Kathryn Cronin

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Kathryn has an extensive and varied immigration, asylum and family law practice. She is known for her representation of vulnerable clients, in particular asylum and human rights cases involving women and children. Kathryn was ranked for immigration (Band 1) and family law in Chambers UK 2023.

Cross-border family cases

Overview

Kathryn has considerable experience in crossover areas where family or childcare cases involve associated issues on immigration status, or concerning immigration cases where there are family and childcare law and practice considerations.

She frequently advises in family proceedings concerning immigration and nationality issues as well as international adoptions, international surrogacy arrangements and transnational care and child placement arrangements.

Notable Cases

Past notable cases can be viewed below. Click here to see a list of recent notable cases.

AT and another (Article 8 ECHR – Child Refugee – Family Reunification : Eritrea) [2016] UKUT 227 (IAC) (24 March 2016)

X (Foreign Surrogacy: Child’s Name), Re [2016] EWHC 1068 (Fam)

Z, Re (Foreign Surrogacy: Allocation of Work : Guidance on Parental Order Reports) (Rev 1) [2015] EWFC 90 (16 November 2015)

S v G (Relocation to Russia) [2015] EWFC 4 (14 January 2015)

JS (Former unaccompanied child – durable solution) Afghanistan [2013] UKUT 568 (IAC) (29 August 2013)

AA (unattended children) Afghanistan CG [2012] UKUT 16 (IAC) (01 February 2012)

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Immigration: asylum and human rights

Overview

Overview

Kathryn is known for her representation of vulnerable clients, in particular asylum and human rights cases involving women and children. She regularly provides advice to parties, local authorities or guardian’s ad litem concerning the steps to be taken to resolve immigration problems whether for parents or for minors.

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Trafficking and modern day slavery

Overview

Kathryn has represented many persons trafficked for sexual or domestic labour purposes.

Notable Cases

HD (Trafficked women) Nigeria (CG) [2016] UKUT 454 (IAC) (17 October 2016)

MS (Trafficking – Tribunal’s Powers – Art. 4 ECHR : Pakistan) [2016] UKUT 226 (IAC) (23 March 2016)

EK (Article 4 ECHR: Anti-Trafficking Convention) Tanzania [2013] UKUT 313 (IAC) (19 June 2013)

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Administrative and Public Law

Overview

Kathryn undertakes leading work in public law.

Notable Cases

Past notable cases can be viewed below. Click here to see a list of recent notable cases.

W v The Secretary of State for the Home Department [2017] EWHC 1733 (Fam) (07 July 2017)

RA & Anor, R (on the application of) v Secretary of State for the Home Department (IJR) [2015] UKUT 242 (IAC) (30 March 2015)

MA & Ors, R (on the application of) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2011] EWCA Civ 1446 (01 December 2011)

RT, R (on the application of) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2011] EWHC 1792 (Admin) (13 July 2011)

NXT, R (on the application of) & Ors v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2011] EWHC 969 (Admin) (15 April 2011)

T & Ors, R (on the application of) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2010] EWHC 3572 (Admin) (21 December 2010)

EN (Serbia) v Secretary of State for the Home Department & Anor [2009] EWCA Civ 630 (26 June 2009) [2010] 1 QB 633, [2010] 3 WLR 182

US (Nepal) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2008] EWCA Civ 1057 (10 September 2008)

AM (Serbia) & Ors v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2007] EWCA Civ 16 (25 January 2007)

Secretary of State for the Home Department v. K [2006] UKHL 46 (18 October 2006) [2006] 3 WLR 733, [2007] 1 AC 412

Ahmadi & Anor, R (on the application of) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2005] EWCA Civ 1721 (12 December 2005)

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Family law and Immigration

Overview

Kathryn has expert knowledge of the intersection between family law and immigration law. She frequently advises in family proceedings concerning immigration and nationality issues as well as international adoptions, international surrogacy arrangements and transnational care and child placement arrangements.

Notable Cases

Past notable cases can be viewed below. Click here to see a list of recent notable cases.

ZH v HS & Ors (Application to Revoke Adoption Order) [2019] EWHC 2190 (Fam)
Application by a child’s birth mother (ZH) to revoke an adoption order made in 2016 in relation to T, now aged 4.

F v M & Anor [2017] EWHC 949 (Fam) (26 April 2017)

N (A Child), Re [2016] EWHC 3085 (Fam) (1 December 2016)

KB & RJ v RT (Rev 1) [2016] EWHC 760 (Fam) (07 April 2016)

G, Re [2014] EWHC 2605 (Fam) (29 July 2014) [2015] 1 FLR 1402

WT (A Child), Re [2014] EWHC 1303 (Fam) (04 March 2014)

X (A Child), Re [2013] EWHC 689 (Fam) 27 March 2013)

R (a Child), Re [2012] EWHC 2956 (Fam) (24 October 2012); [2013] 1 FLR 1487

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Background

Kathryn was an active member of Chambers from 1980 to 1989, and following varied legal experience in Australia, where she is admitted to practice, she returned to Chambers in June 2001.

In her first period at chambers from 1980 to 1989, Kathryn had an extensive practice in immigration, asylum and family matters. She was particularly involved in cases involving unaccompanied child refugees. She was the author of the handbook published by the Children’s Legal Centre entitled: Children: Immigration and Nationality and advised them generally on immigration and nationality issues concerning children.

From 1989 to 1996 Kathryn was associate professor in law at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, where she lectured and published on immigration, refugee and human rights law, and on children’s law issues. From 1989 to 1996 she was also general counsel to the Australian parliamentary committee on immigration and advised the committee and parliament on legislative and policy matters associated with immigration and refugee law, including on the legislative arrangements for the domestic violence and gay partner concessions in the immigration rules.

From 1996 to 2001, Kathryn was commissioner and then deputy president of the Australian Law Reform Commission and principal author of their reports on children in the legal process and on the working practices of the Australian federal and family courts and merits review tribunals, including the immigration and refugee review tribunals.

Publications

Kathryn was for many years the senior author of Butterworth’s Australian Immigration Law Service and the author of the entry on immigration, citizenship and refugee law in Halsbury’s Laws of Australia. She is a joint author of Macdonald’s Immigration Law and Practice 6th, 7th and 8th editions. She has published extensively on immigration, refugee, human rights and children’s rights issues.

From 2001 – in addition to her practice at the Bar, Kathryn has continued her academic writing and training – including as a guest lecturer for the 2009 LSE masters programme Understanding Women’s Human Rights – for which she wrote the course paper, Women Victims – Criminal, Anti-Trafficking, Asylum and Immigration Law Arrangements.

In addition Kathryn has undertaken training for organizations as diverse as the Law Society, law firms, local authorities, NGOs, ILPA, ATLeP, the Family Justice Council and the All Party Parliamentary Group on Refugees. She is the author of numerous conference and training papers.

Training and seminars

In addition to her practice at the Bar, Kathryn has continued her academic writing and training – including as a guest lecturer for the 2009 LSE masters programme Understanding Women’s Human Rights – for which she wrote the course paper, Women Victims – Criminal, Anti-Trafficking, Asylum and Immigration Law Arrangements.

Kathryn has undertaken training for organizations as diverse as the Law Society, law firms, local authorities, NGOs, ILPA, ATLeP, the Family Justice Council and the All Party Parliamentary Group on Refugees. She is the author of numerous conference and training papers.

Kathryn has lectured widely on immigration, children’s law, refugee law and issues such as trafficking. She is a founder member and adviser to the Anti-Trafficking Legal Project (ATLeP).