PLP Staff

Adrian manages PLP’s training and events, some fundraising and relevant aspects of communications and marketing.  Before joining the organisation Adrian worked as a Project Manager with Index on Censorship, the international freedom of expression organisation, where he Directed their annual awards event and managed projects funded by the UNDP and the Arts Council England, including the first international festival of homeless arts.  Previously Adrian worked at the University of the Arts Student’s Union and as the administrator of Union Chapel Project, where he got to see loads of great music.  In his spare time he is learning to roller skate with his son (quads, not in-line!), plays squash and Ultimate Frisbee and does lots of middle distance running.  Until recently (Feb 2024) he was on the Board of Trustees of the Fatbeehive Foundation which gives small grants to small charities to improve their digital presence.
Alexandra Sinclair has an LLB(hons) from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand and an LL.M from Columbia Law School where she studied as a Fulbright Scholar.  Alexandra has worked as a judges’ clerk at the New Zealand High Court and as a barrister in Auckland, New Zealand. She was awarded the Cleary Memorial Prize by the New Zealand Law Foundation in 2015 for showing outstanding promise in the legal profession.

She is dedicated to public interest legal work, she was a member of  Columbia Law School’s Incarceration and the Family Clinic, she has worked as a legal intern at the Knight First Amendment Institute and she spent time as a Columbia Public Interest Fellow at the Center for Court Innovation in Manhattan. She is particularly interested in the intersection of public law and human rights.

Alice joined PLP in October 2023 after graduating from the University of Cambridge, where she studied history. At university she was involved in disability and LGBTQ+ rights activism, as well as campaigning for environmental justice. She is a passionate knitter and sewist who makes a lot of her own clothes, and she loves to watch and play football despite being quite bad at it.

Amélie is a PhD candidate at the University of Essex Human Rights Centre, working on the intersections of nationality and EU law with immigration, family, and public law. She is a Master’s graduate from New York University with an M.A. in International Relations and Politics. She also attended the Institut des Sciences Politique, Paris and received Bachelor’s degrees in History and International Studies from the University of California, Irvine. Prior to joining PLP, she worked in fundraising and events with different charities, including Human Rights Watch, London. She works all matters relating to communications, conference deliveries and other events planning.

Amélie will quite cheerfully discuss comparative politics, football, and Shakespeare until everyone in the room has expired of boredom.

Aoife is the Specialist Support Hub Lawyer, with responsibility for PLP’s European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) Hub and Welfare Rights Hub. Aoife supports organisations providing legal advice, including Law Centres and Crisis Skylights, with specialist second-tier advice on social welfare, the EUSS and public law. Aoife’s role also involves identifying strategic litigation relating to welfare law and the EUSS, as well as taking on other PLP casework. Aoife is a solicitor and joined PLP in late 2021. Before joining PLP, Aoife regularly volunteered with a number of legal advice clinics and charities.

Bessie Yuill’s career began in journalism after graduating from the University of Oxford. She wrote across a wide range of topics for publications like Slate, The Independent, Nicki Swift, and BuzzFeed during her time as a freelance reporter. Through her volunteering, she became interested in migrant and asylum seeker rights, which drew her to the Public Law Project and a career in social justice. She started working as a Communications Assistant in July 2023.

Bijan is a barrister who joined PLP in 2019.  He was called to the bar in 2011 and later specialised in public law as a tenant at Garden Court Chambers.  He has acted in cases at all domestic levels up to and including the Supreme Court, as well in proceedings before the European Court of Human Rights.  At PLP, his work has predominantly concerned Brexit and, in particular, the EU Settlement Scheme.

Carla currently heads up PLP’s casework and research teams on an interim basis (March 2023 – April 2024).  Carla qualified as a solicitor in government, jacked it all in to live and work for several years in the rural Philippines then returned to working as a government lawyer in order to fund a part-time MA in human rights, with a particular focus on economic and social rights.

She spent several years combining government work with international human rights work at Minority Rights Group International before moving to Child Poverty Action Group to work on economic rights and non-discrimination issues domestically.  She joins PLP from CPAG, via a short period at Central England Law Centre heading up their strategic social justice clinic work at Warwick University.

Caroline joined PLP in June 2021 as a Research Fellow focussing on benefit sanctions.  Before starting at PLP she was Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Policy and the Voluntary Sector at the London Borough of Hackney with  responsibility for developing policy and strategy at a borough level and influencing policy development at a regional and central government level.   Her portfolio responsibilities included Hackney’s 10 year community strategy and poverty reduction strategy, the Council’s relationship with the police, youth justice, refugees and vulnerable migrants and the Council’s approach to the voluntary sector, including advice services.  She is a qualified lawyer with experience specialising in public and regulatory law.
She is a trustee at a social enterprise focussed on community development.  She has previously undertaken a range of voluntary roles including at her local winter night shelter and provision of pro bono legal advice.

