Christopher Cole - Batley Law

Chris is a Senior Solicitor having qualified as a Solicitor in 1998 and has specialised in Immigration and Asylum Law ever since.

He is accredited at the highest level of the Law Society’s Immigration & Asylum Accreditation Scheme – Immigration Law Advanced.

Experience

After working in London for a number of years, Chris moved to Yorkshire in 2001. He headed the Immigration Team at Parker Rhodes before establishing his own niche immigration and asylum law practice, Cole & Yousaf Solicitors, in 2007. Cole & Yousaf then merged with Parker Rhodes Hickmotts in 2012, where Chris remained a partner until 2020.

Since stepping down as a partner at Parker Rhodes Hickmotts, Chris has worked as a consultant immigration solicitor providing advocacy and consultancy services to various firms.

Chris was involved with The Law Society’s Immigration & Asylum Accreditation Scheme for many years. Previously he was the Co-ordinator of the accreditation exams for Central Law Training, and he was the Chief Examiner for The Law Society. He remains an assessor for the Immigration Law Advanced accreditation scheme.

Chris was appointed a fee-paid judge of the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration & Asylum Chamber) in February 2019, and a Deputy Upper Tribunal Judge in the Immigration & Asylum Chamber in May 2024.

Chris is renowned for his conduct of complex Asylum and Human Rights cases and has been involved in numerous Country Guidance cases (particularly with reference to Iraq). He has been recognised as a Leading Individual in Immigration Law by the Chambers UK Directory for a number of years, having been praised for his “sharp intellect and inspiring level of knowledge and commitment.”

Chris was previously a Law Society Council member, and he has been a member of the Law Society’s Immigration Law Committee since 2006. He has sat as one of The Law Society representatives on the Legal Aid Agency Contract Review Board since 2016.

More about Chris

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Batley Law Limited is a Company registered in England and Wales. Registered Number: 11443317. VAT Number: 300164172. Batley Law Limited is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. A list of the names and professional qualifications of our Directors is available from our Registered Office: 26 Wellington Street, Batley, West Yorkshire, WF17 5HU.

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