1 SIlk Street
London EC2Y 8HQ
To register for this event please contact administrator@hrla.org.uk
5.30pm Registration
5.45pm Annual General Meeting – Invitation to HRLA Membership Only
6.30pm Lecture by David Isaac, EHRC – Open to Members and Non-Members
8.00pm Finish
December Executive Committee Meeting Minutes
This event is kindly supported by Linklaters LLP
Nominees for the 2018 Young Lawyers’ Committee
All nominees were asked to submit a human rights event pitch as part of the nomination process. The task is designed to replace the traditional hustings that task place at the AGM. Individual tasks can be viewed by clicking on the nominee’s name.
I am a law graduate currently studying to complete my qualifications with the intention of practising at the Bar. After completing my undergraduate degree at Oxford University, I worked as a political journalist for seven years at the BBC and ITV News during one of the busiest times in modern politics, covering three general elections and two major referenda.
In April, I left journalism to return to law. While I finish my studies, I am working full time for the legal human rights charity Reprieve. I have been involved in important litigation in the High Court, as well as human rights complaints to international bodies including the UN and EU.
I understand how to communicate an idea or message and I can bring an understanding the law and human rights as well as the wider political and media landscape to this role.
Alex is a current Law student with a substantial interest in Human rights. Having previously studied medicine before a change of direction, he is working as an independent mental capacity advocate and litigation friend for clients who lack capacity. He is frequently involved in cases before the court of protection, in support of client’s rights under the human rights act. In addition, he volunteers with an advocacy charity, providing representation before the lower tribunals to clients who otherwise would not be able to seek representation, in matters such as welfare appeals, in particular, personal Independence Payment (PIP) appeals.
Alex has a great passion for mediation, having won awards for his work, and founding his own mediation company with two course leads from his law studies. This company, in addition to its commercial work, provides pro-bono services to vulnerable clients to whom mediation would normally be unobtainable.
My interest in human rights was inspired by my experience of growing up and living in a country as culturally homogenous as Poland, as a mixed-raced, bisexual woman.
After graduating from an LLB at the University of Surrey, I gained experience in Asylum Casework at the Home Office, which inspired my interest in refugee rights and asylum policy. Keen to further my understanding of the operation of the civil, as well as common law legal system I completed an LLM at the University of Wroclaw where I defended my thesis on the operation of the Common European Asylum System.
Following my return to Poland I became heavily involved in the work of three NGOs. The stark difference in the treatment of members of the LGBT+ community, which I encountered upon my return, forced me to also become heavily involved in this field.
Currently, I am a BPTC student at BPP
I am a Law LLB and International Human Rights Law LLM graduate, as part of which I wrote my undergraduate dissertation on the indefinite detention of foreign terror suspects under Part 4 of the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001, and my postgraduate dissertation on the Human Rights Act 1998. I was also elected Competitions Secretary on the University of Leicester Law Society Committee – organising the debating, negotiating, and client interviewing competitions and events. I was a contributing writer for the University of Leicester Law Society Magazine and a Sub-editor of the University of Essex Law Society Magazine. I have spent the last few years accumulating substantial and varied experience in a range of human rights organisations, from Liberty, to REDRESS, to Right to Remain, to Detention Action, to Prisoners’ Advice Service, to the Human Dignity Trust. I am currently studying my LPC and hope to qualify as a solicitor within the field of human rights law in the near future.
I have enjoyed serving on the YLC and would relish the opportunity to provide experienced hands to the new Committee. Human rights are more than a passion or a career path; they are my life. I am part of a demographic, as a disabled person, which is denied equal opportunities to information, education, work and social opportunities. My experience underpins my commitment to protecting human rights and helping others understand and access their rights and equality. My LLB provided me with the opportunity to understand and apply human rights in both an academic and practical setting and an LLM in Human Rights Law gave me the chance to further enhance my legal knowledge and skills. I am also Trustee and Income Generation Committee Chair at Disability Rights UK, Secretary at Bi Pride UK and Policy and Procedures Executive and Youth and Student Groups Executive at Regard.
My name is Frederique Neal and I am a second-year law student at King’s College London. I have been engaged in human rights throughout my degree programme, engaging with HRLA events as well as standing as a committee member of the KCL Student Division of Lawyers Without Borders. Prior to my degree, I undertook legal internship at Arusha Women’s Legal Aid and Human Rights Organization, which I feel has given me a very open-minded and innovative perspective on human rights on both a national and international stage. I wish to stand for election to advocate for increased engagement in human rights at a grassroots level and throughout undergraduate teaching and to collaborate with practicing lawyers so that students qualify with a greater awareness and appreciation for the importance of human rights.