Chris has been a senior manager leading on charity finance and operations since 2009 when, as Assistant Director, Chris helped the Restorative Justice Council grow from two to twenty employees. Chris joins PLP from Age UK where he assisted the partnership affairs department develop a new strategic plan in a period of rapid change. At PLP he holds responsibility for finance and back office functions and is moving to focus further on developing the charity’s infrastructure. Chris read Law at University of Wales, Aberystwyth where he received subject prizes for corporate governance, information law and contract law.

Elaine joined PLP in July 2018, as their Administrative Officer. She supports the Events, Finance and Administrative teams.
Elaine read Politics and Psychology a long time ago at Aberdeen University. Before starting at PLP she started and ran several creative businesses including: Little Badger (children’s clothing mail order), Glen Scott Properties and Property Facelift (interior design). More recently she took some time out to travel and volunteer in China, Morocco and Sri Lanka. As a result of her travels she decided to work in the charity sector and is about to embark on a part-time diploma in Criminology with the OU.

Hannah joined Public Law Project in 2018. During her time at PLP Hannah has directly assisted with a number of judicial review claims for individuals and NGOs, including a challenge to a local authority’s use of s.222 Local Government Act injunctive powers against street sex workers; an access to justice challenge to the Secretary of State for the Home Department’s removal window policy; challenges to the legal aid means regulations; various asylum support and accommodation challenges; and a challenge to the exclusion of Bereavement Support Payment for families of people who are unable to work due to life-long disability.

Hannah is currently covering the role of Specialist Support Hub Lawyer, with responsibility for PLP’s EUSS and Welfare Rights Hubs. She provides specialist second-tier advice to organisations including NGO’s and law centres on social welfare, EUSS, and public law issues. She also identifies opportunities for strategic litigation relating to welfare law and the EUSS.

Hannah is also running a project to provide second tier advice to the asylum and refugee sector in Wales in relation to asylum support accommodation issues. Hannah has a particular interest in this issue after assisting with challenges to inadequate asylum support accommodation, including cases concerning disabled children and individuals accommodated in the Penally military barracks in Wales.

Ilinca originally joined PLP in September 2022 as an administrative paralegal after graduating with a degree in Politics, Philosophy, and Law from King’s College London. During her studies, she was an intern at Advocate, Z2K, and Deighton Pierce Glynn, where she assisted vulnerable communities such as the Roma community, asylum seekers, and people challenging benefits rejections.
She regularly volunteers as a caseworker in her local community in Hackney and is committed to a career in public law and social justice. Prior to studying law, Ilinca was an actress and producer.

Dr Jo Hynes is a Senior Researcher at Public Law Project and recently completed her PhD in legal geography at the University of Exeter. Her work at Public Law Project focuses on immigration, legal aid and related access to justice issues, as well as the role of digitalisation in the justice system. She is particularly interested in interdisciplinary research and partnership working across academia, civil society and grassroots organisations.

Find Jo on Twitter or LinkedIn

Joe is an Associate Fellow at PLP. Alongside his role as Senior Lecturer in Public Law at the University of York, Joe is a consultant to PLP and shares our interest in producing research that aims to improve the public law system. Prior to becoming an Associate Fellow, Joe was PLP’s Research Director and grew the division into a thriving interdisciplinary team.

Joe’s work focuses on administrative law, with a particular emphasis on policy problems and systemic issues. His research has been influential and widely cited in the courts, the charity sector, government, and Parliament. Joe is also a member of the Academic Panel at Blackstone Chambers.

Joseph joined PLP in 2023 as a research assistant who works across PLP’s priority areas. Joseph believes in ensuring access to justice and joined PLP from Shelter Cymru, where he represented homeless clients across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire in court possession hearings and in local authority homeless appeals.

Joseph graduated from the London School of Economics with a BSc in Philosophy and Economics for which he was awarded the Nancy Cartwright Prize for best overall performance. Joseph then studied a Graduate Diploma in Law as Lord Haldane Scholar at Lincoln’s Inn, for which he received the Deka Chambers Prize.

Lee Marsons joined PLP in February 2021 as a Research Fellow focusing on post Covid and Brexit public law matters. He is currently finishing a PhD at the University of Essex, a socio-legal project concerning the impact of emotions on appellate court hearings and decisions. Lee is also editor of the UK Administrative Justice Institute (UKAJI) blog and co-editor of Public Law’s Current Survey.

Luke Robins-Grace is PLP’s Director of Communications and External Affairs. He has been in communications and public affairs for over ten years, including at the Bar Council and as a trainer at the International School of Communication. Luke has worked on a range of campaigns and communications strategies on justice issues. In a former life, Luke was a secondary school teacher.

Maja graduated from Law School in Slovenia and has been working in and for the charity sector for as long as she can remember. Before joining Public Law Project, she worked at the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, and volunteered with Minority Rights International, Slovene Philanthropy, Association for Promotion of Volunteering, and other humanitarian organisations committed to advocating for vulnerable groups in society.

At PLP she works closely with other members of the operations and finance team to ensure all aspects of HR, IT, compliance and premises are managed, as well as providing other support needed to deliver charitable activities. She is playing a key role in developing a programme of well-being, training and resources, as well as ensuring PLP’s office and technology is geared to support collaborative working and contributing to developing the support of internal communication and connectivity.

