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The Legal Aid Practitioners Group (LAPG) recognised Stephanie’s work in the ‘Outstanding Achievement Award’ at the 2025 Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year (LALYs) Award.
The LAPG has been at the forefront of campaigning for access to justice and a champion of legal aid for over 40 years, so this award really meant something. I was judged by those who share the public service and social justice mission that inspired the creation of the legal aid system in 1949 and my practice at the Bar. It was one of those rare opportunities to stop and reflect on my 35 years as a legal aid practitioner, the wider context and the significance of the body work that was deemed outstanding and worthy of a LALY award. The work I was commended for is not so much a reflection of my achievements but a damning indictment of government policy and practice that necessitated the legal challenges in the first place. A long-standing feature of my work has been the unlawful detention and mistreatment of children and vulnerable adults in the immigration system. In particular:
Asylum seeking children arriving on small boats since 2022 have been criminalised and wrongly prosecuted as adults after flawed, unfair and racially discriminatory initial age-assessments undertaken at the border. These children were arrested, incarcerated in police cells, then adult prisons, and prosecuted without any of the safeguards for children, causing harm to their mental health. The Home Office and Director of Public Prosecutions conceded in judicial review proceedings in 2025 that this practice was unlawful and made significant policy changes. This was important but the claims should not have been necessary – the very same practice had been litigated and ruled unlawful in 2009 (R (HBH v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2009] EWHC 928 (Admin)). No lessons learnt there.
It was vital to ensure that the damning findings of the Brook House Statutory Inquiry (BHI) and its 33 recommendations were not made in vain. These findings included evidence of widespread mistreatment in breach of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, systemic failure of detention safeguards, an institutional culture of dehumanisation, and ‘a breeding ground for racism’. To prevent reoccurrence, it was imperative that the report of this Inquiry did not sit on a shelf collecting dust like so many other reports, investigations, and legal cases that identified the same systematic failures and abuse (Lords Select Committee, 2024). The hope was to break what the Chair of the BHI called ‘the dark thread’ of failures to learn lessons and to end intransigence in the face of systematic illegality and a culture of impunity that pervades the Home Office.
The task of holding the state to account requires that laws and constitutional arrangements are fit for purpose. The long-awaited Hillsborough Law (the Public Office (Accountability) Bill) will deliver on the promise of a greater duty of candour, access to legal aid, and – critically – criminalising those who cover-up state failure and wrong-doing. This must be followed up with legislation to create enforcement mechanisms following public inquiries to ensure that the lessons learned are actually implemented and that sanctions are issued if they are not.
Enforcing the law to uphold rights is a collective endeavour. Awards focus on individuals, but nobody who does this job well does it alone. Any achievements are always the result of collective endeavour and teamwork with other lawyers, NGOs and our clients. In the child prosecution cases, it was Bhatt Murphy Solicitors, the Helen Bamber Foundation and Humans For Rights Network who exposed the problem and provided vital support. At its heart were the resilient young people who thought they had found safety but faced a crushing, and at times bewildering, experience of prosecution and incarceration. In the BHI it was down to Duncan Lewis Solicitors, Medical Justice and, of course, the clients who put their faith in the Inquiry to hold the state and its private contractors to account. It was they who endured the trauma of reliving the appalling mistreatment and abuse so that ‘others would not have to experience what they had.’
Nobody works in a vacuum. I have been a member of Garden Court Chambers since 1997. I have been fortunate enough to benefit from a workplace set up to ‘Do Right and Fear No One’. Day in and day out, we aim to provide high quality legal services to those who need it most but have the least means to achieve it. Garden Court has provided me with mentors, teachers, colleagues and friends – both barristers and staff – who have guided and supported me over many years. It celebrated its 50th year in 2024. This was an opportunity for reflection on an immense body of work which we have sought to record in a publication highlighting 50 significant cases. I hope that you will take a look. So often we move on from one case to the next in a silo of the here and now. Spending a moment to take a longer view, to feel part of a legacy and a bigger picture, is affirming and important in what can, at times feel like a lonely profession.
Legal aid is more vital than ever. None of this would be possible without legal aid. Its role in underpinning equality before the law, and the rule of law itself, is grossly undervalued. During the passage of the Legal Aid and Advice Act 1949, the then Labour Attorney General, Hartley Shawcross, said: ‘It is a Bill which will open the doors of the court freely to all persons who may wish to avail themselves of British justice without regard to the question of their wealth or ability to pay.’ This principle must be at the heart of any effective justice system. And yet, successive governments have since systematically undermined the values of universal access to justice based on the merits of the claim. Lord Neuberger has recently highlighted its corrosive effects on access to justice (Justice for All Series, 2025-26).
Legal aid has also allowed people from diverse backgrounds to access a career in the law. As a woman from a Northern working-class family, there would have been little prospect of a successful career at the Bar without legal aid practice and chambers that are committed to changing and opening up the legal profession to disadvantaged groups.
