introduction of the Human Rights Act, which would have significant ramifications for legacy claims relating to the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

 

Notable practitioners

Head of department Kevin Winters is described by sources as

 

“a force to be reckoned with. He has been working on cases for many decades and hasn’t lost an inch of passion. He is dedicated, bright, and his ability to stay on top of the law is amazing.”

 

Significant clients Relatives for Justice, Loughgall Truth & Justice Campaign.