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This case, and certainly the sanction, troubles me.

While it seems quite clear that this solicitor was "playing the system", we operate in an adversarial system and this seems to be a potentially dangerous first step towards chipping away at that. While this case might be at one end of a grey area, where will the SDT stop in sanctioning solicitors who have taken advantage of a policy, procedure or opponent?

I don't practice in immigration but it seems to me that it is not the job of those representing individuals to police the Government's Immigration Policy.

If it was policy for the Home Office to release people from detention while at the same time arguing that their case was 'totally without merit' then it was a bad policy. It is the Home Office to blame for that policy, not the solicitor.

It also worries me that this case was begun after the Home Office reported the solicitor to the SRA. If the Executive can use the SRA/SDT as a weapon against those that challenge them then that way danger lies.

I hope I haven't gone too 1984 just before Christmas - have merry one all.