Michael Oswald

Michael is an assistant solicitor in the police law team, working with clients who have been subject to misconduct at the hands of the state.

The focus of Michael’s work is to enable his clients to achieve the redress they seek for the misconduct they have been subject to. The means employed to this end are determined by the individual clients and their priorities. In doing so, Michael has acquired considerable experience in the conduct of private law and public law litigation as well as the machinery of the police complaints system and other investigative processes with a view to assisting clients striving for accountability.

Michael came to Bhatt Murphy in 2007 as a paralegal in the prison law team before completing a training contract with the firm, in the course of which he experienced all areas of the firm’s practice. He qualified as a solicitor in September 2009.
He has previously worked with the Youth Justice Department at Lawrence and Co Solicitors and in a voluntary capacity with the Prisoners’ Advice Service as well as various legal advice centres.

Michael has an MA in Philosophy and he later completed the Graduate Diploma in Law and the Legal Practice Course. Michael is a member of the Police Action Lawyers Group, Inquest Lawyers Group and Young Legal Aid Lawyers.

Michael was nominated for the 2012 National Council of Civil Liberties’ Human Rights Lawyer of the Year award for his "outstanding work in the field of civil actions against the police".

Michael's recent notable cases include:

Inglis v Metropolitan Police [2010]: Successful settlement of claim on behalf of two protestors against the Metropolitan Police for assault and battery and breaches of the Human Rights Act 1998 with substantial damages and apology arising out of events at the Gaza demonstration outside the Israeli Embassy in January 2009.

X v Metropolitan Police [2010]: Successful settlement of claim on behalf of 79 year old man against the Metropolitan Police for assault and battery arising out of events at the Gaza demonstration outside the Israeli Embassy in January 2009.

F v Metropolitan Police [2010]: Successful settlement of claim against the Metropolitan Police for false imprisonment with admission of liability and apology in connection with an arrest and detention in police custody, allegedly for inciting racial hatred, with regard to the circulation of e-mail purporting to cancel a demonstration organised by the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council.

R v Metropolitan Police [2010]: Successful settlement of claim against the Metropolitan Police for assault and battery, false imprisonment and malicious prosecution with substantial damages.