Samantha joined CLP in 2023 after completing her training contract at Merseyside Law Centre as a Justice First Fellow. Prior to retraining as a solicitor, she worked for two decades in the field of human rights, primarily as an urgent action coordinator for the Clean Clothes Campaign, where she advocated on behalf of workers employed in the supply chains of European clothing brands. While completing her law degree, Samantha also participated in a student scheme with Greater Manchester Law Centre, where she assisted people with disabilities to appeal benefit decision and was shortlisted for a LawWorks pro-bono award for her work on that scheme. Samantha lived on a narrowboat for many years and has a particular interest in housing and public law matters affecting this community. She also works on cases involving homelessness, housing possession and unlawful evictions.
Megan Lloyd
Prior to joining the firm in October 2023, Megan worked in the public sector and the NHS, advocating for clients in mental health crisis at risk of psychiatric inpatient admission as a result of social issues such as homelessness and debt. Megan has experience working with clients of varying and complex need in both community and in-patient settings. Megan has also previously volunteered for Nightline and the Alzheimer’s Society. Megan currently specialises in homelessness cases but has interests in all areas of housing law.
Andy Marlow
Andy has completed the Bar Professional Training Course and was called to the Bar in 2016. Having previously worked as a paralegal in commercial property matters, and having also previously volunteered to help applicants in Employment and Support Allowance appeals and defendants in possession claims, he moved to the Community Law Partnership in 2018. He initially worked full time on the Housing Possession Court Duty Scheme. He now acts as a Trainee Solicitor, assisting clients in matters relating to defending possession proceedings, taking action on disrepair, homelessness and unlawful eviction. Andy qualified as a solicitor on the 13th March 2023.
Emma Westwood
Emma Westwood has extensive administrative and secretarial experience in the legal sector. Emma joined CLP in May 2000 as a Secretary and the Travellers Advice Team Administrator. Following the continued growth of the firm Emma was appointed as Assistant Manager in September 2015 and also remains the TAT Administrator. Emma was promoted to Practice Manager from 1 February 2018.
Jenny Malone
Jenny Malone has worked for the Partners since 1995. Her career has always been in administrative work, previously in the insurance industry before moving into the legal sector in 1995. In 1999 when CLP was founded, Jenny provided administrative and technical IT support, secretarial work, legal accounting and any other duties required to support the Partners in their quest to build a successful Legal Aid firm. As the firm expanded and with one of the founding Partners leaving in 2005 her managerial role as Practice Manager was established. From 1 February 2018 Jenny’s role has changed from Practice Manager to Finance Manager.
Mike McIlvaney
Mike McIlvaney studied Politics and Sociology at Durham University and following graduation studied law at Leeds. Passionate about the rights of the politically and socially oppressed he embarked on a career in social welfare law and has worked in both private practice and the voluntary sector. For the past 20 years he has specialized in housing and has taken cases to the Court of Appeal, House of Lords and Supreme Court and represented clients in some of the leading cases in this area of the law. He was a founding partner of the Community Law Partnership (CLP).
Rosaleen Kilbane
Rosaleen Kilbane qualified as a solicitor in 1989. She has practised in Housing Law throughout her career. She is a past member of the Law Society’s Civil Litigation Committee and a former Chair of the Law Society’s Housing Law Committee. She sits as a Deputy District Judge in the County Court. She was a founding partner of the Community Law Partnership (CLP), but undertakes only a limited amount of casework nowadays as she is primarily responsible for the management of the firm. She won the Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year Award in the social and welfare law category in June 2012.
Fiona McGilvray
Fiona joined the Community Law Partnership in January 2014 as a Solicitor specialising in housing law. Fiona’s previous experience includes family law and mental health law representing clients detained under the Mental Health Act. Before training as a solicitor Fiona worked for the YMCA and the Youth Offending Service in various roles focused on rehabilitating young offenders.
Syma Rushd
Syma qualified as a Solicitor in September 2007 and specialises in all areas of Housing Law. Syma joined Community Law Partnership in November 2015, having previously worked as a Housing Solicitor at firms in London and Birmingham.
Holly Sherratt
Holly previously worked at the Citizens Advice Bureau as a caseworker undertaking housing and debt casework. She completed her training contract with Community Law Partnership and qualified as a solicitor in 2010. Holly was the instructing solicitor in the case of Makisi v Birmingham City Council [2011] EWCA Civ 355. She became a Partner of CLP on 1st September 2015.