Alison Stanley

• Alison studied at Sussex University, Northwestern University USA and the College of Law. She qualified as a solicitor in 1984
• From 1988 Alison was the first solicitor to be employed by the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants
• She joined Bindmans in 1994 as the Head of the Immigration team
• She is Law Society IAAS Accredited Supervisor and Senior Caseworker
• Alison was a Partner at Bindmans LLP and Joint Head of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality team until she became a Senior Consultant in April 2023

Clients Say:

I was extremely satisfied with the service provided by Alison Stanley: prompt, efficient and courteous; always addressing my concerns.

Client 2023

Legal Directories

Chambers and Partners UK 2024

• Alison is ranked as a ‘Star Individual’ in Immigration: Human Rights, Asylum and Deportation.
• Feedback says, ”Alison Stanley manages to really protect vulnerable people by doing very good work.”
• Alison is also ranked Band 1 in Immigration: Personal.
• Clients say, ”She is very good at cases with a high level of confidentiality, and lovely with clients.”

Legal 500 2024

• Alison is featured in the ‘Hall of Fame’ section of Immigration: human rights, appeals & overstay.
• Feedback says, ‘Alison Stanley has unparalleled experience and real client commitment.’

Chambers and Partners 2023

• Alison is ranked as a ‘Star Invididual’ in Immigration: Human Rights, Asylum and Deportation. She is described as “a remarkable lawyer” and “a powerhouse of human rights work”
• “Co-head of department Alison Stanley enjoys a stellar reputation for her work in sophisticated asylum and extradition cases. She is particularly well versed in LGBT+ immigration issues and cases involving individuals with mental health conditions”
• Feedback says “She is a legend in the immigration and asylum field. She is a standout individual and very impressive”
• Alison is also ranked Band 1 in Immigration: Personal
• “Alison Stanley is joint head of department and widely considered one of the foremost immigration experts in the UK. Her practice is comprehensive in advising clients on nationality issues, as well as on their efforts to obtain residency permits”
• “Alison is a brilliant lawyer. She is at the top of the field”
• “Alison Stanley is a colossally effective litigator. She deals with complex cases for clients with great effectiveness”
• “Alison is a legend in the immigration field”
• Alison Stanley is a colossally effective litigator. She deals with complex cases for clients with great effectiveness

Legal 500 2023

• Alison is recognised in the ‘Hall of Fame’ for Immigration: Human Rights, Appeals and Overstays
• “The standout feature is how quickly they respond and the quality of the response. I have found both Liz Barrett and Alison Stanley to be willing to discuss complex matters before referral. Their advice is always comprehensive and well thought out and exhibits a deep knowledge of the law and practical aspects of it. I have been impressed by their ability to explain complex issues with clarity. You get a real sense that they are responding to your needs and providing a professional service of exceptional quality”

• Immigration legal aid lawyer of the year 2023
• Appointed Patron of Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association March 2024
• Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association 
• Alison was a founder member of the Refugee Women’s Legal Group, which in 2000 won the Law Society’s Gazette/Liberty Human Rights Award
• She was also a founder member and past chair of the Law Society’s Immigration Law Committee
• Alison is a member of the Unaccompanied Migrant Children’s Court steering group
• Trustee, Immigrants Aid Trust, March 2001 to the present, from 2003 to 2018 Chair of the Trustees
• Trustee, Law Society Charity, Oct 2006 to the present

Alison lectures and trains extensively on immigration law, and writes and broadcasts in the legal and general media

• The role of the clerk and interpreter at asylum interviews, Immigration and Nationality
• Law and Practice, July 1990 and updated version volume 8, number 3, 1994
• The legality of blanket detention measures used against Vietnamese asylum seekers in Hong Kong, Lawyers for Human Rights, New York 1990
• Statute Juridique De La Zone International: L’experience du Royaume –Uni (La situation des requerants d’asile) chapter in Fronties dur doit, Fronties dur doits, additions l’Harmattan/ANAFE 1993. English version published in Immigration and Nationality Law and Practice, volume 6, number 40
• Drug Couriers – A New Perspective  Quartet Books Limited, 1996, chapter on Deportation and Drug Couriers
• Developments in Race Discrimination Law and Practice 1993 – 1994, chapter in the report of the UK Rapporteur to the European Commission Report by the Information Network on Migrations from non-member states (RIMET),1994
• The Rights of Third Country Nationals in the New European Order (co-authored with Professor Michael Rowlands, University College, London), Immigration and Nationality Research and Information Charity, 1994
• Women Asylum Seekers: an alternative approach (co-authored with Victoria Tennant) Immigration and Nationality Law and Practice, 1998 volume 12, number 2
• Gender Guidelines for the Determination of Asylum Claims in the United Kingdom – Refugee Women’s Legal Group, July 1998, part of the drafting committee
• Asylum Seekers – a guide to current legislation, chapter on Vulnerable Categories, Resource Information Service 2001
• Putting Children First: A Guide to Family law for Immigration Practitioners – co-authored with Jane Coker and Nadine Finch, Legal Action Group,  2002
• Asylum – a guide to recent legislation  4th edition, co-authored with Jane Coker, Judith Farbey and Nadine Finch, Resource Information Service /ILPA, January 2004
• Working with children and young people subject to immigration control: guidelines for best practice  – member of the drafting group ILPA November 2004
• The Asylum and Immigration Tribunal: practice and procedure, co-authored with Jane Coker and Judith Farbey, Legal Action, June 2005
• Child First, Migrant Second, Legal Action, February 2006
• Representation at Immigration Appeals: a best practice guide – co-authored with Jane Coker, James Gillespie and Sue Shutter, ILPA, February 2006
• The new migration – the managed migration framework, co-authored with Linda Coxon, Solicitors Journal Vol 150 No 12 31.3.2006

Recent training courses Alison has provided include:

• Home Office Concessions outside the Rules, Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association,
• Tier 4 Appeals, UKCISA, London
• Family law for Immigration Practitioners, Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association, London
• Speaker on family and dependants at the MBL business immigration law conference
• Professional Conduct and Ethics in Immigration Cases, Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association, London