Who? James Howard, 31-year-old equity partner and immigration specialist at Blakemores in Birmingham.


Why is he in the news? He represented one of three black African Darfurians who went to the Court of Appeal, successfully arguing for the reversal of an earlier court decision to deport his client back to Sudan.



Darfur is a region of western Sudan where a four-year civil war has caused the death of about 200,000 Darfurians and displacement of a further 2.5 million. A government-sponsored militia, the Janjaweed, is believed to be the cause of much of the carnage.



In June 2006, the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal ruled that Darfurians whose applications for asylum in Britain had failed could safely be deported if they were returned to the Sudanese capital Khartoum rather than their own region. It made its ruling 'country guidance', so that future asylum applications could be rejected on the same grounds - that Khartoum was a comparatively safe refuge for Darfurians, meaning there was no obstacle to their deportation.



The Court of Appeal overruled this, pointing to unsanitary and dangerous conditions in refugee camps around Khartoum, and saying it was 'unduly harsh' to force a village farmer to relocate to an urbanised squatter camp.



Background: A biology degree at Birmingham University followed by the common professional examination and legal practice course at the College of Law in Chester from 1997 to 1999. Trained with Dodds & Partners in Leicester before joining his present firm as an immigration specialist. Made a partner in May 2005 and an equity partner a year later.



Thoughts on the case: 'The judgment is recognition by the judiciary that black African Darfurians are in need of international protection and is already having an impact on other cases up for reconsideration.



'Despite the huge media attention paid to the Rwanda-like genocide in Darfur, the case law regarding the risk for black African Darfurians has been erratic. Let's hope this judgment brings some stability to the law regarding asylum-seekers from Sudan and reassures applicants their cases will be treated with care and consideration.



'It is plain to see that Sudan is not safe for Darfurians. The state is the persecutor, so how can relocation inside Sudan be any solution?



'The immigration tribunal found my client to be a truthful witness some years ago, and it's sad that - after the trauma of what he lived through in his home country - he has had the stress of all these hearings. Maybe he can get on with his life now.'



Dealing with the media: 'The media has been sympathetic. Channel Four reported the case fairly and accurately, although the judgment coincided with the release of the 15 Navy hostages and so was overshadowed. Legal TV is looking at doing a piece and the local media is showing an increasing interest in the individual Darfurians involved.'



Jonathan Rayner