STAFF, TRUSTEES & PATRON

Antonia Benfield

Trustee

Antonia is a barrister at Doughty Street Chambers and a specialist in immigration, asylum, human rights and public law. She has worked as a barrister since 2013 and has been involved in a significant number of high-profile challenges to UK asylum policy and cases that have set the framework for refugee protection in the UK.

Antonia specialises in complex claims involving victims of torture, sexual violence and particularly vulnerable groups such as trafficked women and unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. Prior to becoming a barrister, Antonia worked in the charity sector, specifically supporting refugee and asylum-seeking clients, working to foster best practice through training statutory and non-governmental bodies on issues affecting asylum-seeking clients.

Antonia is committed to working in partnership and retains strong links to NGOs who support refugees and migrant clients. She regularly delivers training to solicitors, NGOs and law centres and undertakes pro bono work both in the UK and internationally. She is a firm believer in the importance of community support and co-founded a food bank at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, being the first of its kind in the City of London for which she was awarded the Freedom of the City of London. Antonia regularly speaks on human rights issues at events, including in the House of Commons and a side-event to the United Nations Human Council. She is appointed to the Equality and Human Rights Commission panel of preferred lawyers.

Team