Immigration and asylum expert evidence for legal aid cases.
Independent country-condition reports and oral evidence for Upper Tribunal hearings in Glasgow and Edinburgh, Court of Session judicial review, and SLAB-funded appeals, scoped and priced for prior approval.
How legal aid instructions work
Built around how SLAB-funded casework actually runs
Legal aid work fails on cost and timing far more often than it fails on substance. We quote before we start, keep the scope tied to the point the tribunal has to decide, and deliver in a form your file can carry.
- Fees quoted in writing so you can seek prior approval from SLAB before work begins.
- Scope kept proportionate to the issue in dispute, not to the length of the bundle.
- Fixed-fee expert letters where a full report would not be justified.
- Familiar with ABWOR and the reporting requirements attached to legal aid instructions.
Expert evidence, scoped to the issue in dispute
Each service can be provided as a full report or, where legal aid makes that disproportionate, as a shorter expert letter.
- Expert Witness ReportsFPR Part 25 / CPR Part 35 compliant reports for asylum and immigration proceedings, proportionate for SLAB-funded cases.
- Country Condition ReportsIndependent country condition analysis for asylum appeals across Scotland's caseload.
- Credibility AssessmentCultural, linguistic, trauma, and contextual analysis affecting credibility in asylum proceedings.
- Oral TestimonyOral expert evidence at Upper Tribunal sittings in Glasgow and Edinburgh, and Court of Session hearings.
- Litigation SupportCPIN gap analysis, country evidence strategy, and HOPO cross-examination preparation.
- NGO & Legal Aid Case SupportProportionate expert input for legal aid and charitable sector casework.
Venues we cover
Upper Tribunal (IAC) Glasgow and Edinburgh, First-tier Tribunal, Court of Session, and remote hearings, with specialists matched to the countries of origin in your caseload.
Jurisdictions and venues
Solicitors, NGOs, tribunals, and individuals
Most instructions come from SLAB-funded immigration solicitors. We also support refugee-sector organisations and explain, in plain language, how someone seeking asylum can ask their solicitor to instruct an expert.
Who we serveBefore you instruct
Do you take legal aid instructions?
Yes. Most of our work is for SLAB-funded solicitors. We provide a written fee quotation at the outset so you can seek prior approval before any work is carried out.
Which tribunals and courts do your experts appear in?
Principally the Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) sitting in Glasgow and Edinburgh, the First-tier Tribunal, and the Court of Session on judicial review. Experts also give evidence by video link.
What standard are the reports written to?
Reports comply with CPR Part 35 and FPR Part 25 as applicable, including the expert's duty to the court, a statement of truth, and a clear record of the sources relied on.
How much detail should I send with a first enquiry?
Enough to assess scope: country of origin, the issue in dispute, the venue, and any hearing date. Please do not send identifying client details or the full bundle until instructions are confirmed.
Have an asylum appeal that needs country evidence?
Legal aid instructions welcome. Enquiries answered in confidence.