Human Rights Lawyers

The Human Rights Act 1998 defends the basic rights of individuals, irrespective of age, gender, ethnicity and income. If you believe these rights have been breached, it allows you to have your case heard in a UK court rather than having to go to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

The full range of rights protected by the Act is extensive, but some of the main articles we deal with most often in cases of human rights abuses include:

• Article 2 - Right to life
• Article 3 - Freedom from torture and inhuman or degrading treatment
• Article 5 - Right to liberty
• Article 6 - Right to a fair trial
• Article 8 - Right to family and private life
• Article 14 - Freedom from discrimination

Public bodies and organisations have a responsibility to make sure your human rights are protected at all times. Such organisations might include:

• The government
• The police
• Schools and hospitals
• Councils and local authorities

All these authorities may have an impact on our lives across a range of areas. The Human Rights Act is there to ensure that fundamental rights are upheld no matter what the circumstances. We should expect to be treated fairly, to have access to the healthcare and education we need, and have faith in the justice system.

Our Human Rights solicitors understand the many different ways any infringement on these rights may affect people and their loved ones. We have extensive experience helping those who have been let down by the authorities get the justice they deserve.

Judicial Review is a way to challenge public bodies if you think they have made a decision that is unfair, unlawful or irrational. You can only apply for judicial review once you have exhausted all other options through complaining and using any relevant appeals procedure.

If your claim is successful, a judge can force an organisation to make its decision again, prohibit the organisation from doing certain things or force it to comply with its legal duties. In some cases they even award you compensation.

Our public law and human rights solicitors have a great deal of experience with taking cases to judicial review and can give your claim the best possible chance of success. See our Judicial Review page for more information.