Rajiv Nair

Background

Rajiv is a Solicitor in our London office, specialising in civil liberties and human rights. He joined DPG in June 2018.

Prior to arriving at DPG, Rajiv worked in the charity sector, working at the Public Law Project as well as volunteering with the Unity Project. In addition to his professional legal qualifications, Rajiv holds a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, an LLM in International Law, and an MSc in Law, Business and Management.

Rajiv has a particular interest in encouraging and supporting individuals seeking to enter the profession who are from backgrounds underrepresented within the legal sector.

Expertise

Rajiv has a varied practice relating to state breaches of human rights, deaths in state custody, actions against the police, claims of unlawful immigration detention and public law litigation.

Rajiv specialises in representing bereaved families in inquest proceedings following the death of their loved one in state custody. His inquest work has involved self-inflicted deaths, deaths following substance withdrawal and/or misuse and deaths as a result of murder/unlawful killing. Alongside and as an extension of his inquest work, Rajiv brings civil actions on behalf of bereaved families against the state.

He also specialises in cases against the police. This may involve assisting individuals with complaints against the police as well as pursuing civil litigation. Rajiv’s particular focus in this area is on challenging discriminatory or otherwise unequal policing. His practice includes representing protesters in claims against the police.

Rajiv represents vulnerable individuals who are detained in prison, including victims of trafficking and modern slavery, and assists them in addressing the mistreatment they currently face as well as gain redress for past mistreatment. His work in this area includes bringing claims against prisons following assaults on prisoners.

In addition to civil claims against the police and prisons, Rajiv brings claims on behalf of individuals against the Home Office for unlawful immigration detention.

Rajiv is also part of the firm’s team representing a group of clients in the Undercover Policing Inquiry (UCPI). The UCPI was established to inquire into and report on undercover police operations conducted by English and Welsh police forces in England and Wales since 1968.

A key cornerstone of Rajiv’s practice is ensuring the process of seeking state accountability is as empowering as possible for his clients. In every case, Rajiv is led by the objectives and needs of his clients. Rajiv also has a longstanding interest in increasing access to justice for marginalised communities and empowering communities to challenge the state, which is reflected in his practice. He works collaboratively with NGOs and community organisations to address the systemic and structural issues that underpin his casework.

Memberships

Rajiv is a member of the Police Action Lawyers Group, Young Legal Aid Lawyers and the Inquest Lawyers Group on which he sits on the steering committee.