Sonali Naik KC appointed to join Stephen Simblet KC and Grace Brown as Joint Head of Garden Court Chambers

Monday 27 January 2025

Garden Court Chambers is pleased to announce that Sonali Naik KC has been newly elected as Joint Head of Chambers. She joins Stephen Simblet KC and Grace Brown who continue as Joint Head of Chambers.

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Rajiv Menon KC has stepped down as Joint Head of Chambers following the end of his term. Rajiv continues to practice at Garden Court. We are hugely grateful for his outstanding contribution to the stewardship of chambers in recent years.

We are delighted that Sonali Naik KC will be taking on the leadership of Garden Court Chambers alongside Stephen Simblet KC and Grace Brown.

With the appointment of three of our leading barristers, our Heads of Chambers reflect our commitment to human rights, access to justice, excellence and equality and diversity.

On her appointment, Sonali Naik KC stated:

“It is an honour to be elected as one of the Heads of Chambers of Garden Court celebrating its 50th year in advocating for the rights of our clients.”

Sonali Naik (Year of Call, 1991, Year of Silk: 2018)
Sonali Naik KC is a senior public law and immigration practitioner with over 30 years’ experience. She was appointed King’s Counsel in 2018. She is ranked in immigration and public law in the Chambers & Partners and the Legal 500 Bar Guides. She conducts leading work at all levels (including in the Supreme Court, where she has appeared on her feet) in both judicial reviews, mainly in the immigration context (she acted in the ‘Rwanda’ litigation) and statutory appeals in key asylum, criminal deportation, nationality test cases. She brings her specialist immigration expertise to bear in challenging ‘small boat’ prosecutions and in family reunion discrimination cases. The breadth and depth of her practice led to her instruction in the Covid-19 Inquiry (Module 4) and in the Cranston Inquiry into deaths in the Channel.

In 2023, Sonali was listed in The Lawyer magazine’s Hot 100 list, which recognises excellence in the legal profession. She was shortlisted or Immigration Silk of the Year at The Legal 500 Bar Awards 2024.

Stephen Simblet KC (Year of Call: 1991, Year of Silk: 2020)
Stephen’s practice focuses on individual rights in four discrete areas. These are civil claims against the police and public authorities; inquests; mental health and Court of Protection; public law/judicial review. He was one of the lead advocates representing bereaved families in the Hillsborough Inquests and has appeared as advocate in a number of public inquiries. Stephen represents the Covid-19 Airborne Transmission Alliance (CATA) in the UK Covid-19 Inquiry Module 3.

Stephen is ranked for Civil Liberties & Human Rights, Police Law: Mainly Claimant, and Protest Law in Chambers & Partners 2024. He is also ranked for Court of Protection & Community Care in the Legal 500 2024.

Grace Brown (Year of Call: 1995)
Grace Brown is a public law practitioner with a particular focus on human rights, immigration and refugee law which she has maintained from the outset of her call. Her specialisms include the overlap of children’s rights on migrants’ rights, trafficking, deportation and unlawful detention. In addition, she is widely regarded as an expert in Windrush Scheme and Windrush Compensation Scheme cases which are aimed at challenging the apparent and various inequities and failings of each scheme, having advised extensively on these and represented many claimants in and out of Court.

Grace is ranked in Community Care, Immigration, and Public Law in the Legal 500 2024. Grace is appointed to the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s preferred Panel of Counsel. Grace was awarded the 2021 BSN Lawyer of the Year, in the Chambers category, at the UK Diversity Legal Awards, and was Highly Commended for Advocate of the Year and shortlisted for Woman of the Year at the Women & Diversity in Law Awards 2024.

We are top ranked by independent legal directories and consistently win awards.

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