Like so many struggling public services, it is the commitment of those working in it that keeps this ailing system running. But this is no substitute for urgently restoring eligibility, increasing funding and implementing desperately needed reform.
Finally, we must reflect on the concerted attacks on lawyers and judges, demonised by politicians and newspaper editors who seek to delegitimise and undermine the vital role that the law, the judiciary and legal professionals play in holding the state to account, particularly where that involves upholding international and domestic laws protecting fundamental human rights.
The legacy of war – never again? Born in 1965, the Second World War loomed large in my childhood. Law as career for me, particularly my work in refugee and asylum rights, has always been about honouring the sacrifices, the legacy and the lessons learnt from the defeat of fascism and all the devastation it brought. Whoever you are, you are entitled to core, irreducible, minimum rights and protections as a human being and, critically, if your own State denies these fundamental rights, you are entitled to seek protection elsewhere. Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the right to seek asylum, and the Refugee Convention, are the cornerstones of international human rights law. For me, they are central to saying ‘Never Again’ and meaning it! This legacy is what modern civilised society is based upon. The narrative of universal fundamental rights, equality before the law and justice for all was the antidote in 1945 to the extremism of the right that led to fascism and war. It remains the same now. That is a lesson that we must all learn or relearn and fast.
History consistently shows us that xenophobic populism, political instability, economic deprivation and disadvantage are the fertile ground in which division is sown and scapegoats created, and where othering leads to dehumanisation. History also tells us that it is precisely in these times that we must reinforce the institutions and constitutional arrangements that strengthen democracy and fundamental rights, particularly those of racialised minorities and the marginalised.
These are the lessons that must not be lost on current generations of lawyers and politicians. I am proud to have had the opportunity to play my very small part in that legacy. It is a privilege to have gained recognition from my peers for having done so. I hope that others will continue to be inspired to do the same; that they will be enabled through a system of legal aid that is fit for purpose and be as supported by others as I have been.
Public inquiries: Enhancing Public Trust, The Statutory Inquiries Committee: Lords Select Committee Report, 16 September 2024
50 Cases/50 Years of Doing Right and Fearing No One, Garden Court Chambers, 2024
‘800 Years of Justice: Magna Carta to UN SDG 16. A reflection on the rule of law and its place in a fair and functional society’, Lord Neuberger’s keynote speech, Justice for All Series 2025/26
Described by the LAPG as a ‘once in a generation lawyer’, Stephanie Harrison KC of Garden Court Chambers is a leading public law silk, renowned for groundbreaking civil liberties work, significant test-case litigation, and defending the rights of refugees and minority groups.
The Legal Aid Practitioners Group (LAPG) recognised Stephanie’s work in the ‘Outstanding Achievement Award’ at the 2025 Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year (LALYs) Award.
The LAPG has been at the forefront of campaigning for access to justice and a champion of legal aid for over 40 years, so this award really meant something. I was judged by those who share the public service and social justice mission that inspired the creation of the legal aid system in 1949 and my practice at the Bar. It was one of those rare opportunities to stop and reflect on my 35 years as a legal aid practitioner, the wider context and the significance of the body work that was deemed outstanding and worthy of a LALY award. The work I was commended for is not so much a reflection of my achievements but a damning indictment of government policy and practice that necessitated the legal challenges in the first place. A long-standing feature of my work has been the unlawful detention and mistreatment of children and vulnerable adults in the immigration system. In particular:
Asylum seeking children arriving on small boats since 2022 have been criminalised and wrongly prosecuted as adults after flawed, unfair and racially discriminatory initial age-assessments undertaken at the border. These children were arrested, incarcerated in police cells, then adult prisons, and prosecuted without any of the safeguards for children, causing harm to their mental health. The Home Office and Director of Public Prosecutions conceded in judicial review proceedings in 2025 that this practice was unlawful and made significant policy changes. This was important but the claims should not have been necessary – the very same practice had been litigated and ruled unlawful in 2009 (R (HBH v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2009] EWHC 928 (Admin)). No lessons learnt there.
It was vital to ensure that the damning findings of the Brook House Statutory Inquiry (BHI) and its 33 recommendations were not made in vain. These findings included evidence of widespread mistreatment in breach of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, systemic failure of detention safeguards, an institutional culture of dehumanisation, and ‘a breeding ground for racism’. To prevent reoccurrence, it was imperative that the report of this Inquiry did not sit on a shelf collecting dust like so many other reports, investigations, and legal cases that identified the same systematic failures and abuse (Lords Select Committee, 2024). The hope was to break what the Chair of the BHI called ‘the dark thread’ of failures to learn lessons and to end intransigence in the face of systematic illegality and a culture of impunity that pervades the Home Office.
The task of holding the state to account requires that laws and constitutional arrangements are fit for purpose. The long-awaited Hillsborough Law (the Public Office (Accountability) Bill) will deliver on the promise of a greater duty of candour, access to legal aid, and – critically – criminalising those who cover-up state failure and wrong-doing. This must be followed up with legislation to create enforcement mechanisms following public inquiries to ensure that the lessons learned are actually implemented and that sanctions are issued if they are not.
