Natalia Garcia
Tyndallwoods

Who? Natalia Garcia, 45-year-old partner and human rights specialist at Birmingham firm Tyndallwoods.

Why is she in the news? Represented foreign terror suspect 'C', who was detained without trial for three years and freed last week unconditionally. He had been held under the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001, introduced in the wake of the 11 September attacks in the US. The Home Office had claimed that C, an Egyptian, was a leading member of Egyptian Islamic Jihad and in contact with prominent extremists. He applied for asylum in the UK and denied the allegations. In December 2004, the Law Lords ruled the detention was unlawful and in breach of human rights law.


Background: Ms Garcia did a textiles degree before the CPE and LPC, joining Tyndallwoods as a trainee in 1994 and qualifying in 1996.


Route to the case: She was instructed due to her contacts in the Muslim community.


Thoughts on the case: 'The whole process has been unfair from the beginning. The legislation was passed in a hurry after 9/11; Parliament wasn't given time to consider it and its implications properly - it resulted in internment without due process.


'We have been dealing with the case in a complete vacuum. We have never been given the full basis of the allegations against C, which were worryingly based on guilt by association. There have been secret hearings throughout from which we have been excluded. We have shown that a great deal of the material to which we have had access was inaccurate or flawed.


'The home secretary has power to detain and release individuals without having to give any explanation. There is far too much power in the hands of the executive, which sets a dangerous precedent and has eroded one of the basic principles of democracy - separation of power. Power has been taken away from the judiciary by sleight of hand. It is important that the balance is restored or we cannot claim that this is a democratic society. It is absolutely essential that the legal establishment take a stand on this issue.'


Dealing with the media: 'I have been pleasantly surprised by the courtesy of the media; they have all been very polite, even when it's been hectic. I have been impressed that the serious papers have been willing to listen and understand the complexities of the case. This has been going on for more than three years; there have been times when I felt the media hadn't appreciated the gravity of it or reported it enough, but they have gradually realised.'