Who? Philip Barth, 49-year-old partner and immigration specialist in Penningtons' City office.

Why is he in the news? Represented Makosi Musambasi, the Big Brother housemate who won her appeal to remain in the UK and was granted refugee status last week. She claimed it was unsafe to return to her native Zimbabwe following adverse press coverage of her time in the Big Brother house. Ms Musambasi came to the UK in 1999 to train as a nurse. She worked as a cardiac nurse at High Wycombe Hospital before quitting her job to go on the show.


Background: Masters degree in classics and law at Magdalene College, Cambridge before doing his articles at Malkin Cullis & Sumption (as it then was), qualifying in 1982. He went to Clintons for a couple of years before joining Fladgate Fielder as a partner in 1988. In 1998 he moved to Mishcon de Reya, as a partner, where he remained until last year when he joined Penningtons.


Route to the case: 'Makosi was referred to me by her agent Jonathan Shalit. He has referred a number of his clients with immigration or citizenship issues to me.'


Thoughts on the case: 'This case is not about whether behaviour on a reality TV programme in itself can make a person a refugee. It is in reality about how terrible the current situation is in Zimbabwe. There is an on-going battle between the Home Office and the courts about the status of failed asylum seekers from Zimbabwe, who currently can't be returned there because the courts have held that the very fact that they have claimed asylum puts them at risk of persecution if returned. Makosi's victory reflects a clear principle that has just been settled, literally in the past few days. The Home Office can't refuse refugee status to asylum seekers from Zimbabwe and then leave them in a state of legal limbo just because it may at some point in the future become safe for them to be returned. If it is not safe to return them today, they are entitled to be granted refugee status today.'


Dealing with the media: 'This case was very much to do with the likely consequences for Makosi in Zimbabwe resulting from the vicious press coverage that she received, both here in the UK and in Zimbabwe. Unfortunately, most of the press coverage of the appeal outcome has focused on her behaviour on Big Brother and not the terrible things that are taking place in Zimbabwe. It should be recalled that when Makosi entered the Big Brother house she was given a secret mission to get the most number of eviction nominations in the first week, so she had to make everyone hate her from the outset.'