Kay Everett Memorial Lecture: 'Climate Migration – Lessons from the Orient'

Krishnendu Mukherjee is a barrister and Indian advocate specialising in immigration, environmental, and business and human rights law, focusing on vulnerable and marginalised communities, particularly in the Global South. With nearly 15 years’ experience in environment-related human rights work, including several years in India, he emphasises addressing environmental harm through its human rights impacts and promoting awareness for systemic change. He has practised immigration law since 1995, beginning as a volunteer with Asylum Aid. He has appeared at all court levels, including in the landmark case Razgar v Secretary of State for the Home Department on Article 8 and expulsion.

Hosts

James Elliott is a Managing Partner at Wilsons Solicitors. He qualified as a solicitor in 2001 and became a partner in 2010. James has led the Public Law and Human Rights department and, in 2023, stepped into the role of Managing Partner. Since 2014, James has also served as a Judge in the Mental Health Tribunal. With extensive experience in asylum and immigration law, James specialises in judicial reviews and injunctions for people facing removal or held in immigration detention. He has also helped many clients who’ve been caught up in delays caused by the Home Office and British embassies abroad, pursuing justice through the higher courts.

Eddie Bruce-Jones is Professor of Law and Dean of the College of Law at SOAS. He has published on the subjects of racial justice, migration law, colonalism and law and the humanities. He serves on the trustee board of the Institute of Race Relations and served for a decade on the trustee board of Rainbow Migration. He has served on expert consultation panels for the United Nations OHCHR and the Equality Committee of the Council of Euorpe's Parliamentary Assembly.

Discussants

Birsha Ohdedar is a Senior Lecturer in Climate Change and Environmental Law at SOAS University of London and Deputy Director of the Law, Environment and Development Centre. His research focuses on environmental justice, climate and water law, and post-growth approaches, especially in India, examining law’s role within environmental and climate crises. He works on water conflicts, climate adaptation, and post-growth transitions, and is an editor of the LEAD Journal and co-convenor of the SOAS LLM programme. He directs the Environmental Policy Clinic and is a Trustee of Legal Response International, with prior legal practice across New Zealand, India, and the UK.

Oscar Tønner Frandsen is a Lecturer in Law at SOAS and Deputy Director for Careers and Legal Clinics. He joined SOAS in 2019 as a Senior Teaching Fellow and became a full-time lecturer in 2025. His expertise includes human rights and public law, particularly immigration, international protection, and prison law. He qualified as a Solicitor in 2025 after training at Wilson Solicitors. He later worked at the Howard League for Penal Reform, supporting children and young adults on prison and public law issues. His earlier roles include experience in legal aid practice and human rights work with vulnerable migrants.