Upholding civil liberties and human rights in the UK and internationally is the core work of Hickman & Rose’s civil litigation team.
The team represents victims of the most serious abuses of power by police and other detaining authorities. It has significant expertise representing clients in inquests and in public inquiries into state-related deaths and wrongdoing.
Clients come from all walks of life. They include people regularly involved with the criminal justice system (including current and former prisoners), and bereaved families and professionals who may never have encountered the police before.
Led by Daniel Machover, who is described as a “renowned human rights practitioner” by the 2023 Chambers legal directory, the team has particular expertise acting in cases relating to deaths in custody, including police shootings, and Taser and other restraint-related deaths.
The team regularly represents bereaved families at inquest and in investigations by the Independent Office for Police Conduct, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, in civil proceedings and also public law challenges.
Another core area of expertise is achieving legal remedies for people who have been ill-treated in prison or immigration detention. This can include prisoner-on-prisoner violence and sexual abuse, false imprisonment, and assaults or discrimination by prison staff.
Hickman & Rose’s international human rights work includes making innovative use of universal jurisdiction to bring the perpetrators of war crimes and torture committed abroad to justice in the UK.