Without vital support from experienced professionals who share our vision, Here for Good would just be an idea. Find out more about our staff and trustees here.
Executive team
Bella joined Here for Good in March 2022 bringing with her extensive knowledge of the migration sector, EUSS policy expertise and her own lived experience of being an EU citizen in the UK.
Prior to joining the organisation, Bella led on the Mayor of London’s work supporting European Londoners affected by Brexit through the Citizenship and Integration Initiative. She also managed the Strategic Legal Fund for vulnerable young migrants at the Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association (ILPA) and worked with a number of migrants’ rights organisations such as New Europeans UK, Migrants’ Rights Network and Hackney Migrant Centre.
Bella has an LLM in International Law from University of Sussex and an MA in Politics and Anthropology from University of Glasgow.
In addition to her work with Here for Good, Bella is a director at MigrationWork CIC and the Chair of the MigrationWork Trust which manages the small grant scheme ‘Weaving Bonds – Communities Embracing Migration for Collective Belonging’.
Bella is a qualified lawyer currently based in New York. She works to run the Global Strategic Litigation Council for Refugee Rights but continues to support Here for Good as Senior Legal and Strategy Advisor.
Bella was recognised on the 2020 Forbes 30 under 30 List for co-founding and leading Here for Good.
In 2021, Bella recently received a full Kennedy Memorial Trust Scholarship to undertake an LLM at Harvard Law School. Prior to this, she worked as an asylum and human rights lawyer at the charity, Safe Passage.
Bella set up Here for Good while training to be a lawyer at Wesley Gryk Solicitors LLP, an immigration law firm. She previously worked part-time at South West London Law Centres running their free legal advice clinics. She completed her undergraduate degree at the London School of Economics where she was nominated one of LSE’s top 20 inspirational women in 2015. She is a Young Trustee at a leading international NGO, Restless Development, and co-runs a grassroots charitable project called Access to Education Sierra Leone.
EUSS Advice Service
Bianca joined Here for Good in April 2020 as an EUSS caseworker. As of June 2022, Bianca splits her role and is also our EUSS Legal Policy Officer, leading on legal policy matters under the EU Settlement Scheme.
She continues to provide advice and assistance with complex casework to Europeans and their family members in relation to the EU Settlement Scheme and is accredited as a Level 2 advisor with OISC. Bianca is based at the AIRE Centre.
Prior to joining Here for Good, Bianca worked at the AIRE Centre and New Europeans UK on projects focused on EU law and the EUSS. She has studied law in both Italy and Germany, and has obtained a Master’s degree in Human Rights from LSE.
Isobel joined the team as EUSS caseworker/ Volunteer coordinator in January 2023. She is based at the AIRE Centre.
Prior to joining Here for Good, Isobel worked at Solace Women’s Aid for 5 years, supporting vulnerable women and girls with advocacy, immigration casework and emotional support. For the last few years, Isobel worked on a project specifically supporting women with NRPF who have experienced abuse. Isobel is accredited in OISC Level 2 Immigration.
Isobel has also volunteered with a range of charities in London supporting migrant women and families; including Refugee Women’s Association, NELMA, and has most recently started to volunteer with Settled.
Nikita Swift joined the Here for Good EUSS advice team in December 2023. She is a solicitor in Paragon Law’s Personal and Family Immigration department.
Nikita joined Paragon Law in 2022, shortly after she qualified as a solicitor. Prior to her time at Paragon Law, Nikita studied Law with Criminology (LLB) and the Legal Practice Course (LLM) at Nottingham Trent University. Following her graduation, Nikita joined a small London law firm where she trained as a solicitor.
Elliott is an accredited Level 2 Senior Caseworker with the Law Society’s Immigration & Asylum Accreditation Scheme. Elliott is a member of the private immigration team at Paragon Law in Nottingham.
Elliott has experience in assisting with a range of immigration applications including complex EU Settlement Scheme applications.
Matthew joined the EUSS advice team in December 2023 but has been an integral part of Here for Good for years as the managing partner of Wilsons Solicitors LLP – a close partner to the charity. Matthew is now deputy managing director at Wilsons and has over 30 years of experience of a wide range of cases at all levels. His particular expertise is finding solutions for individuals with complex immigration problems.
Matthew’s current interests include family and partners, EEA nationals, human rights, citizenship, deportation, asylum, adoption and surrogacy. Whilst primarily advising individuals he also advises investors, entrepreneurs, charities and employers.
Matthew has been ranked as a leader in the field of immigration law in the Chambers UK Guide to the Legal Profession for many years. He has also been recommended in the Legal 500, Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers, and the Spears 500.
Matthew is a past executive committee member and trainer for the Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association [ILPA], and has served as a consultant to the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner. He has been an examiner on the Law Society Immigration Accreditation Scheme and he is an Advanced Member of that scheme. He is on the Advisory Committee of the Legal Aid Practitioners Group and is committed to securing a sustainable legal aid system. In 2006 Matthew was appointed as an Immigration Judge in the First Tier Tribunal and he sits regularly on a part-time basis.
He is a co-founder of the Stonewall Immigration Group which is now the charity Rainbow Migration. In 1997 he was a recipient of the Stonewall Equality Award for his contribution to the legal fight for gay rights in the UK. In 2010 he was a recipient of an award from the UKLGIG charity “for selfless, long-term commitment to the pursuit of justice”.
Matthew worked with the European Commission to develop a pilot for the provision of free legal advice to EU nationals in the UK following Brexit and he has worked closely with a number of charities and NGO’s helping EU nationals including Here for Good – setting up our advice service to provide free advice to people fleeing Ukraine following the outbreak of war in 2022.
