- Designation: Solicitor
- Languages: English
Robert Thomson is an immigration solicitor at Law Lane Solicitors with over two decades of post-qualification experience. He practises in asylum and deportation, two of the most procedurally demanding and factually intensive areas within immigration law. His caseload includes individuals in immigration detention, clients held in secure hospitals and prisons, and those facing removal or deportation proceedings at the most advanced stages of the legal process. He appears before the First-tier Tribunal, the Upper Tribunal, the Administrative Court, and the Special Immigration Appeals Commission.
Robert qualified as a solicitor in 2003. Referring solicitors describe him as a safe pair of hands: someone with the experience to assess the strengths and weaknesses of a case plainly and early, and the track record to back that assessment up. He believes everyone in the immigration and detention system should have access to justice, and acts on that belief by attending in person wherever his clients are held.
What Robert’s Practice Covers
Asylum Claims
Robert acts for asylum seekers at all stages of the process: initial claim, refusal, and appeal. He prepares detailed witness statements and carries out country and legal research. Clients are represented before the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber). Where tribunal decisions raise points of law, he pursues onward appeals to the Upper Tribunal and the Administrative Court. The main legislative framework he works within includes the Refugee Convention, the European Convention on Human Rights, and the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002
Deportation and Removal
Deportation and removal cases sit at the sharp end of immigration law. Robert advises individuals facing deportation orders, including those with criminal convictions and those detained pending removal. He challenges removal decisions at tribunal and in the Administrative Court, applying the UK Borders Act 2007 and the Immigration Act 1971 alongside human rights arguments where the facts support them.
SIAC Proceedings
Robert has appeared before the Special Immigration Appeals Commission, which handles cases involving national security considerations and evidence from the security services. SIAC proceedings require a level of technical preparation and procedural care that goes beyond standard tribunal work. His experience here is rare among immigration practitioners.
Detained Clients
Robert personally attends Immigration Removal Centres, secure hospitals, and prisons. Clients in detention face tight timescales, limited access to documents, and real difficulty gathering evidence. He works around those constraints and acts quickly when urgency demands it.
Notable Cases
Robert has handled cases across the full range of asylum and deportation proceedings, including matters before the Special Immigration Appeals Commission. One example from his caseload:
PK: national security, SIAC (SC/85/2009)
Represented PK, who was excluded from re-entering the United Kingdom. The case was heard at the Special Immigration Appeals Commission given national security concerns and evidence from the security services in the UK and abroad. SIAC proceedings require separate, specially approved legal representation and the management of closed material. This case is a matter of public record as SC/85/2009.
Who Robert Acts For
Robert represents individuals whose immigration status is under threat: asylum seekers facing refusal, those subject to deportation orders, and people held in immigration detention or in prison pending removal. Many of his clients are at the most acute stage of their case when they contact him, with hearings imminent or detention under way. He takes instructions in those circumstances and works within whatever time is available.
How Robert Works
Robert listens first. He assesses the evidence, identifies the strengths and weaknesses of the case, and gives a direct view. Clients do not receive an artificially optimistic account of their prospects. They receive an honest one, along with clear advice on what is possible and how to pursue it.
He attends in person at Immigration Removal Centres, secure hospitals, and prisons. Access to justice does not depend on where a client is held. Immigration law changes constantly: new rules, new case law, and shifts in Home Office practice. Twenty-three years of practice means he has seen most of them.
Credentials
LLB, University of Bedfordshire (formerly University of Luton). Legal Practice Course, University of Huddersfield. Qualified as a solicitor in 2003. Member of the Law Society of England and Wales.
Speak to Robert
Law Lane Solicitors has offices in Stratford (E15), Holborn (WC1V), and Croydon (CR0).
To discuss an asylum claim, a deportation matter, or an urgent detention case, contact Law Lane Solicitors on 020 7870 4870 or through the online enquiry form.
Law Lane Solicitors is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
