In the domestic courts, Alison specialises in civil liberties within the criminal justice system. In her civil practice, she regularly represents individuals in claims against the police, prison service and other State agencies, and the families of those who have died in custody. She has taken a number of cases to the European Court of Human Rights, including the Grand Chamber. She also has a broad criminal practice, with particular experience in cases involving political protest and direct action. Alison's international practice involves both arbitration and international criminal law.
Alison is the co-author of Prison Law (3rd Edition, Oxford University Press, 2003), and is experienced in all aspects of prison law, including judicial review, parole board hearings, disciplinary hearings, discrimination, and civil damages claims for assault, misfeasance and negligence. She has spoken at a number of prison law conferences, including a Council of Europe seminar for the Turkish Prison Service. Her current prison law work includes multiple claims of race and religious discrimination arising out of HMP Leeds, judicial reviews of parole decisions, civil claims arising out of deaths or near-deaths in custody, and a number of discrimination claims on behalf of disabled prisoners. She has worked on a large number of assault claims in relation to systemic violence in HMP Wormwood Scrubs. She has also appeared in many complex inquests into deaths in custody.
In the arbitration field, Alison has experience of both advisory and advocacy work, primarily for governments, and is acting as counsel in a number of ongoing ICSID arbitrations. She also has an interest in international criminal law and the issue of domestic remedies for international crimes, and along with Philippe Sands QC she acted as amicus to the Special Court for Sierra Leone on the question of whether Charles Taylor could be prosecuted for crimes committed while head of state. She was author (with Rabinder Singh QC) of a published opinion on the legality of the use of force against Iraq, and remains involved with the legal issues arising out of the Iraq conflict. She has a particular interest in the application of international law in the domestic courts.
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