Lawyer in the news: Eleanor Ruiz, Reed Smith

Who? Eleanor Ruiz, senior associate, Reed Smith, London. 

Why is she in the news? The firm represented pro bono Channel Rescue, a volunteer-run organisation, in a claim for judicial review of the home secretary’s policy to direct migrants in the English Channel back to France. The firm said the home secretary withdrew her policy the week before a High Court hearing was due to start.

Thoughts on the case: ‘Our team harnessed the skills of litigation, public law and Admiralty law specialists to put together the best case possible to challenge the “pushback” policy. Reed Smith spent over 1,000 hours pro bono on this claim in five months. Having issued our claim two days before Christmas, everyone worked round the clock throughout the festivities. As a litigator, it was grounding to be able to focus on the underlying issues, which were the danger and threat to life of those crossing the Channel in dinghies, and of course whether this policy was lawful. You always knew time was of the essence and that the longer this policy was operational, the greater the risk to life. In the Divisional Court, working on such a tight timetable, it was great to see the strict adherence to procedural rules and deadlines to get the case to a speedy resolution.’

A government spokesperson said: ‘It is right that we consider all safe and legal options to stop these unnecessary journeys, including turning boats around. This tactic fully complies with both domestic and international law; however, there are extremely limited circumstances when you can safely turn boats back in the Channel.’

Dealing with the media: ‘The media was conscious that the claims were proceeding in parallel with the passage through parliament of the Nationality and Borders Bill. Although the media naturally had an interest in the claims, we chose not to “work” the media during the litigation as we wanted to focus on winning in court. However, we were delighted to see the positive coverage that the claims got.’

Why become a lawyer? ‘Law can take you from acting for multinational corporations, to a volunteer organisation such as Channel Rescue in a day. Helping to uphold the rule of law is also a good reason to get up in the morning.’

Career high: ‘This has to be one of them. Or, as a Hong Kong- qualified lawyer, appearing in the Hong Kong courts to propose my husband’s admission.’

Career low: ‘On 24 November 2021, when 27 people perished trying to cross the Channel in a dinghy. At that moment, it was hard to feel like we were doing enough to stop disasters like this.’