Laura Dubinsky

Before coming to the Bar, Laura Dubinsky worked as a senior trade union campaigner in the United States and Canada with UNITE, the North American textile and garment workers' union. She directed large-scale campaigns for trade union recognition and collective agreements and instructed lawyers in litigation, including class action litigation over wage and hour violations against the clothing manufacturer Guess Inc. Much of her work was with first generation immigrant workers, and specifically with undocumented workers. She has published numerous articles on trade union organisation and immigrant workers; employment protections for undocumented workers in the United States; corporate codes of conduct in the garment industry; and UK statutory recognition procedures for trade unions.

Laura specialises in immigration law and immigration-related civil actions for damages and judicial review. She is currently acting in a number of judicial reviews and civil claims for damages challenging the detention under Immigration Act powers of families with children; adults in criminal deport cases; and mentally ill asylum-seekers.

She was instructed in M v SSHD [2006] EWCA Civ 798 (successful reasons challenge in asylum case) and was junior counsel in S and Others v SSHD [2007] EWHC 1654 (Admin) (successful challenge to the immigration detention of a family with children).

Laura was also instructed as junior counsel by a consortium of human rights organizations intervening in A and Others v SSHD [2005] UKHL 71 (inadmissibility of evidence obtained under torture). She was also junior counsel for the Interveners in both the Court of Appeal and House of Lords in Ronald Jones & Others v Saudi Arabia [2006] UKHL 26 (sovereign immunity and claims against foreign states over torture).

Laura is one of the contributing authors to the Blackstone's Guide to the Asylum and Immigration Act 2004 and also to Labour Migration and Employment Rights (Institute of Employment Rights).

She maintains a strong interest in prison law as well as in the cross-over between immigration and employment law (the employment rights of migrants).

Last updated - July 2007

Year of Call

2002

Education

BA (Oxon); MA (Columbia University NYC); CPE

Languages

French, Portugese, Spanish

Email Address

l.dubinsky@doughtystreet.co.uk

Specialist Teams

Laura Dubinsky is a member of the following specialist law teams:

• Actions Against the police
• Employment and Discrimination
• Human Rights
• Immigration
• International Law Group
• Public and Administrative Law