Melanie Plimmer
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Year of call: 1996
Melanie Plimmer is an Immigration and Public Law specialist. She has been recognised as a top ranked Immigration specialist in Chambers Directory for a number of years. She sits part time as a Judge in the Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber). She has contributed to the practitioners' text, Macdonald on Immigration (5th and 6th Editions) and is the author of the Immigration Chapter in the next (17th) edition of Bullen and Leake on Precedents and Pleadings. She is a member of the Attorney General's Panel of Special Advocates and appears regularly as a Special Advocate in immigration cases involving national security issues. She has extensive experience in advisory and court work arising out of a wide range of Immigration and Nationality issues.
Recent instructions include:
- advising players and their family members of a top four club in the Premier League on their immigration status and potential to become EEA citizens;
- advising a Premiership Rugby Union Club on regularising a player's immigration status;
- an appeal against a decision to refuse leave to remain to the coach of a cricket club under the Points Based Scheme.
Melanie is also currently involved in a number of disciplinary and regulatory proceedings involving professionals and has recently represented a Rugby League player in disciplinary proceedings.
Recommendations:
"Melanie is felt to be one of the most respected regional practitioners in her field. Sources claim that she is "always on the ball." She focuses on claims emanating from human rights, asylum, immigration and national security issues. Plimmer also sits as a part-time immigration judge and is felt to possess "fantastic knowledge of overlapping immigration and prison law concerns." She was recently successful in a watershed case regarding a breach of Article 5 and the just level of damages awarded for such an infraction." Chambers & Partners 2012.
Melanie is also described in Chambers & Partners 2012 "as "fearsome in her passion and impressive in her breadth of experience." Her areas of expertise include judicial review, unlawful detention and national security immigration issues. Sources praise her written submissions and add: "She is extremely good at identifying the arguments that have a real prospect of winning and then running with them."
"Melanie Plimmer falls within the 'exceptional category':'she 'combines an acute analytical intelligence with formidable forensic skills', and is a 'supremely effective advocate'". Legal 500 2011
"Approachable and committed, she is 'quite outstanding at immigration work' and 'one of the most frequent users of the Administrative Court.'" Chambers & Partners 2011, Band 1 for Administrative and Public Law Barristers
"Melanie Plimmer of Kings Chambers is renowned for her expert knowledge on matters where prison law and immigration cross over. Commentators say she is 'extremely hard-working, very detailed in her advice and creative in her thinking.' Her advocacy skills also impress sources" Chambers & Partners 2011
"Imaginative, creative and clearly at the forefront of the law" Chambers & Partners 2009
"her work... sets her apart from the norm and she has set the standards for others to follow..." Chambers & Partners 2008
"Her... knowledge of the law is phenomenal... " Chambers and Partners 2007
