Expert Panel

The Expert Panel comprises individuals with expertise in areas of law relevant to migrant groups including legal practitioners and policy experts.

The Expert Panel makes recommendations to ILPA about individual grant applications and advises on the strategic direction of the SLF.

A minimum of three Panel members, including the Chair, attend the Panel meetings on the basis of their knowledge and expertise in the areas of law covered within the spread of applications received in any funding round. The final decision on which applications to award grants is made by ILPA.

A list of the next Expert Panel meetings is available here.

Expert Panel members

Manjit S Gill KC, Barrister, No5 Chambers – Chair
Simon Cox, Barrister, Doughty Street Chambers – Vice Chair
Admas Habteslasie, Barrister, Landmark Chambers
Alison Harvey, Barrister, One Pump Court
Alison Pickup, Barrister, Director of Asylum Aid
Angela Jackman KC (Hon), Solicitor and Partner, Irwin Mitchell
Bernadette Smith, Barrister, 1MCB Chambers
Charlotte Kilroy KC, Barrister, Blackstone Chambers
Daniel Rourke Lead Lawyer, Public Law Project
Imogen Townley, Solicitor, Wilson Solicitors
Janet Farrell, Solicitor and Partner, Bhatt Murphy
Lesley Irvine, Advocate, Axiom Advocates Scotland
Michael Spencer, Barrister, Doughty Street Chambers
Ravi Low-Beer, Non-practising solicitor, Asylum Support Appeals Project
Rowena Moffatt, Barrister, Doughty Street Chambers
Samantha Knights KC, Barrister, Matrix Chambers
Sonia Lenegan, Legal and Policy Director at Rainbow Migration
Sue Lukes, Housing expert

Chair

Manjit S Gill KC chairs the Expert Panel of the Strategic Legal Fund. Called to the Bar in 1982 and appointed King’s Counsel in 2000, he is one of the foremost human rights, international law and immigration silks at the Bar.

He has argued some of the most highly publicised and ground breaking constitutional, public law, international law and human rights cases in England in the last 20 years with regular appearances in the House of Lords and Supreme Court.

He has also conducted European Court of Justice and European Court of Human Rights cases and advised on proceedings taking place in several other jurisdictions. His expertise in these areas means that he is briefed in a wide variety of fields where these over arching skills are necessary, particularly at an appellate level and in cases with an international or a human rights dimension, for example where public and international law issues affect commercial or family cases. He is particularly committed to working for disadvantaged groups. However, his clients have also included major international corporations, non governmental bodies and campaigning groups. He successfully argued the effects in domestic law of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989 and the duty to act in accordance with best interests of the child and to allow the child separate legal representation: ZH (Tanzania) v Secretary of State [2011] UKSC 4.