Aliya Al-Yassin

Aliya practises in all areas of public law and human rights, including judicial review proceedings and claims under the Human Rights Act 1998.

Aliya’s recent work in this field includes:

• Al-Haq v Secretary of State for Business and Trade (recognised as one of The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases for 2025) – high profile challenge to the legality of UK Government decisions to continue granting licences for the export of military equipment to Israel in the context of the war in Gaza (led by Phillippa Kaufmann KC and Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh, alongside Zac Sammour). Aliya appeared as sole counsel in an interim hearing.
• NSK v United Kingdom – major challenge to the legality and human rights’ compliance of the Government’s Rwanda deportation scheme (led by Raza Husain KC and Phillippa Kaufmann KC, alongside Christopher Knight and Hannah Slarks).
• Kyriacoi v Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities – challenge to voter ID requirements (led by Julian Blake).
• POA v United Kingdom – application before the European Court of Human Rights asserting that the ban on prison officers taking strike action is unlawful in the absence of adequate compensatory mechanisms (led by Daniel Stilitz KC).
• Ben Bradshaw MP and others v United Kingdom – application before the European Court of Human Rights asserting that Article 3 of the First Protocol ECHR obliges the UK positively to investigate allegations of Russian attempts to interfere with domestic elections (as a pupil, assisting Christopher Knight).
• Care North East Northumberland v Northumberland CC [2024] EWHC 1370 (Admin); [2024] ACD 88– challenge to local authority care home fee-setting (led by Joanne Clement KC).

Aliya also gained considerable exposure to public law and human rights issues as a Judicial Assistant at the Supreme Court, including in:

• Chandler v The State (No 2) [2022] UKPC 19 (on the constitutionality of the mandatory death penalty for murder in Trinidad and Tobago).
• Re the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Northern Ireland) Bill [2022] UKSC 32 (on the right to protest and ‘safe access zones’ in Northern Ireland).
• PWR v Director of Public Prosecutions [2022] UKSC 2 (on the scope of the offence in section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000 and its compatibility with the right to freedom of expression).

While at the Supreme Court, Aliya was also appointed UK Focal Point to the European Court of Human Rights’ Superior Courts’ Network, in which capacity she provided assistance to the Strasbourg court on matters of English law.

Aliya practises in a broad range of commercial litigation.  Aliya also has significant experience in commercial litigation from her time as a solicitor in Slaughter and May’s Disputes and Investigations team.

Recent highlights of Aliya’s work in this field include:

• Major Professional Services Firm v Former Partner – LCIA arbitration brought by a major professional services firm to enforce post-termination restrictions in LLP deed (led by Jane McCafferty KC and Simon Forshaw KC).
• Cardiff City Football Club v English Football League – arbitration arising out of a failure to pay the transfer fee of Emiliano Sala on time (as a pupil, assisting Ruth Kennedy).
• Gagliardi v Evolution Capital Management LCC [2023] EWHC 1608 (Comm) – application to the High Court for the first post-Brexit anti-suit injunction enforcing an employee’s right to be sued in England (as a pupil, assisting Daniel Oudkerk KC and Amy Rogers).
• Município de Mariana & Ors v BHP Group plc, BHP Billiton plc and BHP Group Ltd [2020] EWHC 2930 (recognised as one of The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases for 2020) – acting for the Defendants in a jurisdiction challenge relating to claims brought by over 200,000 claimants arising out of the collapse of the Fundão Dam in Brazil. The claim is considered to be the largest group action ever in English legal history (as a solicitor at Slaughter and May, in a team led by Efstathios Michael).

Aliya practises across the full range of commercial and statutory employment law.

Recent experience in commercial employment  includes:

• Former CEO/Team Principal v Leading F1 Team – Defending a leading F1 team against a multimillion pound High Court employment and shareholding dispute brought by its former CEO/Team Principal (assisting Daniel Stilitz KC and Ruth Kennedy).
• Gagliardi v Evolution Capital Management LCC [2023] EWHC 1608 (Comm) – application to the High Court for the first post-Brexit anti-suit injunction enforcing an employee’s right to be sued in England (assisting Daniel Oudkerk KC and Amy Rogers).
• Proceedings threatened by certain entities complaining that a bank’s decision to close accounts was discriminatory (as a pupil, assisting Amy Rogers).

Recent experience in statutory employment includes:

• Lapinski v Triton Investments Advisers LLP and Others (on appeal to the EAT) – challenge to the international jurisdiction of the Employment Tribunal in a cross-border discrimination dispute (as a pupil, assisting Daniel Stilitz KC).
• Melki v Bouygues E and S Contracting [2024] EAT 36; [2024] ICR 803 – acting for the Claimant (pro bono) in the first case to consider the application of the EAT’s new power to extend time under amended EAT rule 37(5) (led by James Goudie KC, alongside Oliver Mills).
• Acting as sole counsel for claimants and respondents in several cases before the Employment Tribunal involving unfair dismissal, discrimination, and other statutory claims.

