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Adam practices in judicial review, human rights and civil claims against public authorities. He has experience of a wide range of fields, including discrimination, police, prisons, environmental challenges, social welfare, terrorism, children’s rights, immigration and trafficking. He has acted in important recent public law challenges involving the right to life, abortion, deprivation of citizenship, open justice, inquests, assisted suicide, data protection, pensions and welfare benefits.
Adam is an author of Discrimination in Public Law (LAG), Sweet & Maxwell’s Human Rights Practice, and Inquests – A Practitioner’s Guide (LAG). He was previously awarded Chambers & Partners human rights and public law junior of the year, and is called to the Bar in Northern Ireland and Ireland.
"Adam is measured and a really excellent advocate in court and really brilliant on strategy."- Chambers and Partners 2024
"Adam is an extremely intelligent advocate. He is able to distil complex questions of law into simple and understandable submissions."- Chambers and Partners 2024
"He is a superb advocate. He has impeccable judgement, he pushes his good points very well and he's got the trust of the court as a result."- Chambers and Partners 2024
"Adam Straw has such a great tactical brain but he never loses sight of the client's objectives."- Chambers and Partners 2024
‘He's a strategic marvel. He has outstanding judgement and knows just how far to push his submissions without losing the ear of the court.' - Legal 500 2024
‘Adam is an outstanding lawyer. A really first-rate barrister with outstanding legal research skills.’ - Legal 500 2024
‘Adam is a very astute and persuasive advocate. Never afraid of a novel argument.' - Legal 500 2024
'Adam is excellent: one of the best claimant silks out there. He has a beautifully understated style, never pushing too far but gaining the ear of the court with his reasonable and well-focused submissions. A really stylish advocate.’ - Legal 500 2024
"A first choice in relation to police shootings. A brilliant brain and a pleasure to work with." - Chambers and Partners 2023
"Adam is very bright and is able to handle very complex matters. His analysis and written work are excellent, he is very calm under pressure and he is very understanding of vulnerable clients." - Chambers and Partners 2023
"Dogged and effective advocate in front of difficult tribunals. Totally knowledgeable of his areas of expertise, inspires confidence with clients, and a good communicator with clients." - Legal 500 2023
"He puts in a phenomenal amount of work and is a vital member of legal teams. He is willing to push boundaries and cares about the outcome for clients." - Chambers and Partners 2022
"One of the superhuman people who goes from one big case to the next with an incredibly impressive grasp of the law." - Chambers and Partners 2022
"Adam is extremely bright, very calm and measured, with a solution for every situation. His written work is excellent, and you can tell judges love to hear from him." - Legal 500 2022
"Adam has an encyclopaedic knowledge of inquest law and is the go-to barrister for police firearms deaths. He is extremely bright, has great judgement, is very measured, and has a solution for all situations. Lay clients warm to him, and he is a pleasure to work with." - Legal 500 2022
Adam represents claimants and NGOs in a broad range of public law and human rights cases.
For example, Adam represents or has represented the Claimant in the following cases:
Adam has acted for the family of the deceased in respect of many of the most controversial recent inquests and inquiries. They include the deaths of Dawn Sturgess, who died by Novichok poisoning, Mark Duggan, Alexander Litvinenko, Anthony Grainger, Jean Charles de Menezes and the Hillsborough tragedy. Adam acted for the family of Azelle Rodney at the inquest and inquiry into his death, which ended with the first ever upheld conclusion of unlawful killing against a UK firearms officer. He has a particular expertise in cases involving sensitive material, police shootings, deaths following restraint, state sponsored assassination, public law challenges relating to inquests, and bringing about inquiries into controversial deaths or major disasters. For example, he acted for Mark Duggan's family in judicial review claims which argued that the national law should be changed to enable the IPCC to compel officers to attend interviews, and to ensure officers are separated before they give their first accounts, following a death in custody. The law has subsequently been changed. He co-authored the 2014 book 'Inquests - a practitioner's guide', and regularly presents seminars about inquests and inquiries.
Adam represents claimants in public law claims relating to all aspects of the criminal justice system, including the prison service, police, CPS and IPCC. He acts in cases involving the international criminal justice system, such as those involving rendition and UK involvement in torture, and a claim on behalf of Mrs Sandiford that the UK Government should provide funding for legal assistance for British nationals facing the death penalty abroad. He also undertakes civil claims for damages, and has been successful in a number of claims for mistreatment and human rights breaches in custody, such as by handcuffing prisoners during medical treatment.