Enforcing the law to uphold rights is a collective endeavour. Awards focus on individuals, but nobody who does this job well does it alone. Any achievements are always the result of collective endeavour and teamwork with other lawyers, NGOs and our clients. In the child prosecution cases, it was Bhatt Murphy Solicitors, the Helen Bamber Foundation and Humans For Rights Network who exposed the problem and provided vital support. At its heart were the resilient young people who thought they had found safety but faced a crushing, and at times bewildering, experience of prosecution and incarceration. In the BHI it was down to Duncan Lewis Solicitors, Medical Justice and, of course, the clients who put their faith in the Inquiry to hold the state and its private contractors to account. It was they who endured the trauma of reliving the appalling mistreatment and abuse so that ‘others would not have to experience what they had.’
Nobody works in a vacuum. I have been a member of Garden Court Chambers since 1997. I have been fortunate enough to benefit from a workplace set up to ‘Do Right and Fear No One’. Day in and day out, we aim to provide high quality legal services to those who need it most but have the least means to achieve it. Garden Court has provided me with mentors, teachers, colleagues and friends – both barristers and staff – who have guided and supported me over many years. It celebrated its 50th year in 2024. This was an opportunity for reflection on an immense body of work which we have sought to record in a publication highlighting 50 significant cases. I hope that you will take a look. So often we move on from one case to the next in a silo of the here and now. Spending a moment to take a longer view, to feel part of a legacy and a bigger picture, is affirming and important in what can, at times feel like a lonely profession.
Legal aid is more vital than ever. None of this would be possible without legal aid. Its role in underpinning equality before the law, and the rule of law itself, is grossly undervalued. During the passage of the Legal Aid and Advice Act 1949, the then Labour Attorney General, Hartley Shawcross, said: ‘It is a Bill which will open the doors of the court freely to all persons who may wish to avail themselves of British justice without regard to the question of their wealth or ability to pay.’ This principle must be at the heart of any effective justice system. And yet, successive governments have since systematically undermined the values of universal access to justice based on the merits of the claim. Lord Neuberger has recently highlighted its corrosive effects on access to justice (Justice for All Series, 2025-26).
Legal aid has also allowed people from diverse backgrounds to access a career in the law. As a woman from a Northern working-class family, there would have been little prospect of a successful career at the Bar without legal aid practice and chambers that are committed to changing and opening up the legal profession to disadvantaged groups.
Like so many struggling public services, it is the commitment of those working in it that keeps this ailing system running. But this is no substitute for urgently restoring eligibility, increasing funding and implementing desperately needed reform.
Finally, we must reflect on the concerted attacks on lawyers and judges, demonised by politicians and newspaper editors who seek to delegitimise and undermine the vital role that the law, the judiciary and legal professionals play in holding the state to account, particularly where that involves upholding international and domestic laws protecting fundamental human rights.
The legacy of war – never again? Born in 1965, the Second World War loomed large in my childhood. Law as career for me, particularly my work in refugee and asylum rights, has always been about honouring the sacrifices, the legacy and the lessons learnt from the defeat of fascism and all the devastation it brought. Whoever you are, you are entitled to core, irreducible, minimum rights and protections as a human being and, critically, if your own State denies these fundamental rights, you are entitled to seek protection elsewhere. Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the right to seek asylum, and the Refugee Convention, are the cornerstones of international human rights law. For me, they are central to saying ‘Never Again’ and meaning it! This legacy is what modern civilised society is based upon. The narrative of universal fundamental rights, equality before the law and justice for all was the antidote in 1945 to the extremism of the right that led to fascism and war. It remains the same now. That is a lesson that we must all learn or relearn and fast.
History consistently shows us that xenophobic populism, political instability, economic deprivation and disadvantage are the fertile ground in which division is sown and scapegoats created, and where othering leads to dehumanisation. History also tells us that it is precisely in these times that we must reinforce the institutions and constitutional arrangements that strengthen democracy and fundamental rights, particularly those of racialised minorities and the marginalised.
These are the lessons that must not be lost on current generations of lawyers and politicians. I am proud to have had the opportunity to play my very small part in that legacy. It is a privilege to have gained recognition from my peers for having done so. I hope that others will continue to be inspired to do the same; that they will be enabled through a system of legal aid that is fit for purpose and be as supported by others as I have been.
Public inquiries: Enhancing Public Trust, The Statutory Inquiries Committee: Lords Select Committee Report, 16 September 2024
50 Cases/50 Years of Doing Right and Fearing No One, Garden Court Chambers, 2024
‘800 Years of Justice: Magna Carta to UN SDG 16. A reflection on the rule of law and its place in a fair and functional society’, Lord Neuberger’s keynote speech, Justice for All Series 2025/26
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