Hamish Arnott

Hamish Arnott specialises in prison law, including judicial review claims. He also specialises in cases involving wrongful detention under the Immigration Act.

Recent notable cases include Smith and West v Parole Board [2005] UKHL 1, where the House of Lords confirmed that prisoners serving fixed term sentences are entitled to an oral hearing when recalled to custody, Sim v Parole Board [2004] QB 1288 in which the Court of Appeal clarified the test for release of those serving extended sentences, Buxton v Parole Board [2004] EWHC 1930 Admin which looked at the Board’s duty to consider compassionate factors when deciding recall, and R (H) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2005] EWHC Admin which was a successful challenge to the legality of detention under the Immigration Act.

He co-authors with Simon Creighton the six-monthly updates on prison law for Legal Action, and also Prisoners and the Law (Tottel Publishing, 3rd Edition 2005). He has also recently co-authored Parole Board Hearings: Law and Practice(Legal Action January 2006), the first book dedicated to parole proceedings. He has also taught extensively in relation areas related to his practice.

Hamish Arnott qualified as a solicitor in October 1993, having trained with Wilson and Co in London, where he worked as an assistant solicitor until 1997. He subsequently worked at the Public Law Project and the Prisoners’ Advice Service. He joined Bhatt Murphy in 2001. Early in 2006 he was awarded the Higher Courts (Civil Proceedings) Qualification.