I am currently a paralegal at Steel & Shamash solicitors, where I assist in bringing judicial review challenges against public and private prisons. I also have experience bringing civil claims for compensation, including for trespass to the person and breaches of the Human Rights Act 1998. My work involves regular visits to prisons to conduct client conferences as well as legal research to assess the merits and quantum of a case.
Prior to joining Steel & Shamash, I worked in organisations in the UK and abroad. I worked with ClientEarth where I contributed to a complaint submitted to the European Ombudsman. During my time at the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights in Germany, I worked on strategic litigation in the field of business and human rights.
My research on corporate accountability in the context of transitional justice has been published in a peer-reviewed journal and websites.
I’m a legal researcher at the privacy and civil liberties NGO Big Brother Watch. The majority of our work stems from the ECHR rights to privacy and freedom of expression: campaigning for changes in the law, holding the state to account, and informing the public about their rights. I have undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in law, with a strong focus on human rights, and previously I worked as a paralegal at a law firm and volunteered for the Free Representation Unit, Liberty, Reprieve, and at Lambeth Law Centre.
Unsurprisingly, I strongly believe in the importance of the UK’s human rights framework and I would really like to be involved in advocating this more widely. At Big Brother Watch I’m involved with a lot of relevant events and advocacy, and I have experience organising events from past roles. I would like to offer my time, experience and enthusiasm to the YLC.
I am currently a Criminal Defence Paralegal, specialising in youth defendants. Prior to taking up this position I obtained a Distinction in the LPC from BPP Law School. At BPP I was also a Student Ambassador, through which I tried determinedly to recruit aspiring commercial lawyers into the human rights field! I was also a Student Director of Streetlaw. A pro bono initiative which aims at increasing access to justice through education. I delivered, wrote and organised presentations on legal rights and responsibilities in schools, homeless shelters, prisons and Young Offender Institutions. I was also involved in a similar project giving presentations to litigants in person at employment tribunals. Prior to the LPC I obtained a Commendation in the GDL from the University of Law and a First in Philosophy and Politics from the University of Kent, with a year abroad at the University of Ottawa.
Jeremy originally trained as a musician and theologian, studying both subjects at undergraduate level at Oxford University, and the latter as a postgraduate at Kings College London, where he researched post-Holocaust religious discourse.
He is now completing a career change into human rights law, and will begin pupillage at Garden Court Chambers in autumn 2018. He has worked as a volunteer with Detention Action and the Bar Pro Bono Unit, and is currently undertaking a two-month traineeship at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. He has been a member of the Young Lawyers Committee for the past year, during which time he has contributed to the HRLA blog, helped to organise the ‘Be a Human Rights Lawyer’ event at the University of Manchester, and chaired the recent panel discussion on faith, conscience and human rights.
Lauren Chaplin is a current GDL student at City University and a 2018 René Cassin Fellow. She recently completed a Master’s with Distinction in Human Rights at University College London, where she edited the UCL Journal of Law and Jurisprudence, and wrote her thesis on the role of documentaries and activist filmmaking within Israel-Palestine. After graduating from Cambridge in 2015 with an English degree, Lauren interned as a journalist in Dharamsala, India, covering issues such as Tibetan political persecution. Her words can also be found on Women in Foreign Policy, and include an interview she conducted last year with the HRLA’s Chair, Angela Patrick. She volunteers as a McKenzie friend with the National Centre for Domestic Violence, and recently completed training with the Free Representation Unit to appear before social security tribunals on a pro bono basis. When she remembers to, she tweets @_laurenchaplin.
Lubka holds LLB (Hons) European Legal Studies from the University of Southampton and is currently pursuing her LLM in Human Rights, Conflict and Justice at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). She also volunteers as Young Refugee Caseworker at the British Red Cross, helping unaccompanied young asylum-seekers understand and access support services.
Last year, Lubka worked as Inspired Action Administrator at the British Red Cross, working to make the volunteering sector more inclusive for young disabled people. Prior to that, she managed the UK branch of a youth-led organisation, AIESEC, which develops young people’s leadership potential through practical learning experiences.
