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Rowena has a broad public law practice with particular expertise in Immigration and Asylum Law, Human Rights law, Community Care law and Public Inquiries. She is currently a junior counsel to the Cranston Inquiry.

She also frequently provides representation in civil damages actions, including against a range of public authorities. She has particular expertise in unlawful detention claims arising from immigration detention.

Rowena has a substantial advisory practice, including advice to businesses and individuals on their immigration matters. Rowena has expertise in all areas of personal and business immigration law, including Sponsor licencing and civil penalties.

Rowena is well-placed to undertake work at the intersection of her areas of practice, and frequently advises and represents individuals in judicial review claims relating to age assessment, trafficking and modern slavery, and asylum support. Rowena also advises and provides representation in international cases and in particular those engaging international human rights.

Rowena is one of the authors of the central handbook on asylum and human rights appeals in the First-tier Tribunal, the EIN Best Practice Guide to Asylum and Human Rights Appeals (updated edition, 2023). She is a convenor of the Courts and Tribunals Working Group of the Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association (‘ILPA’) and a member of the Judicial Improvement Group for the First-tier and Upper Tribunals (IAC), attended by representatives of the judiciary, appellant groups, Home Office and HMCTS. She is an author for Lexis PSL. During 2010-11, Rowena was judicial assistant to Lord Dyson at the United Kingdom Supreme Court. She has a DPhil in administrative law (Oxford University).

She is accredited for direct access, which means she can be instructed directly by anybody without the need to go through a solicitor.

Rowena is ranked by the legal directories.

What the directories say

"A pleasure to work with. She is extremely good on the law. She knows what it takes to win and what is best to leave behind." - Chambers and Partners 2023

"Rowena is the epitome of a safe pair of hands. She has an incredible knowledge of the law and her advice is always clear and thorough." - Legal 500 2023

"She is extremely thorough, very collaborative and very approachable." "She is excellent: really bright, responsive and calm under pressure." - Chambers and Partners 2022

"Rowena is exceptionally bright and is able to deliver her advice in an easily understandable manner. She is also good at focussing on the crucial issues." - Legal 500 2022

Publications

  • EIN Best Practice Guide to Asylum and Human Rights Appeals (2023)

  • Textbook on Immigration and Asylum Law, 9th edn, Gina Clayton (EU  and Human Rights Chapters), (2021)

  • Human Rights of Migrants in the 21st Century, Elspeth Guild et al eds, 2017 (Family life chapter)

  • Brexit: The Immediate Legal Consequences, Richard Gordon QC and Rowena Moffatt, The Constitution Society, 2016

  • Textbook on Immigration and Asylum Law, 8th edn, Gina Clayton and Georgina Firth (EU Chapter), 2016

  • Judgment C-63/15 Ghezelbash and C-155/15 Karim, Case Comment, Journal of Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Law ([2016] JIANL 30(3), 284-285)

  • Sanneh, Case Comment, Journal of Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Law ([2015] JIANL 29(2), 232-233)

  • 2014 in Immigration, Citizenship and Deportation, Judicial Review ([2015] JR 20(1) 48-56)

  • The Ashgate Research Companion to Migration Law, Theory and Policy (Publication Review) ([2015] JIANL 29(1) 66-67)

  • The Law and Practice of Expulsion and Exclusion from the United Kingdom: Deportation, Removal, Exclusion and Denial or Deprivation of Citizenship, Eric Fripp, Rowena Moffatt and Ellis Wilford (Hart; Dec 2014) 

  • EU law in Judicial Review, Richard Gordon QC and Rowena Moffatt (OUP; Oct 2014)

  • ‘And Then They Came for Judicial Review: Proposals for Further Reform’, Rowena Moffatt and Carita Thomas, Journal of Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Law ([2014] JIANL 28(3) 237-253)

  • XY & Z Case Comment, Journal of Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Law 

Public Inquiries

Rowena is currently instructed as a junior counsel to the Cranston Inquiry. She has also advised core participants and those seeking that status in other public inquiries.

Immigration Asylum Law

Rowena provides representation and advice to those with appeals in the Immigration and Asylum Chamber (First-tier and Upper Tribunals), in immigration judicial review claims and, in both cases, on onward appeal to the Court of Appeal. Her expertise covers all areas of immigration and asylum law including: the Refugee Convention; the European Convention on Human Rights; EU law (and UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement); nationality law; detention and bail; removal and deportation; and the Immigration Rules including entry clearance and points based system applications. 

Rowena also has substantial experience and regularly provides representation in areas that intersect with immigration and asylum, in particular, trafficking and modern slavery judicial reviews, age assessment cases and asylum support challenges.

Rowena is the author of a number of texts in the area.

During her time as a judicial assistant at the Supreme Court, Rowena worked on a number of important immigration cases, including MA (Somalia) [2010] UKSC 49, Lumba [2011] UKSC 12, Cart [2011] UKSC 28, and RT (Zimbabwe) [2012] UKSC 38.

Immigration Business and Commercial

Rowena has a substantial advisory practice in business immigration law, including advice to high-net-worth individuals and companies on their immigration matters.

Administrative Law and Public Law

Rowena is regularly instructed in in judicial review proceedings challenging the decisions of public authorities. 

She has substantial experience of and regularly provides representation in the intersecting areas of immigration and asylum and community care, in particular, trafficking and modern slavery judicial reviews, age assessment cases and asylum support challenges. She also frequently undertakes Community Care cases.

Actions Against the Police and Public Authorities

Rowena regularly advises and provides representation for individuals seeking compensation for unlawful detention as well as other civil claims relating to immigration detention.

International Law

Rowena provides advisory work in international human rights law. She has also undertaken international field work, including missions to Ukraine and Azerbaijan with the International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute. Rowena has particular expertise in European human rights and European Union law and has written extensively in this area.

Equality and Discrimination

Rowena has expertise in equality and discrimination law, particularly cases with an EU element. She advises on the impact of the Equality Act in her cases.

Community Care and Health

Rowena undertakes advisory work and representation for individuals in judicial reviews against local authorities including under the Children Act 1989 and Care Act 2014.

Rowena is well-placed to undertake work at the intersection of community care with immigration law, including age assessment, trafficking and asylum support judicial reviews.