William began working in extradition law in 2005. He has led the Extradition Unit at several firms, including TV Edwards LLP and Taylor Rose Solicitors. In 2025, he joined GT Stewart as Joint Head of Extradition.

William is very passionate about protecting the human rights and legal interests of his clients. He has built a strong reputation for delivering exceptional legal services and his philosophy is to never give up, until the outcome of his client’s case is successful. Since 20026, he has maintained a consistent presence at the City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court, the primary extradition court in England & Wales, and is well known for litigating cases in the High Court. He regularly represents clients at all stages of Magistrates Court proceedings, from Initial Hearings to Full Hearings. He has excellent working relationships with the counsel he instructs and is highly regarded among his fellow practitioners and judges.

William has extensive experience litigating and advocating extradition cases involving both Part 1 and Part 2 countries, including the USA, Ukraine, Russia, Australia, Turkey, Albania, Norway, Spain, Italy, France, Poland, Romania, Latvia, Hungary, Lithuania, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Germany, Greece, the UAE, Nigeria and Moldova among others.

As a dual-qualified Spanish lawyer registered to practice in Spain, William brings a deeper understanding of Spanish extradition requests in the UK. This expertise enables him to challenge extradition warrants issued by Spanish authorities effectively. He has also successfully negotiated surrender arrangements and bail terms on behalf of requested persons with the Spanish authorities.

William co-authored the extradition chapter in Blackstone’s Magistrates’ Court Handbook until the 2017 edition. This bestselling book serves as a practical guide for busy practitioners, covering key aspects of magistrates’ court practice, including urgent issues requiring immediate advocacy and those commonly encountered in court.

Committed to training junior team members, William plays an active role in their professional development, helping them navigate this niche, fast-paced, and technically demanding area of law.

Education & Qualifications:

• LLB Honours, 2.1., Guildhall University

Memberships & Accreditations:

• DELF – Defence Extradition Lawyers’ Forum

Notable Cases:

Recent reported successful High Court cases

• D v Poland [2024] EWHC 3303 (Admin) – appeal re-opened
• B v Hungary [2023] EWHC 2235 (Admin) – appeal allowed
• D v Poland [2023] EWHC 763 (Admin) – appeal allowed
• M v Latvia [2022] EWHC 2751 (Admin) – appeal allowed
• MO [2022] – Reported previously [2020] EWHC 2062 (Admin) – discharged 2022
• K v Poland – discharge in the High Court in 2022
• B v Hungary – discharge in the High Court in 2022
• E v Italy [2021] EWHC 2069 (Admin) – appeal allowed
• B v Poland [2020] EWHC 2465 (Admin) – subsequently discharged on Article 8 in 2020

Recent successful cases at Westminster Magistrates’ Court

• Ukraine v S [2024] – successful discharge
• Portugal v DS [2024] – successful discharge – appeal pending
• Romania v P [2023] – successful discharge
• DZ [2022] – discharged 2022
• AJ – discharged 2022
• MS – discharged 2022

Other important reported High Court cases

• M v Portugal [2021] 2 WLUK 243
• P & Others v Westminster MC [2021] EWHC 53 (Admin)
• B v Slovakia [2020] EWHC 2692 (Admin)
• W v Poland [2013] EWHC 102 (Admin) – leading authority on law re. mental health
• V v Albania [2011] EWHC 1295 (Admin) – important authority re. identification

Highlights of his work include:

• Preventing the extradition of a vulnerable Ukrainian client facing extradition to Ukraine and the warzone, for a request tainted with political motivation.
• Successfully defending the extradition of a client accused of murder in Portugal, in relation to a case that has raised a point of law that has never been litigated previously (the meaning of  review amounting to a re-trial in section 20 Extradition Act 2003).
• Specialism in cases of mentally and physically unwell requested persons, with exceptional results. Dealing with cases that set the precedent in extradition law in relation to the procedure for dealing with suicidal defendants.
• Specialism in Article 3 European Convention of Human Rights prison condition cases, in relation to French, Belgian, Portuguese, Polish, Romanian, Lithuanian, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Hungarian, Moldovan, Nigerian, Ukrainian, Greek, Irish, Turkish and Albanian prison conditions.
• Obtaining the discharge of the extradition warrant of a Kurdish political activist accused of a shooting in Turkey, and who was tortured by Turkish Secret Services.
• Successful in challenging a Greek extradition request of a single mother accused of infanticide in Greece, both in the first instance at City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court and later in the High Court, upon the Greek authorities appealing the discharge.
• Challenging a federal extradition request from USA in relation to serious offences of international trafficking of body building steroids worth millions of US dollars, including negotiation with US prosecutors.
• Successfully challenging extradition requests made under the EAW scheme where requested persons previously discharged under the 1989 Extradition Act.
• Discharge obtained in a rare Moldovan request where the requested person was shown to be a victim of torture in the hands of Moldovan police and who suffered PTSD.
• Drafting and preparing applications to the European Court of Human Rights, including applications for Rule 39 emergency injunctions and full ECHR appeals.