Philip Trott wins outstanding contribution award at Chambers High Net Worth awards
12 July 2025
Senior Counsel Philip Trott‘s celebrated UK immigration practice was last night recognised with an Outstanding Contributions Award at the Chambers High Net Worth Awards 2025.
Lawyers, accountancy firms, private banks, wealth managers, trust companies and other global professional advisers to high net worth and ultra high net worth individuals gathered in the capital’s historic Tower of London for a private view of the royal family’s Crown Jewels, followed by a glittering award ceremony for firms and individuals who provide specialist advice on the complex needs of private clients.
At the end of an evening of awards for HNW service providers, Philip Trott, once referred to as “the godfather of immigration law” by Chambers High Net Worth for the breadth of his work in UK immigration with individuals and companies, was awarded the Outstanding Contribution award by Simon Christian, Global Research Director at Chambers and Partners, publishers of the Chambers UK and Chambers High Net Worth guides, both of which Philip has ranked at the top of as a ‘Senior Statesperson’ for the last few years.
“In the 2025 High Net Worth guide, due out in a couple of weeks’ time, we quote an international interviewee saying he is ‘my first call for anything immigration-related in the UK’, said Simon Christian introducing the award. He added that a search through the Chambers library found Philip’s first appearance in the world’s biggest guide to legal professionals in the 1994-1995 edition. “By the time of the 2018 High Net Worth guide,” he added, “we quoted a fellow lawyer as saying ‘I couldn’t imagine an immigration world without him. He’s like the oracle – the fountain of immigration knowledge.’ We’ve also described him as a ‘superstar immigration lawyer’, ‘the godfather of immigration law’ and ‘the go-to guy for anything horrendously complex’.”
With a glittering immigration career spanning decades, Philip Trott has also been described by Chambers as “a legendary figure in immigration law” according to The Spear’s 500 Top Recommended Immigration Lawyers. Philip’s clients have ranged from refugees to movie stars, charities and educational institutions to multinational blue chip brands.
He has often been a first phone call for high net worth individuals coming to work and live in Britain, especially those with tricky immigration issues, including criminality. As he accepted his award, Philip recounted an eventful private jet flight and series of last minute injunctions to assist a famous music industry client refused entry to the UK to play at a concert on the same evening.
Much of Philip’s immigration work with HNW clients has involved the music and entertainment industries. His immigration advice has led to him being dragged onto the stage at Glastonbury Festival, into private jets, VIP lounges and various news headlines and interviews.
As well as often providing expert commentary on various news media, Philip has consistently ranked at the very top of the industry in all the major legal guides. Like Vanessa Ganguin, Philip is ranked a Thought Leader in Corporate Immigration according to Who’s Who Legal.
Philip is renowned for his record on particularly complex and challenging cases.
He has a rich history of assisting ultra and high net worth clients and high-profile celebrities on a wide variety of UK immigration matters, including successfully helping many appeal adverse decisions, including those arising from spent criminal convictions. Philip is renowned for tricky discretionary immigration applications outside the rules, as well as sports and media-related work and cases involving national security issues.
“Working in the high net worth sector you get to work with some of the most fascinating people in the world, and also some of the most complicated – which often helps complicate our work,” said Philip accepting his award.
He thanked his mother who was a refugee – like many individuals that Philip has advised over the years – for teaching him about the immigrant experience, as well as his colleagues in the private client sector, Chambers, “and lastly, the Home office for their thousands of rule changes that constantly keep one on ones toes and making life so interesting.”