Profile details
About David Oldfield
David is a Pro Bono Lawyer at Freshfields. David was previously a civil legal aid solicitor at the Public Law Project, and worked in private practice. David develops and manages Freshfields' UK pro bono practice with a focus on contentious work, and he helps to lead some of the firm's UK pro bono impact litigation.
David's pro bono clients include charities seeking to challenge central and local government decision-making, and individuals seeking to do the same, including survivors of torture and trafficking and unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. He has advised on the lawfulness of Home Office and local authority decision-making, including anti-trafficking, asylum support, and section 17 support matters; as well as deportation, immigration detention, unlawful age assessments, and legal aid matters. He has advised on cases in the High Court, Court of Appeal, Supreme Court, European Court of Human Rights, First-tier Tribunal and Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber), Employment Tribunal, and Special Immigration Appeals Commission.
David has taught and lectured Administrative Law at Queen Mary University of London, and is a former Trustee and Chair of Lambeth Law Centre.
Cases worked on include:
- R (Anti Trafficking and Labour Exploitation Unit) v Secretary of State for Justice CO/3107/2021 (settled)
- R (Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants) v President of the Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) [2020] EWHC 3103 (Admin)
- Various individuals seeking to regularise their immigration status in the UK, including in deport appeals.
- R (Public Law Project) v Secretary of State for Justice [2016] UKSC 39
- R (Rights of Women) v Secretary of State for Justice [2016] EWCA Civ 91
- R (MG) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2015] EWHC 3142
- R (Gudanaviciene and Others) v Director of Legal Aid Casework and The Lord Chancellor [2014] EWCA Civ 1622
- R (Law Society of England and Wales) v Legal Services Commission [2010] EWHC 2550
Qualifications
- University of Cambridge - BA (Hons) Law (2.i)
- University of Westminster - Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice