Natalie Hawes

Solicitor

Background

Natalie Hawes is a solicitor working within Ahmed Aydeed’s public law team. She qualified in June 2026. Before joining DPG, Natalie worked as a Paralegal in the Public Law and Immigration Law departments at a large legal aid law firm since July 2022. She began her training contract in June 2024, undertaking her first seat in Immigration Law, before moving to DPG in November 2024.

Expertise

Natalie’s practice focuses on judicial review, with significant experience of working on strategic litigation involving challenges that raise issues of wider public importance. Her work focuses on challenging immigration policy and government decision-making affecting migrants’ rights, asylum support, anti-trafficking measures, and modern slavery.

Sample Cases

R (Sadat and Others) v SSHD – An ongoing judicial review challenge to the UK Government’s 2026 "visa brake" policy which prevents nationals of Afghanistan, Sudan, Myanmar and Cameroon from obtaining UK student visas. The case tests the legality of the policy and raises significant issues of discrimination, rationality and ministerial discretion.

R (KGT, KMK and KLM) v SSHD – An ongoing judicial review challenge to the Home Office's process of the closure of asylum accommodation hotels and the relocation of vulnerable residents. The claim raises significant issues concerning the adequacy of asylum support accommodation, the Public Sector Equality Duty, and the Home Office's obligations towards vulnerable asylum seekers, including survivors of domestic abuse and victims of trafficking. The proceedings challenge systemic failures in the assessment of accommodation needs prior to hotel closures.

Solomon & Others v SSHD (AC-2025-LON-004377 and linked claims) – Strategic litigation challenging the Home Office's policy of terminating asylum support 28 days after a grant of leave. The claim argued that the policy left many newly recognised refugees at imminent risk of street homelessness before they were able to access mainstream benefits and housing support. The proceedings resulted in significant concessions from the Home Office, including changes to policy and operational guidance and, ultimately, the extension of the refugee "move-on" period from 28 to 42 days, providing newly recognised refugees with additional time to secure accommodation and financial support following a grant of status

ADL and ors v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2024] EWHC 994 (Admin). Group test litigation which concerned the legality of the imposition of GPS tracking of migrants.