She is a Project Volunteer at rightsinfo.org and occasionally assists the Human Rights League in her country of origin, Slovakia, with research and translation. In her spare time Lubka enjoys running and is currently preparing for her fourth half-marathon.
I am an Australian human rights lawyer, based in London, with litigation experience in the UK, South Africa and Australia. I am a qualified solicitor and have been based in the U.K. since 2015. My current role is Legal and Programmes Officer at the Equal Rights Trust. I support lawyers in countries such as Moldova, Serbia and Pakistan to provide legal services to victims of discrimination and to litigate at the national, regional and international level. I have worked on human rights proceedings under the European Convention on Human Rights, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the South African Constitution and the Human Rights Act 1998. I have experienced serving as a member of the Policy Committee of Liberty Victoria (2012 – 2015), a prominent Australian human rights and civil liberties body. In 2013, I co-founded and led Young Liberty for Law Reform (now Rights Advocacy Program), an advocacy group for young lawyers in Australia, whose human rights law reform work receives national media coverage. I have a particular interest in developing a network amongst UK-based human rights lawyers who work in international NGOs to share professional challenges and discuss our work.
My name is Markus Findlay. I work at the Bar Pro Bono Unit and am studying for a part- LLM in extradition law. I am a graduate of UCL and the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna and hope to pursue a career at the Bar.
My passion for human rights has led me to seek practical experience in the field at organisations such as the International Federation of Human Rights in Paris, and Media Legal Defence Initiative in London.
In my spare time I play rugby, teach myself Portuguese, and host students through the non-profit hospitality website couchsurfing.com.
I was YLC Secretary during 2017 and organised our two events on mental health and faith. In 2016 I participated in the HRLA moot and wrote an article for the journal on the rights of mentally disordered prisoners. I hope to continue to contribute to HRLA’s mission as a YLC member in 2018.
I am currently undertaking pupillage at QEB Hollis Whiteman. Prior to pupillage, I worked in the fields of international human rights, criminal and refugee law.
At the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, I assisted the Prosecutor in the trials of Jovica Stanisic the former head of the Serbian Security Service and the trial of Ratko Mladic a former Serbian military leader for crimes against humanity. At the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, I prepared interventions to the ECtHR and Supreme Court and provided legal opinions to the Home Office on their proposals to deport foreign criminals. At JUSTICE I undertook research for the purposes of analysing the impact of online court on digitally marginalized groups.
Outside of my legal work, I am the founding member of a free school for 16-19 year-olds and run workshops and seminars about running my illustration business.
I have had the good fortune of being on the receiving end of the events, competitions, and reports undertaken by the HRLA. Availing myself of the knowledge and experience described I hope to further develop the work of the HRLA as a member of the Young Lawyers’ Committee
Outside of my legal work, I am the founding member of a free school for 16-19 year-olds and run workshops and seminars about running my illustrations business.
I have had the good fortune of being on the receiving end of the events, competitions, and reports undertaken by the HRLA. Availing myself of the knowledge and experience described I hope to further develop the work of the HRLA as a member of the Young Lawyers’ Committee.
I have a very strong interest in human rights law, which can be seen in my professional experiences and education. I am interested in joining the Human Rights Association Young Lawyers’ Committee as I am eager to get more involved in the organisations work in increasing knowledge and understanding of the area.
In terms of my background, I am currently a Trainee Solicitor, and a Level 2 Accredited Senior Immigration Adviser at Kesar and Co Solicitors. My work has a strong focus in human rights law, as I specialise in representing marginalised groups including those in detention and facing deportation. Prior to this, I worked at Friends of the Earth EWNI, The Redress Trust, and the Prisoners’ Advice Service. I have also served a Youth Board Member of Oxfam GB, and as a Youth Adviser for Department of Energy and Climate Change.
Since being called to the Bar in 2016, I have worked as a Research Executive for an education charity, as a Legal Advisor for the London Black Women’s Project and as the Legal, Policy and Campaigns Officer at Southall Black Sisters, where I worked closely with their Director, Pragna Patel. Prior to this, I volunteered for a number of social justice organisations, including the Migrants’ Law Project, writing for The Guardian’s Society section, and teaching in prisons as Director of Vocalise UK.
In 2016, I received the HRLA Bursary Award to work at the Women’s Legal Centre in Cape Town and in May 2017, I was invited to speak at the ‘Be a human rights lawyer’ event at the Law Society in London. I am now seeking pupillage in human rights and public law, and would love to contribute further to the incredibly important and unifying work of the HRLA.