It's no surprise Human Rights Act is met with hostility – so was Magna Carta

In a unique photography exhibition at the Supreme Court, a leading human rights lawyer has been recognised for her role championing the rights of those in the armed forces and some of the most vulnerable in our society.

Jocelyn Cockburn, the joint head of civil liberties at Hodge Jones & Allen, is one of 12 lawyers with a portrait in the exhibition of photography by Michael Waller-Bridge commemorating the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta.

As well as the photos, Magna Carta: Reflections seeks to offer an insight into the enduring relevance of the Great Charter in the working lives of those featured through an accompanying personal statement.

Other leading lawyers photographed for the exhibition include Dominic Grieve QC MP, Lord Pannick QC, and Baroness Scotland QC.

Cockburn has a history of bringing landmark human rights cases against the state. She successfully fought to give British Troops protection under the Human Rights Act (HRA), winning the landmark 'Snatch Land Rover' case in the Supreme Court.

She has also been representing Neville Lawrence, the father of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence, for ten years, including at a public enquiry into undercover policing.

At a time when the continued existence of the HRA is under threat, Cockburn has highlighted the inviolable rights of citizens and the corresponding restrictions to state power laid out in the Magna Carta, noting this is the same fundamental protection enshrined in the legislation introduced by Labour in 1998.

'By granting inviolable rights to his subjects and corresponding restrictions to his own power, King John reluctantly created a legacy of justice which has stood the test of time,' she asserted. 'The Human Rights Act is an updated expression of these principles. We should not be surprised that it too has met with hostility.'

In addition, Cockburn has raised serious concerns about the erosion of access to justice, presided over by the current government and the cuts to legal aid.

'Like others who seek to protect the most vulnerable in society, including groups who may not be "popular" such as prisoners and foreign nationals, I am gravely concerned about this government's plans to scrap the Human Rights Act and allow the continuing deterioration of legal aid,' remarked Cockburn.

'The Act is one of the few laws that allows individuals to hold the state to account but is often misrepresented by the press, with its importance as a force for good overlooked. I hope that as the commemorations continue, the government considers the legacy of the Magna Carta and what it stands for, before making further attacks on UK citizens' access to justice.'

John van der Luit-Drummond is deputy editor for Solicitors Journal
john.vanderluit@solicitorsjournal.co.uk | @JvdLD