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“A big brain who quickly sees the heart of the issue. He is very knowledgeable yet practical, and extremely approachable.” The Legal 500 2023

“Extremely bright and can advise really well in a number of different areas of law. Unafraid of a challenging case and bold with arguments and approach. Willing and able to consider all angles of a case. Thorough and approachable.” The Legal 500 2022

Tom Tabori is a specialist public law barrister, with expertise in human rights law, education law, electoral law, immigration law, equalities law, information rights, and regulatory law. He is a judicial review and statutory appeal specialist, but also acts and advises in damages claims against public bodies.

He is currently appointed to the Attorney General’s London B Panel and the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s C Panel. He is listed by The Legal 500 as a Leading Junior. He is Band 1 ranked by Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners for Election Law.

Areas of expertise

Administrative and Public

Tom is interested in all areas of public law, particularly civil liberties and human rights, equalities, education, social security, immigration and asylum, housing, community care, electoral, regulatory and disciplinary, and actions against the police.

He appears for both claimants/applicants and defendants/respondents and was appointed to the Attorney General’s London C Panel in January 2019 and the London B Panel in July 2021. He was appointed to the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s C Panel in May 2019. He is a Consultant Editor of the Election Law volume of Halsbury’s Law of England and General Editor of Shackleton on the Law and Practice of Meetings.

Cases of note

  • R (A Professional Body) v Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (2023) – junior counsel in challenge to the Privy Council Advisors’ recommendation to the King as to an award of Royal Charter status to another professional body. 
  • R (Police Superintendents’ Association) v Police Remuneration Review Body and SSHD [2023] EWHC 1838 (Admin) – sole counsel for the PRRB in the first challenge to a pay review body’s recommendation to a secretary of state as to pay increases. Challenge brought on PSED and irrationality grounds.
    Judgment
  • R (Cruelty Free International) v SSHD [2023] EWHC 1064 (Admin) – EU and public law challenge concerning the interplay between the REACH regulation (on the safety of chemicals from the perspective of human health and the environment) and the Cosmetics Regulation. Appeal pending.
    Judgment 
  • R (Green and others) v Commissioner of the Police for the Metropolis and SSHD [2022] EWHC 1286 (Admin), [2022] EWCA Civ 1686  - junior counsel for the interested party, the Secretary of State for the Home Department (SSHD), in articles 8, 12 and 14 (with articles 8, 12 and A1P1) European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) challenge to regulation C9 of the Police Pensions Regulation 1987. 
    Judgment
  • SSHD v AM (Belarus) [2022] EWCA Civ 780 – junior counsel for the SSHD in appeal concerning requirements of art 8 in context of deportation ‘limbo’ case. Appeal pending.
    Judgment
  • R (White and others) v SSHSC (QB) - sole counsel for the Secretary of State in articles 5, 8 and article 14 (with articles 5 and 8) ECHR challenge to the vaccine exception in the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel and Operator Liability) (England) Regulations 2021.
  • SC (Jamaica) v SSHD [2022] UKSC 15 - junior counsel in articles 3 and 8 ECHR deportation case, concerning the correct approach to issues of internal relocation alternative.

Civil Liberties and Human Rights

Tom has particular expertise in human rights law and was on the executive committee of the Human Rights Lawyers Association (HRLA) for two years (2017-2019). His April 2019 article for Lexis analysing the principles relevant when assessing the proportionality of interference with qualified rights on the basis of pressing social need is available here.

Cases of note

  • Paris v Paris (Secretary of State for Justice intervening) (2023-24) (Family Division) – junior counsel in application for a declaration of annulment of marriage entered into by transgender applicant before gender recognition certificate obtained, seeking s 3 HRA reading and alternatively s 4 HRA declaration in respect to s 11 of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973.
  • R (A Professional Body) v Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (2023) – junior counsel in challenge (on inter alia art 8 and A1P1 grounds) to Privy Council Advisors’ recommendation to the King as to an award of Royal Charter status to another professional body. 
  • R (Green and others) v Commissioner of the Police for the Metropolis [2022] EWHC 1286 (Admin), [2022] EWCA Civ 1686 - junior counsel for the interested party, the Secretary of State for the Home Department (SSHD), in articles 8, 12 and 14 (with articles 8, 12 and A1P1) ECHR challenge to regulation C9 of the Police Pensions Regulation 1987. 
  • SSHD v AM (Belarus) [2022] EWCA Civ 780 – junior counsel for the SSHD in appeal concerning requirements of art 8 in context of deportation ‘limbo’ case. Supreme Court hearing pending.
    Judgment
  • R (White and others) v Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (QB) - Counsel for the Secretary of State in articles 5, 8 and article 14 (with articles 5 and 8)  ECHR challenge to the vaccine exception in the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel and Operator Liability) (England) Regulations 2021.
  • R (H) v Swindon BC [2021] EWCA Civ 1836 - Counsel for the respondent local authority in article 4 ECHR trafficking, forced criminality and child protection case.
    Judgment

Election Law

Tom takes instructions in all areas of electoral law. He is Band 1 ranked in this area by Chambers and Partners. He is the author of ‘A Practical Guide to Election Law’ (Law Brief Publishing: Minehead, Sep 2020) (Consultant Editor: Timothy Straker KC). He has appeared on BBC News to discuss electoral law. He has advised the Boundary Commission of England, the Cabinet Office, the Electoral Commission, office holders, elected representatives, candidates and private club members. He is Consultant Editor for the Elections volumes of Halsbury’s Laws of England.

