Welcome to the first edition of the Doughty Street Chambers Extradition Bulletin. We hope this new publication and its articles are of interest to you. It doesn't set out to be a comprehensive guide to extradition law; rather, it will highlight some topical issues and cases which, from our practical experience at Westminster and in the Appeal courts, we feel might be of use to you in your day to day practice.
In this edition Mary Westcott looks at the important report published this month by the House of Lords Select Committee on Extradition Law. Russia has always been a state which generates work for lawyers, and Malcolm Hawkes considers their use (or abuse?) of Interpol Red Notices. We hosted a seminar on this very topic last week, and you can read a summary of that below. Kate O'Raghallaigh takes a closer look at the issue of proportionality, and we have additional pieces on how the victims of trafficking are supported - or not - by extradition legislation, as well as a review of the latest iteration of the Schengen Information System.
Important new case law is consistently emerging, and in this edition we launch "Cooper's Casebook", authored by Ben Cooper, the co-head of our extradition team, which looks at interesting current or recent cases before the appeal courts. Graeme Hall and Abigail Bright also contribute with their views on two recent decisions.
Doughty Street houses some of the leading barristers working in the field of extradition and mutual legal assistance. We appear in all the domestic courts and Strasbourg as well as courts in Northern Ireland, Hong Kong, Singapore, the Caribbean and elsewhere around the world. Many of our cases involve issues of fundamental human rights, or are test cases on evolving areas of the law, and have included Gary McKinnon, Julian Assange, Richard O'Dwyer, Babar Ahmad, Garry Mann and Christopher Tappin. This is an area where the law evolves quickly, and as well as this publication our members also write for some of the leading practitioner textbooks, with OUP's Extradition and Mutual Legal Assistance Handbook and the Extradition Law Reports both being edited by John Jones QC.
Legally complex and difficult cases are the ones we relish most; if you think we may be able to assist you or your clients, please don't hesitate to be in touch. We are always happy to have an initial, no-obligation chat and provide preliminary advice where appropriate. If you would like to know more, please contact Maurice MacSweeney who leads our criminal clerking team.
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Edward Fitzgerald QC
Co-Head of Extradition
Joint Head of Chambers
