Introduction

Stephen Tawiah specialises in public law, public inquiries, professional discipline and prison law. Examples of his recent work include:

• Public Inquiries: Instructed by the Department of Health and Social Care as junior counsel at the Infected Blood Inquiry; Instructed as junior counsel to the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry; Currently instructed as junior counsel to the Undercover Policing Inquiry; Currently instructed as junior counsel for the Royal Military Police at the Independent Inquiry Relating to Afghanistan.
• Acting successfully for the Claimant in judicial review proceedings against the Secretary for State for the Home Department, challenging decision not to accommodate the Claimant under section 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.
• Acting for the Claimant in judicial review proceedings challenging the Secretary of State for Justice’s decision to conclude a Category A review without conducting an oral hearing, on the basis that the decision did not comply with published policy and was procedurally unfair.
• Successfully representing the Claimant in an unlawful detention claim, obtaining general damages and aggravated damages for unlawfulness of initial decision to detain and breaches of adult at risk in immigration detention policy.  
• Acting in a prison law discrimination claim under the Equality Act 2010 concerning failure by prison service to provide halal food for Muslim prisoner.
• Successfully representing Claimant in a challenge to the decision of a local authority to assess the Claimant to be an adult. Obtained interim relief requiring local authority to accommodate and support the Claimant as a child.

Stephen has extensive experience in the field of professional discipline and regulatory law. He regularly represents nurses, doctors and pharmacists before regulatory bodies. Stephen’s professional discipline experience covers interim order hearings and complex substantive fitness to practice hearings. Stephen is also developing a sports law practice with a focus on regulation. He has experience representing athletes, coaches and sports players in matters involving discrimination, doping charges and safeguarding.

Stephen is currently a trustee for the Bernie Grant Trust.

Stephen is also a member of the Bar and Solicitor’s roll of the Republic of Ghana (admitted November 2022).

Inquests and Inquires

Stephen is currently instructed on the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry and the Undercover Policing Inquiry.

Stephen has also previously been instructed on the Grenfell Inquiry and Infected Blood Inquiry. Stephen has considerable experience relating to document review, drafting and responding to rule 9 requests and drafting closing submissions. 

Civil

Stephen appears frequently in the County Court in a range of matters, acting on behalf of claimants and defendants. Particularly, he is regularly instructed to appear and advise on liability and quantum in personal injury and road traffic accident claims.  

Intellectual Property

Stephen is developing his expertise in intellectual property law, and regularly advises both football players and intermediaries (agents) on matters relating to image rights, trademark and football employment contracts. Stephen is also currently advising music producers and music management companies on royalties disputes and copyright. 

Immigration & Nationality

Stephen’s practice has a particular focus on asylum and human rights. He appears regularly in the First-tier Tribunal and has significant experience representing victims of torture and human trafficking.

Stephen’s work also extends to nationality law and deportation cases.

He is committed to access to justice and regularly accepts instructions from individuals on a legal aid basis.

Furthermore, Stephen has significant experience dealing with judicial review claims. He has represented clients in the Upper Tribunal in challenges to decisions relating to certification, fresh claims and trafficking. Stephen is developing a broad public law practice, building on his prior experience as a litigation caseworker, where he managed his own caseload of judicial review claims in the Upper Tribunal and Administrative Court.

Qualifications

(2020) LLM, University College London

(2014) Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC), City University Law School

(2013) LLB Law, Coventry University

GDPR Notice

Stephen Tawiah is a self-employed barrister in independent practice. During the course of providing legal services as a barrister, Stephen collects and uses personal information.  He is the data controller in respect of this information for the purposes of the Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulation ('GDPR').

33 Bedford Row is separate and has its own Data Protection Act 2018/GDPR 'Privacy Policy and Data Protection Statement', in respect to personal information collected, used and stored by or related to it. This covers personal information arising from, or related to, 33 Bedford Row providing services as a barristers chambers, as well as use of its website. This 'Privacy Policy and Data Protection Statement' sets out what information they obtain about you, why and how they use it.  This policy also sets out your rights.

You can view 33 Bedford Row's 'Privacy Policy and Data Protection Statement' on 33 Bedford Row's website. Hard copies are available on request by contacting chambers directly.

Transparency Notice

Stephen Tawiah’s entry on the Barristers' Register can be viewed by clicking the link here.

The Legal Ombudsman's decision data website can be found here, and the Bar Standards Board who regulate Stephen have their website here.

Stephen can be instructed via his clerks at 33 Bedford Row by professional, licensed access and/or lay clients, in order to obtain a quotation for legal services.  His clerks' contact details are at the bottom right of this webpage (please click on the image) and/or via clerks@33bedfordrow.co.uk or 0207 242 6476.

Stephen accepts, where appropriate, publicly funded work, Conditional Fee Agreements (including Partial CFAs).

Stephen’s most commonly used pricing models for privately funded work, are:

(a) for specific drafting work - a fixed fee;

(b)  for specific hearings – a fixed fee;

(c) for other work - hourly rates.

Stephen’s fees are based on an hourly rate of £150-£250 plus VAT per hour.  This is indicative only and may vary depending on various factors - please ask for a quotation.

Stephen is VAT registered and VAT is charged on his fees, where applicable.  Stephen’s VAT Registration Number is: 331 1871 28

A website called Legal Choices is run by the frontline legal regulators. It can be a good source of information for those looking to instruct a lawyer.

Stephen has professional indemnity insurance cover for all types of legal services he supplies to the public and businesses.

Stephen is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO): ZA503514