Leigh Day expands its human rights legal department to Liverpool

Law firm Leigh Day is expanding its northern human rights operation by offering legal aid funded work relating to inquests involving the state and claims against public authorities at its Liverpool office.

The development is part of Leigh Day’s aim to expand its human rights work across the UK to help more people gain access to justice.

In Liverpool, and across the region, it will especially enable the firm to help bereaved families find legal aid funded legal representation at inquests into the deaths of loved ones.

The human rights team in Liverpool will be headed by Leigh Day partner Leanne Devine who is well known in the region for her work as a senior solicitor in the team representing bereaved families in the Hillsborough Inquests.

Leanne, who is from Liverpool, joined Leigh Day in 2023. Leanne has many years' experience representing bereaved families in Article 2 inquests, and connected claims against public authorities. Her cases have a particular emphasis on mental health related deaths, people who have died in local authority care, in prison and cases involving the police. Leanne’s experience involves cases concerning restraint whilst in police and prison custody. She has significant  experience in acting for families where their loved one has been subject to domestic abuse resulting in death or where the death has resulted from homicide involving state failures. Leanne is a member of INQUEST Lawyers Group and a panel member of Centre for Women’s Justice.

A legal aid contract for Leigh Day’s Liverpool office means Leanne and her team will be able to help more families who might otherwise not be able to find legal representation for inquests into deaths in which the role of public services is a cause for concern.

The Leigh Day partnership was one of the first law firms in the UK to launch a human rights department, at its London base, after the Human Rights Act 1998 was passed. 

The firm expanded the human rights department with a launch in Manchester in autumn 2023. There, Leigh Day partners Ryan Bradshaw and Stephanie Hill have helped clients with claims relating to discrimination, welfare rights and migrants’ rights, as well as many others in judicial reviews and claims for breaches of human rights.

The Human Rights Act 1998, which enshrined the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) in UK law, and the Equality Act 2010 have been used by thousands of people in the UK to defend their rights with the help of legal aid funded lawyers. The Human Rights Act  protects the right to life as well as many freedoms, including from slavery, forced labour and degrading treatment. The Equality Act protects against discrimination for race, disability, sex, religion, age, and sexual orientation. 

The expansion to Liverpool means people there will have access to legal aid funded lawyers to help defend their rights under the Human Rights Act and the Equality Act. This is particularly important given the number of firms providing legal aid funded advice has fallen significantly in recent years and is due to fall even further.

At the Liverpool office, at present Leanne works alongside Leigh Day partners Kevin Johnson and Joanne Candlish whose work is focused on asbestos related claims.

At its Manchester offices in Harpurhey, as well as human rights work, more than 300 legal staff work on employment, personal injury and clinical negligence cases.

Leigh Day partner Leanne Devine said:

“I am delighted that the Legal Aid Agency has awarded the contract to our Liverpool office which will enable us to offer our support to people across the region. When grieving families reach out for help it is often at the worst time of their lives. The families I work with have many unanswered questions The investigations surrounding the death are not always straightforward and need to be expanded to ensure a full and fearless investigation is carried out.

“I am passionate about ensuring families in Liverpool and the wider region are able to access the specialist legal advice they need. With our Liverpool office being based in the city centre, our clients can easily reach us for face to face meetings when preferred.”

Leigh Day partner Gene Matthews, who jointly heads the firmwide human rights team, said:

“The firm is thrilled to be expanding its human rights team to Liverpool.   The work undertaken by Leanne, and the other lawyers in the department, will help to ensure that an even greater number of people gain access to justice.  We are pleased to be joining the first-rate professionals who are already making a real difference in the region and hope our contribution will further support these critically important areas of law."

Leigh Day partner Kevin Johnson said:

“The legal aid contract is a massive boost to Leigh Day’s work in Liverpool. Over many years we have been able to help victims of asbestos disease and their loved ones. Now, thanks to Leanne’s expertise and legal aid funding for clients whose cases match the criteria, we will be able to expand our work to help people often experiencing the worst tragedies.”