Antonia Benfield

Ranked in 3 Practice Areas

Band 3

Community Care

London (Bar)

3 Years Ranked

Band 3

Immigration

London (Bar)

5 Years Ranked

Band 4

Administrative & Public Law

London (Bar)

3 Years Ranked

About

Provided by Antonia Benfield

UK Bar

Practice Areas

Antonia is an established practitioner in the fields of immigration, public law and community care. She specialises in asylum law and children’s rights and has extensive expertise in age assessment and asylum support challenges, and unlawful detention claims. She is well-placed to undertake cross-cutting work in the fields of asylum and children’s rights.

Antonia acted in country guidance cases in respect of Eritrea (MST and Others (national service – risk categories) Eritrea CG [2016] UKUT 443 (IAC)) and Sri Lanka (KK & RS (Sur place activities: risk) Sri Lanka CG [2021] UKUT 130 (IAC)). She has extensive experience in strategic litigation and policy challenges including:

• Protection proceedings brought by Tamil refugees on Diego Garcia against the Commissioner of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT).

• R (ECPAT UK) v Kent CC & SSHD [2023] EWHC 1953 (Admin) – challenge to cap on UAS children taken into care and instead placed in Home Office commissioned hotels.

• R (MA & HT) v SSHD [2022] EWHC 98 (Admin) – challenge to lawfulness of policy governing age assessment of UAS children at Kent Intake Unit.

• R (NB & Ors) v SSHD [2021] EWHC 1489 (Admin) – challenge to adequacy of Napier Barracks as asylum support accommodation.

Career

Antonia regularly designs and delivers training for solicitors, law centres and charities. She is a trustee of West London Welcome and legal advisor to Counterpoints Arts. She was a finalist in the LALY Awards for Barrister of the Year in 2023.

Professional Memberships

ILPA

ALBA

HRLA

BHRC

Chambers Review

Provided by Chambers

UK-Bar

Immigration - London (Bar)

Band 3

Individual Editorial

Antonia Benfield is an up-and-coming junior barrister with a growing immigration and asylum practice. She is particularly experienced in immigration cases that involve family members of EEA nationals and third-country removal claims. Other strengths include representing vulnerable individuals, including those with mental health conditions, in complex asylum claims.

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Community Care - London (Bar)

Band 3

Individual Editorial

Antonia Benfield is an impressive junior whose practice covers public law, immigration and community care. She frequently acts for claimants in age assessment matters.

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Administrative & Public Law - London (Bar)

Band 4

Individual Editorial

Antonia Benfield is renowned by peers for her strong advocacy and knowledge in the areas of public law, immigration and asylum. She acts for vulnerable claimants, including individuals with mental health issues and asylum seekers. Age assessment and unlawful detention claims feature heavily in her practice.

Learn more about this team❖View ranking table

Strengths

Provided by Chambers

She is an excellent advocate.

Immigration respondent
UK-Bar

She is really fantastic - extremely committed and brilliant at drafting. She really cares about clients.

Immigration respondent
UK-Bar

Antonia is very good with strategy and her primary focus is the client. She knows the facts of the case inside-out and her level of detail is strong.

Community Care respondent
UK-Bar

Antonia provides very detailed advice. She is always at the end of the phone or an email and is generally great.

Community Care respondent
UK-Bar

Antonia is a very good team player and very collaborative. She is clearly a leader in age assessment challenges so can provide a lot of strategic advice as well as being calm and persuasive.

Community Care respondent
UK-Bar

Antonia is very good and very accessible.

Administrative & Public Law respondent
UK-Bar

Antonia is very responsive as well as clear in her advice and on what evidence is needed. She thinks strategically and provides very helpful guidance and support.

Administrative & Public Law respondent
UK-Bar

She is an excellent advocate.

Immigration respondent
UK-Bar

She is really fantastic - extremely committed and brilliant at drafting. She really cares about clients.

Immigration respondent
UK-Bar

Antonia is very good with strategy and her primary focus is the client. She knows the facts of the case inside-out and her level of detail is strong.

Community Care respondent
UK-Bar

Antonia provides very detailed advice. She is always at the end of the phone or an email and is generally great.

Community Care respondent
UK-Bar

Antonia is a very good team player and very collaborative. She is clearly a leader in age assessment challenges so can provide a lot of strategic advice as well as being calm and persuasive.

Community Care respondent
UK-Bar

Antonia is very good and very accessible.

Administrative & Public Law respondent
UK-Bar

Antonia is very responsive as well as clear in her advice and on what evidence is needed. She thinks strategically and provides very helpful guidance and support.

Administrative & Public Law respondent
UK-Bar

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Silks (KC)

All Circuits

Court of Protection: Health & Welfare

Aswini Weereratne KC

Band 2

Antonia Benfield

UK Bar Guide 2025

Community Care + 2 more rankings

About

Practice Areas

Career

Professional Memberships

Chambers Review

UK-Bar

Immigration - London (Bar)

Individual Editorial

Community Care - London (Bar)

Individual Editorial

Administrative & Public Law - London (Bar)

Individual Editorial

Strengths

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Silks (KC)

All Circuits

London (Bar)

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