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Verity Cannell

Solicitor

Public Law and Human Rights

Verity Cannell

Verity is a solicitor in our Public Law and Human Rights team.

Verity’s practice includes acting in both public law matters and civil claims against public authorities. She also has experience of bringing complaints on behalf of individuals and companies to the European Court of Human Rights.

Verity has represented individuals and organisations in judicial review claims and complaints against central government departments (for example, the Home Office) and local authorities. She advises clients on a variety of issues, including community care matters, such as access to support for care leavers and support for asylum seekers. Her practice also includes challenging cautions and requesting the deletion of information inappropriately held on police records.

Verity is also experienced in bringing civil claims against public bodies, including false imprisonment claims and data protection breaches.

Education and career
  • Verity graduated with a First Class Honours in Law (LLB) from Swansea University in 2014
  • She completed her LPC with Distinction in 2018 from the University of Law
  • Verity joined Bindmans in September 2016 and qualified as solicitor in September 2021
Experience

Verity’s cases include:

  • A judicial review challenge of a local authority’s decision to withdraw their support from a care leaver, who would otherwise have been rendered street homeless and destitute
  • A judicial review challenge to the government’s unlawful delay of over one year to provide a family of six asylum seekers with adequate accommodation to meet the needs of the family, one of whom is severely disabled
  • Successfully securing local authority support for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children whose age has been disputed by the government
  • Successfully applying for a client’s caution to be expunged from the Police National Computer and for all associated records to be deleted from local and national police databases
  • A challenge to the police in respect of their failure to follow procedure and apply appropriate safeguards in the seizure of journalistic material, which is afforded special protection under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act
  • Assisting with a claim for compensation against the government brought on behalf of the family of Charles Unuane, who was found by the European Court of Human Rights to have been unlawfully deported to Nigeria, but who sadly died in Nigeria before he was returned to the UK following the Court’s judgment
  • Assisting with challenges promoting access to justice brought by the Law Society, including a judicial review against the government in respect of their proposal for the remuneration of pre-charge engagement work in criminal legal aid cases