APL Executive Committee

Laura is a solicitor specialising in prison law, criminal appeals, community care, mental health and public law. She has particular expertise in representing children, young adults and vulnerable people in detention in both penal and mental health settings.

Laura is a Consultant Solicitor at Scott-Moncrieff & Associates Ltd and GT Stewart Solicitors & Advocates. She was appointed an Honorary KC in March 2025.

Laura has taught extensively (in particular at South Bank University in the Law department since 2007, but also professional associations). She was awarded a professional doctorate in youth justice at the University of Bedfordshire in 2014. She has written extensively for a wide range of audiences on issues ranging from sentencing, children's rights and parole.

Laura is a Board member the Legal Aid Practitioners’ Group and a trustee of Hammersmith and Fulham Law Centre in her capacity as a councillor in Hammersmith and Fulham. She is also a trustee of the National Association for Youth Justice.

She is the Chair of the Association of Prison Lawyers. She is also a committee member for the Mental Health Lawyers’ Association, the Criminal Appeal Lawyers’ Association and the Law Society’s Criminal Law Committee.

She worked at the Howard League for Penal Reform between 2006 and 2022.

Laura founded Young Legal Aid Lawyers in 2005 and she received both the 2010 Liberty Human Rights Young Person of the Year award and the 2009 Young Legal Aid Lawyer of the year award on behalf of the group. In 2006 she was named Young Legal Aid Solicitor of the year. In 2012 she was listed by the Guardian as a lawyer to watch. In 2019, Laura was awarded Solicitor of the Year by the First 100 Years’ Inspirational Women in Law Awards. Between 2010 and 2022, she was a trustee of Legal Action Group, and chair between 2017 and 2022.

Yasmin graduated from the University of Southampton in 2018, and is currently a Chartered Legal Executive specialising in Prison and Public Law at SL5 Legal, focusing on Judicial Review, Parole Board advocacy and human rights.

Yasmin began her career in a busy prison law practice, advancing from Legal Assistant to Trainee Lawyer within two years before qualifying with CILEx in 2022.

At the prestigious Legal Aid Lawyer Awards in 2025, Yasmin won the Legal Aid Newcomer award for her work representing prisoners. At SL5 Legal, she advocates for clients in all areas of prison law, representing those with both determinate and indeterminate sentences before the Parole Board for progression, release, or recall matters.

She also assists clients with category A and recategorisation reviews, as well as sentence calculations and minimum term reviews.Her practice extends to judicial review and public law, where she regularly challenges decisions made by the Secretary of State for Justice, the Parole Board, prisons, and other public authorities.

She is not afraid to challenge unfair decisions and never shies away from holding authorities to account.

Yasmin is a determined and passionate advocate. She has an ability to build strong relationships with her clients which enables her to represent them in the most effective way. Clients regularly comment on her honest, supportive and realistic approach to cases and her attention to detail.

Anna is a solicitor in the Howard League legal team. Anna represents children and young adults aged 21 and under on a variety of public and prison law cases including prison conditions and treatment cases, adjudications, and parole.

Marte Lund has a degree in Law and Human Rights from University of Essex.

From April 2016 to June 2017 Marte was a legal volunteer with Prisoners Advice Service (PAS). Before returning to PAS, she worked at Birnberg Peirce Solicitors, dealing with civil actions, inquests and Prison Law.

Marte qualified as a solicitor in 2022 and began working at PAS in June 2023.

Andrew specialises in Judicial Review, Parole Board advocacy and human rights.

He has extensive practical experience of the criminal justice and penal systems and significant experience of conducting difficult, high profile judicial review challenges , test cases and appeals.Andrew was a Finalist in the national Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year Awards in 2013.  In 2021, Andrew won Legal Aid Lawyer of the year, receiving recognition for all his outstanding work in Social Welfare Law.Andrew is a founding member of the Association of Prison Lawyers (APL), established in 2008 by a small number of practitioners and has since grown to a membership of almost 400 people.  He was instrumental in developing the organisation in size and profile.

Dean has practiced in prison law for around 15 years. He is often at the forefront of the main challenges protecting the rights of prisoners and viewed as someone who works tirelessly to expose injustice and a lawyer who does not shirk from representing those for whom antipathy is to be expected from the courts, or the general public.

He conducts all manner of prison law hearings and tends to do a lot of work for those within the high secure estate and represents a number of prisoners within the Close Supervision Centre system. He works closely with JENGBA and UNGRIPP.

Achieving release for prisoners who have no support for progression is one of Dean’s passions.

Emma is a prison law solicitor who is particularly experienced in representing clients at paper and oral parole hearings, Category A reviews and Judicial Review. She is based in the northwest but is able to assist clients nationwide.

Emma was a Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year Finalist in 2025 for her prison law work.

Hamish Arnott specialises in public law and human rights with a particular focus on the civil liberties of prisoners and those detained under immigration laws.

John was admitted as a solicitor in 2008 and has specialised in Prison Law throughout his career. He is an experienced and respected advocate, with a reputation for acting in a robust and forthright manner.

John is most at home when appearing before the Parole Board and he is well known to Parole Board members throughout the country.

Lubia Begum-Rob is the Director of the Prisoners' Advice Service, a national charity set up in 1991 to provide free legal advice, information and representation to adult serving prisoners on the application of the Prison Rules 1999. Their services are delivered through a free advice line across the prison estate in England and Wales, a Letters Clinic, outreach in some 20 prisons and casework undertaken through their Prison Law and Public Law contracts.

Head of Prison Law department and Partner at one of the countries largest Criminal Law firms. Whilst my speciality is Prison Law I have the benefit of also still practising criminal defence work.

Mirren practises across public and human rights law, including bringing judicial review claims related to prison law, housing, immigration and community care matters, as well as civil actions against the police and other state bodies. Mirren also practises in inquests and inquiries and parole board hearings.

Prior to coming to the Bar, Mirren was an award-nominated journalist, most recently working as an investigative journalist for the human rights organisation Liberty, where she focused on disproportionate policing. In addition to her work as a barrister, Mirren chairs a local police scrutiny group.