Education Law

Tom’s education law practice spans judicial review challenges to delegated legislation, policy, school discontinuance, Ofsted reports and university decision-making (including matters of fitness to practice, freedom of expression, and research ethics). He acts in civil claims against schools, colleges and universities, in discrimination, contract and educational negligence. He is also a school governor.

Cases of note

  • R (BS (by his mother and litigation friend KP)) v Gloucestershire CC (2023) (Admin) – sole counsel for LA in challenge to EHCP placement decision on grounds of breach of common law consultation principles.
  • Meagher v University College London (2023) – sole counsel for defendant in claim alleging, inter alia, disability discrimination and failure to make reasonable adjustments.
  • R (Girgis) v Joint Committee on Intercollegiate Examinations (QB) [2021] EWHC 2256 (Admin) (jurisdiction), 2.11.2022 (renewal) - sole counsel for the defendant professional examination body in challenge to its decision that doctor candidate had failed intercollegiate speciality examination for promotion to consultant, featuring preliminary, England-Scotland jurisdictional issue.
  • R (Hossain) v Secretary of State for Education (QB and CA) - sole counsel for the Secretary of State in article 14 with A2P1 ECHR challenge to the Education (Student Support) Regulations 2011.
  • R (ZK) v Redbridge LBC [2020] EWCA Civ 1597 - junior counsel for the local authority in challenge to model of funding provision for visually impaired pupils (led by Deok Joo Rhee KC), the claimant relying on the public sector equality duty, and A2P1 and article 14 ECHR. 
    Judgment
  • R (Friends of Larkrise School and another) v Wiltshire County Council (QB) - junior counsel (led by Steve Broach then Ian Wise QC) for the claimants in judicial review of a local authority’s (i) publication of discontinuance notices in respect of three special schools and (ii) its prior pre-publication consultation. 
  • R (Caspian) v Bath Spa University (QB) - sole counsel for the university in a claim for judicial review of its decision to reject a research proposal by a master’s degree student into reverse gender assignment, claiming breach of article 10 ECHR and academic freedom. 

Information Rights and Data Protection

Tom accepts instructions in all areas of information law, including Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)/Data Protection Act, the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR), and the torts of misuse of private information and breach of confidence.

Cases of note

  • Maurizi v IC and Crown Prosecution Service [2023] UKFTT 442 (GRC) – junior counsel for the CPS in appeal arising from FOIA request for correspondence between CPS and foreign states and authorities concerning the extradition of Julian Assange. Judgment
  • O’Hanlon v IC and Health and Safety Executive (FTT) [2023] UKFTT 104 (GRC) – sole counsel for the HSE in EIR appeal. Upper Tribunal appeal pending.
  • XY v A Trust (QBD)  sole counsel for the claimant in claim for injunction and damages for breach of UK GDPR and for misuse of private information, and indirect discrimination.
  • Cabinet Office v IC and Corke (FTT) - junior counsel for the appellant in FOIA appeal.
  • Committee on Climate Change v IC and Montford (2021) EA/2020/0231 (FTT) - sole counsel for the CCC in EIR appeal.  
    Judgment
  • Hastings v IC and HM Treasury (FTT) - sole counsel for the second respondent to FOIA appeal. 
    Judgment

Immigration, Asylum, Trafficking and Nationality

Tom has a broad practice in immigration, asylum, trafficking and nationality law, particularly judicial review, and in statutory appeals.

Cases of note

  • SSHD v ASY [2023] EWHC 196 (KB) – junior counsel for the SSHD in art 3 ECHR damages claims arising out of Divisional Court’s finding of unlawful risk in respect of no recourse to public funds (NRPF) policy. Appeal pending.
    Judgment
  • SSHD v AM (Belarus) [2022] EWCA Civ 780 – junior counsel for the SSHD in appeal concerning requirements of art 8 in context of deportation ‘limbo’ case. Supreme Court hearing pending.
    Judgment
  • SC (Jamaica) v SSHD [2022] UKSC 15 - junior counsel for the SSHD stage of articles 3 and 8 deportation case concerning the internal relocation alternative.  
    Judgment
  • MA (Iraq) v SSHD [2021] EWCA Civ 1467 – Counsel for the Secretary of State in appeals concerning Iraq identity documents and article 3 ECHR. 
    Judgment
  • R (W, A Child) v SSHD [2020] 1 WLR 4420 (DC) and ST (A Child) v SSHD [2021] EWHC 1085 (Admin) (DC) - Junior counsel for the Secretary of State in Equality Act, article 3, and article 14 with article 8 challenges to her NRPF policy. 
  • KK and RS (Sur place activities, risk) (CG) [2021] UKUT 130 - junior counsel for the Secretary of State in country guidance case concerning risk on return to Sri Lanka owing to sur place activities in the UK. 
    Judgement

Recommendations

  • Tom provides very clear and succinct advice, which he communicates effectively.” Chambers and Partners, 2023
  • A big brain who quickly sees the heart of the issue. He is very knowledgeable yet practical, and extremely approachable.” The Legal 500, 2023
  • “He has impressive knowledge of the law. He's imaginative, approachable and someone who really cares about his clients.” Chambers and Partners, 2022 
  • “Extremely bright and can advise really well in a number of different areas of law. Unafraid of a challenging case and bold with argument and approach. Willing and able to consider all angles of a case. Thorough and approachable.” The Legal 500, 2022
  • “He is very reliable and very bright.” The Legal 500, 2021