While at the Supreme Court, Aliya gained experience of employment law issues, including in, for example, Harpur Trust v Brazel [2022] UKSC 21 (on part time and zero hours holiday pay).

Aliya practises in private international law.  She has a particular interest in cases with an international element.

Recent highlights of Aliya’s work in this field include:

• Gagliardi v Evolution Capital Management LCC [2023] EWHC 1608 (Comm) – application to the High Court for the first post-Brexit anti-suit injunction enforcing an employee’s right to be sued in England (as a pupil, assisting Daniel Oudkerk KC and Amy Rogers).
• Lapinski v Triton Investments Advisers LLP and Others 2206435/2022 (on appeal to the EAT) – challenge to the international jurisdiction of the Employment Tribunal in a cross-border discrimination dispute (as a pupil, assisting Daniel Stilitz KC).
• Município de Mariana & Ors v BHP Group plc, BHP Billiton plc and BHP Group Ltd [2020] EWHC 2930 (recognised as one of The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases for 2020) – acting for the Defendants in a jurisdiction challenge relating to claims brought by over 200,000 claimants arising out of the collapse of the Fundão Dam in Brazil. The claim has been described as the largest group action ever in English legal history (as a solicitor at Slaughter and May, in a team led by Efstathios Michael).

As a Judicial Assistant at the Supreme Court, Aliya gained exposure to cases raising private international law issues, including in:

• The Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association – Forces Help and another v Allgemeines Krankenhaus Viersen GmbH [2022] UKSC 29 (on the overriding effect of the Civil Liability (Contribution) Act 1978).
• Cairo (Nile Plaza) v Brownlie [2021] UKSC 45 (on the application of the presumption of similarity concerning foreign law and the proper scope of the tort gateway for service out of the jurisdiction).

Aliya accepts instructions in all areas of Public International Law. Recent highlights include:

• Acting for the State of Palestine in advisory proceedings before the International Court of Justice on the Obligations of Israel in relation to the presence and activities of the United Nations, other international organizations and third States in and in relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territory (led by Paul S. Reichler, alongside Zac Sammour).
• Acting for the International Trade Union Confederation in advisory proceedings before the International Court of Justice on the Right to Strike under ILO Convention 87 (led by Professor Philippe Sands KC).
• Acting for the Claimant in Al-Haq v Secretary of State for Business and Trade (recognised as one of The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases for 2025), a challenge to the SSBT’s decision not to suspend arms licenses to Israel during the ongoing war in Gaza, which raises complex questions of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, together with issues under the Genocide Convention and Arms Trade Treaty (led by Phillippa Kaufmann KC and Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh, alongside Zac Sammour). Aliya appeared as sole counsel in an interim hearing.

Aliya practises in all areas of information and data protection law, including claims under the UK GDPR / Data Protection Act 2018 and appeals under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Recent experience in Freedom of Information includes:

• Acting as sole counsel for requesters and the Information Commissioner in several appeals before the First-tier Tribunal including in, for example, Shubber v Information Commissioner and the Serious Fraud Office [2024] UKFTT 1054 (GRC), which concerned the costs of the SFO’s failed investigation into the Unaoil corruption scandal. The information was reported in the FT here.
• Montague v Information Commissioner and Secretary of State for International Trade (on appeal to the Supreme Court) – appeal concerning the aggregation of public interest factors under FOIA (as a pupil, assisting Christopher Knight).
• Cabinet Office v Information Commissioner and Tommy Sheppard MP  – Upper Tribunal appeal concerning a request for polling information on attitudes to the Union (as a pupil, assisting Raphael Hogarth).

Recent experience in data protection and privacy includes:

• Proposed privacy claims in the context of wider civil fraud proceedings against a deceased oligarch worth billions of dollars (led by Robin Hopkins).
• FKJ v RVT [2023] EWHC 3 (KB) – privacy claim involving significant WhatsApp hacking allegations and counterclaims for malicious prosecution (as a pupil, assisting Christopher Knight).
• Hurbain v Belgium (application no. 57292/16) (European Court of Human Rights) – the right to be forgotten in the context of digital press archives (as a Judicial Assistant and UK Focal Point to the European Court of Human Rights’ Superior Courts’ Network).

Aliya accepts instructions in all areas of sports law.

Recent highlights include:

• Defending a leading F1 team against a multimillion pound High Court employment and shareholding dispute brought by its former CEO/Team Principal (assisting Daniel Stilitz KC and Ruth Kennedy).
• An arbitration arising from Cardiff City FC’s failure to pay the transfer fee of Emiliano Sala on time (as a pupil, assisting Ruth Kennedy).

Aliya accepts instructions from economic operators and authorities in cases involving the application of the procurement and subsidy rules.

She recently acted for a local authority (led by Jason Coppel KC) in a case which considered what gives a “public works contract” its character.