Cameron Roberts (NYU Liberal Studies) | Refugee Law Clinic | London, United Kingdom
As I near the conclusion of my 10 weeks in London at the Refugee Law Clinic I am experiencing a lot of mixed emotions. I am sad to leave the Clinic as it has proven to be my most rewarding professional experience to date. Throughout my time here both the clinic manager and supervising attorney have afforded me the independence to work through cases and lead client meetings. With their guidance, I have not only become more confident in my understanding of asylum law in the United Kingdom but I have been able to directly apply this knowledge in clinic casework. Over the past 10 weeks, I have worked on fresh claims cases involving disputed nationality, statelessness, and Article 1D and 1F protections in the Refugee Convention.
Beyond fresh claims work at the clinic I have also assisted with drafting NRM Referrals for victims of human trafficking, Pre-Action Protocol letters to the Home Office regarding delayed decision-making, challenges to immigration bail conditions, and letters of instruction for expert advice on clinic cases. My first post was published on the Refugee Law Initiative blog covering the role of credibility in further submissions. My independent research has been the most fruitful avenue for applying my newfound understanding of UK case law and immigration rules.
I have been able to work on clinic cases with two other interns at the clinic, both of whom have completed their legal degrees in the UK. I also collaborate with law firm and clinic volunteers currently training to work as barristers in the UK. This aspect of my work has been extremely impactful as I have learned from students and lawyers whose expertise vastly differs from my own and I have learned countless lessons concerning legal norms in the UK from group work at the clinic.
As I leave the clinic in the next few weeks my most significant takeaway is the difficulty of applying human rights law to tangible legal work. While there are numerous protections available for many of the clinic’s clients, it is never that simple. Instead, they must grapple with Home Office disbelief, bureaucratic delays, biased decision-making, and until recently, the fear of sudden removal to Rwanda. There is an obvious disconnect between the rights afforded to migrants and their lived reality. The application of the rights asylum seekers are (supposedly) promised are not guaranteed in the United Kingdom.