Start typing and hit "Enter" to search.
Reiss Edwards Logo
Reiss Edwards Logo
Back to Top

Jonathan Roberts

Associate
Jonathan Roberts Jonathan Roberts
St Magnus House, 3 Lower Thames Street, London, EC3R 6HD St Magnus House, 3 Lower Thames Street, London, EC3R 6HD

"It’s not about doing things the easy way, it’s about doing things the right way"

Expertise

Experience

  • Trustee of Bringing [Dis]Ability to the Bar
  • Member of Gray’s Inn

Education

  • Bachelor of Laws degree (LLB)
  • LLM International Law
  • Bar Practice Course

More About Jonathan Roberts

Jonathan has a breadth of experience at challenging Home Office decisions, representing clients at Tribunal court and winning a positive outcome for his clients.

Some of his most successful cases include:

  • Representing a client with suicidal ideation and urges through a complex asylum claim in which he disclosed months of torture at the hands of his uncle, a member of the Iranian Basij (a kind of ‘religious purity police’). From initially making his asylum claim, to Home Office refusal, through to representing him in the First Tier Tribunal and the Judge accepting that he was in fact a refugee.
  • Acted for a number of clients in the pre-litigation stage of Judicial Reviews challenging the reasonableness of multiple years-long delays in the Home Office decision-making process.
  • Advised several applicants under the EU Settlement Scheme who did not meet the relevant criteria by the application deadline, and through novel interpretation of the EU Withdrawal Agreement, successfully obtained pre-settled status despite these criteria not being met.
  • Advising a client with severe PTSD and building enough trust with him to talk about the triggering events in his past, as these were the basis of his application in the UK.

Part of Jonathan's success is because he refuses to follow a ‘template’ on how to run a case. He believes that templates will get you part of the way there, but they never fully fit to each person’s unique circumstances. He ensures that each matter receives its own unique consideration and its own unique approach, in order to make sure that case has the best chance possible of success.

Jonathan's attitude of refusing to take ‘no’ for an answer means he will always fight for his client’s interests until all possible routes forward are exhausted. Even where Jonathan has been unable to get the Judge to accept his submissions without issue, he has been able to persuade the Judge to also place doubts on the conclusions reached by the Home Office. This has allowed him to obtain orders that are more beneficial to his client's position than the Judge had initially intended to grant.

He believes that working together with the client and gaining their trust, is when the best possible outcome can be achieved. It is vital to make sure that we have all the necessary information to fully advise our clients. Clients may come to their lawyer looking for advice on one aspect of immigration law. However, it is only through open conversations with them, that both the lawyer and the client is able to consider all potential avenues for the best way forward. When all avenues are considered, it opens up possibilities that the client did not necessarily know were even options at first.

People place a lot of effort on ‘looking like a lawyer’ and ‘acting like a lawyer’. These are important skills, and being able to step into that space is good to create professionalism and trust. However, sometimes a client wants to know that the person they are talking to is a real person and that they want to help them.

When Jonathan has previously dealt with vulnerable clients, this has been even more important. It is the job of a lawyer to make sure you are prepared to deal with the Home Office, but it is not the job of a lawyer to act aloof or give you an unnecessarily difficult time while we prepare your case.

Jonathan enjoys seeing the positive effect his work has on his clients. One of his proudest moments was when he won a complex refugee case which took months to prepare statements and bundles of evidence for the Tribunal to consider. Months later, the client came back to Jonathan’s office to show him that he had just got his provisional driving licence in the UK and had just met somebody he was slowly starting a relationship with. Winning is one kind of satisfaction, but being able to give somebody their life back is something that truly can’t be found anywhere else.

To keep up with everchanging UK immigration laws, Jonathan regularly follows industry news, as well as prominent voices for updates in the legal world. Each figure provides their own views on the legal developments, and these opinions helps to inform Jonathan’s approach towards considering the same principles and outcomes, although they do not define or limit it. Within the team, Jonathan regularly provides legal updates and review changes to case law along with senior solicitors. He also provides training to junior members of the legal team on how to address the issues raised by a client.

Jonathan enjoys meeting different people from all walks of life, from all over the world. Many of whom come to him because they need somebody to help them with the same question: ‘how do I secure my position in the UK?’ For every single client, the path is different, and navigating the unique challenges of each particular case makes every day its own new success story.

Get In Touch