Who? Angelo Monni, solicitor at Duncan Lewis, London and the south-east.
Why is he in the news? Represented a 10-year-old autistic boy who successfully overturned in the High Court a permanent school exclusion. The boy had been excluded after going to school with a replica butterfly knife, which he handed to a friend to use against another child during a playground altercation.
Thoughts on the case: ‘This was a brilliant outcome for our client and his mother. Their case has not only led to the permanent exclusion decision being recognised as unlawful and quashed, but it will also hopefully benefit many other people in similar situations. This is one of the very few permanent exclusion cases to get to a substantive hearing in the High Court. This landmark judgment provides important guidance that is likely to significantly influence how permanent exclusion decisions are approached. It also suggests that the Department for Education may need to review its statutory guidance on permanent exclusions. Our counsel team will be writing to the DfE regarding this.’
A spokesperson for Lift Schools said: ‘We respect the judgment and are carefully considering its implications. We are reviewing the published detail and will be reflecting the findings in our own exclusion guidance, training and governance arrangements so that future decisions clearly evidence the factors considered and the reasoning behind them.’
Dealing with the media: ‘We have contacts at the media who are interested in judicial review cases, especially cases that have a human rights element. The Guardian journalist was particularly keen to speak to our client’s mother to understand the impact the decision had on our client and the effect this judgment will have on his life.’
Why become a lawyer? ‘Working in legal aid can be tough, but it’s also rewarding and extremely interesting. I’ve always been attracted to the fact that you can work on novel and legally complex challenges, while also making a real difference to people at a difficult time in their lives.’
Career high: ‘I was fortunate to work on a large group challenge in 2023/24, in which we prevented the government’s plan to remove HMO licensing requirements for properties housing asylum seekers. This ill-thought-out scheme would have exposed tens of thousands of people to unsafe accommodation, but the litigation led to the government backing down in the last working hour before the substantive hearing.’
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