Iain called to the Bar in 2022 after practicing as a solicitor for 5 years. He specialises in public law, including immigration and asylum, post-Brexit EU free movement law, human rights, and judicial review. He also has experience of employment law, regulatory proceedings, family law, and Fatal Accident Inquires.

He is regularly instructed to represent clients at the Court of Session in immigration cases. This includes drafting petitions for judicial review challenging decisions rejecting further submissions, decisions certifying asylum and human rights claims as clearly unfounded, decision-making delays, refusal of visit visa applications, imminent removal action, adequacy of asylum accommodation, and local authority age assessments.  Iain has also acted in judicial reviews concerning prisoners’ rights and homelessness.

Iain has represented both appellants and the respondent in statutory appeals to the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration & Asylum Chamber). In April 2022 Iain was appointed as a Nominated Presenting Officer by the Office of the Advocate General. He is frequently instructed on behalf of appellants in relation to onward appeals to the Upper Tribunal and Inner House. He has experience of criminal deportation, EU Settlement Scheme, human rights, and asylum appeals. Iain has developed a particular specialism in EU free movement law and the EU Settlement Scheme.

As a solicitor, Iain’s practice focused primarily on British citizenship and business migration. He has continued to provide advice in relation to these specialised areas as Counsel, drafting opinions on interpretation and application of the immigration rules and nationality legislation.

During his period of devilling, and since calling, Iain has gained experience of employment law matters. He has been instructed in Employment Tribunal claims involving discrimination, equal pay, victimisation, unfair dismissal, and the fixed term contract regulations. Iain has also represented clients in fitness to practice proceedings before regulatory bodies such as the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Iain has experience of Fatal Accident Inquiries, having been instructed as Crown Junior in a six week inquiry into the deaths of two young prisoners at Polmont Young Offenders Institution. Iain has also assisted with the prosecution of serious crimes in the High Court as a Crown Junior.

In the field of family law, Iain has represented clients in the Sheriff Court in actions for financial provision upon divorce and for child contact and residence orders under section 11 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995. He has provided advice on the immigration implications of overseas surrogacy arrangements, recognition of foreign adoptions, and the process for bringing children to the UK for the purposes of adoption. He delivered a presentation on the interaction between immigration and family law at CLT Scotland’s Family Law Conference in October 2022 and recently updated the immigration and citizenship section of Butterworths Scottish Family Law Service.

Iain has delivered guest lectures to students at Glasgow and Edinburgh Universities and seminars for the Citizens’ Rights Project. He regularly writes for the Free Movement blog.

Devilmasters

David Massaro; Tim Haddow; Janice Green