Please refer to the section on Administrative and Public law for examples of Adam’s cases in this field. Further examples are below, in each of which Adam represented the Claimant:
Adam acts in a wide range of community care and social welfare cases. His public law work involves children, welfare benefits, mental health, age assessments and challenges to refusals to fund or meet the care needs of individuals. He has acted in a number of challenges to welfare benefits and pensions law and policy, including the following:
Adam also represented Sarah Ewart in her successful challenge to the prohibition on abortion in Northern Ireland, and Paul Lamb in his challenge to the ban on assisted suicide.
Adam is regularly represents claimants in judicial review and civil claims which involve discrimination and failure to comply with the equality duties. He wrote the LAG book ‘Discrimination in public law’, and has a particular interest in discrimination claims against public authorities. His discrimination judicial review cases include the following:
Adam represents claimants in civil actions against public authorities. He specialises in claims involving breaches of human rights and those relating to deaths. For example, Adam acted for the family of Mark Duggan and Anthony Grainger, who settled their civil claims for damages against the police in respect of these fatal police shootings. He has represented a number of individuals in claims for damages against the UK government in respect of mistreatment abroad, such as Mr Rahmatullah in respect of his mistreatment and rendition in Afghanistan and Iraq, and Mr Mustafa who alleged British agents were involved in his mistreatment by the Bangladeshi authorities.
Adam represents claimants in claims against the government involving international issues, such as cases involving rendition and UK involvement in torture, and a claim on behalf of Mrs Sandiford that the UK Government should provide funding for legal assistance for British nationals facing the death penalty abroad.
Adam has a particular interest in claims involving terrorism, sensitive material, closed material procedures, and national security. He regularly acts on behalf of individuals alleged to be involved in terrorism or extremism, in judicial review claims as well as in SIAC. He is currently acting for Shamima Begum. He has been involved in several public law claims aimed at protecting an individual’s anonymity or reputation. For example, he represented two young boys who were referred to the police under the Prevent duty as being at risk of radicalisation. The defendant LEA admitted unlawful discrimination and breach of articles 8, 9 and 10 ECHR, and that its policy on the Prevent duty was unlawful. He represented RXG, the youngest person in the UK to be convicted of terrorism offences, in a successful claim for a lifetime anonymity order. He was involved in public law proceedings involving anonymity and Mr Scappaticci (‘Steakknife’) in Northern Ireland. Adam has represented individuals who claim they were subject to extraordinary rendition and torture, including Yunus Rahmatullah. He has also acted in public law challenges involving secret material and/or anonymity in respect of the deaths of Alexander Perepilichnyy, Alexander Litvinenko, Mark Duggan and Azelle Rodney.
Adam is a special advocate, and is currently acting as such in the case of Bank Mellat v. HM Treasury, a judicial review challenge to Financial Restrictions Orders, and an associated damages claim for $4 billion.
Adam has a great deal of experience in this area. It includes judicial reviews of state decisions on the retention and disclosure of data, and interference with private life, going back to the Supreme Court decision of R (F) v. Secretary of State for Justice [2011] 1 AC 331, in which the Supreme Court decided that the legislation requiring certain ex-offenders to register with the police, and the consequent risk of disclosure of their private data, breached article 8. His experience includes judicial reviews of state decisions not to publish information or policies (such as the pending Court of Appeal decision regarding the publication of policy on the use of force on immigration removals: R (FI) v. Secretary of State for Justice), and judicial reviews involving RIPA, such as a pending claim that the Act is incompatible with Article 2. He has been involved in a number of important cases involving surveillance, secrecy and RIPA, such as the Mark Duggan and Alexander Litvinenko inquests, and the Azelle Rodney inquiry. Adam has also written and presented seminars, including an article in the most recent edition of Judicial Review journal on data, surveillance and privacy.
Adam represents claimants in civil actions against public authorities. He specialises in claims involving breaches of human rights and those relating to deaths. For example, Adam acted for the family of Mark Duggan and Anthony Grainger, who settled their civil claims for damages against the police in respect of these fatal police shootings. He has represented a number of individuals in claims for damages against the UK government in respect of mistreatment abroad, such as Mr Rahmatullah in respect of his mistreatment and rendition in Afghanistan and Iraq, and Mr Mustafa who alleged British agents were involved in his mistreatment by the Bangladeshi authorities.
Adam represents claimants and NGOs in immigration, asylum and trafficking cases. He has acted in:
Adam has a particular expertise in judicial review, and national security and SIAC cases. He acts both as an open representative and special advocate.