Aleister Adamson

Aleister began his Second Six Pupillage in April 2025 under the supervision of Paul Lazarus.

Experience

Before commencing pupillage, Aleister worked as a legal adviser at the Lewisham Refugee and Migrant Network (LRMN), where he managed a caseload of migrants and refugees, including individuals with no recourse to public funds. In this role, Aleister secured housing, welfare benefits, and subsistence support for clients. He also referred clients to partner agencies for immigration status regularisation, medical care, and counselling.

Prior to his role at LRMN, Aleister served as a senior legal adviser at the charity Release, where he managed a substantial caseload of clients engaged in alcohol and drug treatment programs. His work focused on housing, debt, and benefits issues, and he represented numerous clients at the First-tier Tribunal (Social Security Chamber), successfully obtaining several substantial backdated payments for clients whose benefits had been wrongfully withdrawn.

In addition to his casework, Aleister led Release's policy work on issues affecting the charity's client base. His achievements include: 

• Leading and producing Release's response to the proposed criminalisation of Nitrous Oxide, including appearances on a number of BBC Radio broadcasts.
• Collaborating with Liberty to produce a joint response to the government's  Antisocial behaviour plan.
• Leading Release's evidence submission, in partnership with the charity Unjust, to the Public Accounts Committee, regarding the government's 10-year drugs strategy.
• Leading Release's response to the Diversionary and Community Cautions Draft Code of Practice to Part 6 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022.
• Providing evidence to the Joint Committee on Human Rights on proposed changes to drugs testing on arrest. 
• Leading Release's response to government proposals on reforming the punishment of drugs offences. 
• Presenting evidence in person at a local government committee hearing to oppose the introduction of a Public Space Protection Order.

Throughout his roles at both LRMN and Release, Aleister developed extensive experience advising non-English speakers and clients with complex physical and mental health conditions. He gained a detailed understanding of how insecure housing, financial instability, and immigration challenges intersect with the criminal justice system.

Prior to this, Aleister worked as a paralegal in the Civil department at Hickman and Rose. He contributed to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, supporting the team representing bereaved family members, survivors, and former residents. His work focused on examining failures at the national and local policy levels and their impact on residents with disabilities. He also assisted fee-earners with actions against the police, private criminal defence, and regulatory matters.

Education

• Bar Professional Training Course, BPP Holborn (2021)
• LLM in Human Rights Law, University of Nottingham (2017)
• LLB (Hons) Law with New Zealand Law, University of Nottingham (2014)

Awards

• Inner Temple Exhibition Scholarship
• Inner Temple Duke of Edinburgh Award

Memberships

• The Honorable Society of the Inner Temple