When not at work you’ll generally find her hiking, dancing, visiting gigs, hiding from the world with a good book or planning a cheeky weekend trip out of the country.

Matthew is a lawyer who joined Public Law Project’s casework team in 2020.Before coming to Public Law Project, Matthew worked as a solicitor at GT Stewart Solicitors, where he acted for a wide range of clients including migrants, looked after children and care leavers. He assisted clients to bring judicial review challenges against public bodies, often on an urgent basis, and regularly acted for parents in Court of Protection proceedings relating to their children.Prior to qualifying as a solicitor, Matthew worked for over 10 years in the charity sector supporting refugees and asylum seekers, including unaccompanied children, at organisations such as the Refugee Council and the Manor Gardens Advocacy Project.

Mia is a Research Fellow at Public Law Project (PLP) with a focus on automation and digitalisation, immigration, equality and has an interest in international law. She leads PLP’s investigatory research into government use of algorithms and automated decision making systems across priority areas. She also leads the tracking automated government (TAG) project, under which she developed and launched the TAG Register.

She holds a LLB and completed a LLM in International Law at the University of Leeds, where she was a recipient of the Liberty Scholarship. She is also a consultant at The Accessful Foundation and previously worked with Citizens Advice and St Vincent’s Support Centre.

Niamh joined PLP in May 2021 as a casework paralegal and qualified as a solicitor in May 2023. She joined PLP from the AIRE Centre where she worked as a Project Coordinator for their UK National Support Fund project which assisted at-risk UK nationals with securing their residence in Europe post-Brexit. Niamh studied law with Spanish at the University of Glasgow and is committed to a career in public law.

Nikhil began his career in costing with no prior knowledge of the field, however quickly developed an interest. His focus, dedication and enthusiasm to learn all about Legal Aid billing soon led to a management role. Having managed an in-house billing team for over 4 years, as well as leading teams for external Legal Aid firms, Nikhil is no stranger to adapting with the needs of each firm. Additionally, Nikhil has the expertise in understanding how Legal Aid billing teams work to maximise costs.

Niran joined PLP in July 2023 after three years at the Young Women’s Trust, where she effectively managed the organisation’s grants. Prior to that, she worked in the international development sector and lived in Ghana for five years, working in child rights and education.

Niran holds a Master’s in Globalisation & Development from SOAS and a degree in International Politics from City University. Her current role at PLP centres on the strategic management and expansion of the Grants portfolio, aimed at driving sustainable growth for the organisation.

Rakesh joined PLP in September 2013. He is a solicitor who qualified in 2000 and prior to joining PLP was a partner in two of his previous firms, specialising in refugee and human rights law. He acted in a series of test cases in counter-terrorism law that reached the House of Lords, Supreme Court and Court of Justice of the EU. He also acted in test cases concerning unfair hearings and unfair Home Office policies. This work was recognised in the “Legal 500” and “Chambers and Partners”. He was a Thomson and Reuters “Super Lawyer” and a finalist for the Immigration Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year in 2013. At PLP, Rakesh has been involved in a wide range of judicial reviews including challenges to unfair processes – notably closed material procedures in the Special Immigration Appeals Commission, the Work Capability Assessment and the legal aid Exceptional Case Funding scheme. Rakesh specialises in access to justice issues. He acted for the charity Medical Justice in a challenge to Home Office’s “removal windows” policy. He had acted for several clients who had to be returned to the UK because they had all been denied access to lawyers under that policy before they were removed. The Court of Appeal held that the policy unlawfully restricted access to justice. Rakesh was named “Lawyer of the Week” by The Times in October 2020. The Legal Aid Practitioners Group named him the Public Law Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year in 2021. Rakesh regularly delivers judicial review training for PLP.

Ray is a finance officer and joined PLP in 2021. He has an economics degree from the University of Kent. Ray is no stranger to working diligently with numbers due to his past studies in accounting and undergraduate degree. His aim is to build his experience in finance, study further and eventually become a chartered accountant. During his spare time Ray can be found watching and taking part in sports and has a strong passion for football in particular.

Saba recently completed her BA Jurisprudence at Mansfield College, University of Oxford, where she was JCR President and recipient of the Worsley Prize for Law. She joined PLP as a Fellow of the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, and is now assisting the SIFT Project and working as a general research assistant. In the past, she has acted as research assistant to Helen Mountfield QC and interned at JCWI and Shelter. She is deeply passionate about public law and using the law to assist the disadvantaged.

Shameem began her career as an advisor in Government, developing policy and legislation in the wake of the financial crisis. She then went to the City where she became a senior associate and solicitor advocate in a market leading public law team. She has represented individuals, corporates, public bodies and charities. Prior to becoming its Director of Advocacy, Shameem helped set up the Black Equity Organisation, a racial justice charity.

Yvonne started out in banking but moved into the charity sector and has many years’ experience working as a charity accountant. She spent some time living in the US where she worked at the Art institute of Chicago, Orchestra of St Luke’s and The Royal Oak Foundation in New York before returning to the UK. She also works part-time for The St Peter’s College Foundation and in her other life is a classically-trained singer.