Nina joined the Here for Good team in August 2023. She is a trainee solicitor based at Wilson Solicitors LLP in London, working on Here for Good’s SAFE project where she undertakes strategic legal work.
Nina graduated from Worcester College, Oxford University in 2016 with a BA in law. She later completed her training contract at an American law firm based in London and subsequently gained two years of experience as a litigation solicitor at RPC where she worked on the Ingenious Litigation which was featured in The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases of 2022.
Nina has volunteered with the Liberty Advice Line, providing information to callers on various human rights issues. She also helped set up a partnership between her previous firm and Migrants At Work, a modern slavery charity aiming to advocate for migrants who are placed in precarious work situations when their employers misunderstand immigration and labour laws. She also assisted with casework for Just For Kids Law, a charity that aims to help children and young people with various legal issues.
Upon completing the LPC, Nina spent three months volunteering with the Mobile Info Team in Greece, helping provide asylum seekers with information and assistance regarding the asylum process and their family reunion applications. After moving to London, Nina has been volunteering with Akwaaba, a community centre for refugees and migrants based in Dalston. She is the Akwaaba representative for the Hackney Patients Not Passports campaign group, which seeks to advocate for people facing charges for NHS care.
Mala joined the Here for Good team as a solicitor in January 2021, working from Wilson Solicitors LLP in London.
Mala is Here for Good’s Lead Solicitor in the SAFE project, set up to strategically challenge systems that put Europeans and their families at risk. She is also the Strategy and Policy Lead on our Ukraine Project, which was set up as a response to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine in February 2022, focusing on complex casework and strategic litigation.
Mala advises the charity on legal policy matters and handles press requests. Mala previously trained and qualified as a solicitor at Wesley Gryk Solicitors LLP. She is an active member of the Immigration Law Practitioners Association (ILPA) and provides training on a regular basis.
Ukraine Advice Service
Mala joined the Here for Good team as a solicitor in January 2021, working from Wilson Solicitors LLP in London, initially advising on the EU Settlement Scheme until December 2021.
Mala is Here for Good’s Strategy and Policy Lead on our Ukraine Project, which was set up as a response to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine in February 2022, focusing on complex casework and strategic litigation. She is also the Lead Solicitor in the SAFE project, set up to strategically challenge systems that put Europeans and their families at risk.
Mala also advises the charity on legal policy matters and handles press requests. Mala previously trained and qualified as a solicitor at Wesley Gryk Solicitors LLP. She is an active member of the Immigration Law Practitioners Association (ILPA) and provides training on a regular basis.
Anais joined the Here for Good team as a caseworker in March 2022. Working from Wilson Solicitors LLP, Anais provides advice and support to Ukrainian nationals and their families seeking to obtain entry to the UK, helping them to navigate the complex and ever-changing Ukraine Scheme.
Anais previously volunteered as a paralegal at Islington Law Centre’s Migrant and Child Refugee Unit, working on the Breaking the Chains project and Kids in Need of Defence (UK).
Rosa joined the team in July 2022, working from Wilson Solicitors LLP in London. She provides advice and assistance with complex casework to Ukrainian nationals and their families seeking to obtain entry to the UK under the Ukraine Schemes. Rosa is a trainee solicitor and an accredited senior caseworker under the Law Society’s Immigration and Asylum Scheme.
Rosa has previously worked and volunteered at Haringey Migrant Support Centre, advocating on behalf of vulnerable visitors to the centre. She has a degree in Law and Social Anthropology from the School of Oriental and African Studies, and has completed the Graduate Diploma in Law at City University and the Legal Practise Course at London Metropolitan University.
Afghan Legal Team
Alaa studied law at SOAS University of London and was awarded an LLB Hons in 2016. She also holds a Master of Laws in Human Rights, Justice and Conflict from SOAS and was awarded a distinction in 2018 for her thesis titled “The fate of contemporary British citizenship: an analysis of citizenship deprivation powers in relation to statelessness and human rights in the UK”.
Alaa joined Wilson LLP in 2019. She became a caseworker in the immigration team in 2020 and a Trainee Solicitor in 2022. She is registered as a Senior Caseworker with the Law Society Immigration and Asylum Accreditation Scheme.
Before joining Wilson LLP Alaa worked for humanitarian NGO Crisis Action as a research assistant and led on a campaign in response to the 2019 protests in Sudan. Alongside this role Alaa volunteered at Liberty as an Advice and Information volunteer. Alaa has also worked for the United Nations Development Programme in Lebanon as well as volunteering at Camden Community Law Centre and the Bar Pro Bono Unit.
Amelia graduated from the University of Leeds in 2014 with a degree in Philosophy, History and Philosophy of Science. She completed a law conversion at BPP University in 2017 and a qualifying Master of Laws at the University of Law in 2018, achieving a distinction.
Alongside her studies, Amelia undertook a number of voluntary activities and employment in the legal sector. She spent two years as a Legal Advisor at Leeds City Centre Citizens Advice Bureau where she advised vulnerable clients on housing, debt, employment and benefits.
She has completed internships at both the Public Law Project and Advocates for International Development.
Amelia joined the immigration department at Wilson Solicitors LLP in 2018. She provides advice and assistance in a wide range of immigration, asylum and human rights cases. Prior to joining Wilson Solicitors LLP, Amelia undertook employment at two high street firms, working on private immigration and asylum cases.
Isaac graduated from Durham University in 2016 with a degree in History & Politics. He was subsequently awarded an LLM with distinction by Birkbeck, University of London.
He joined Wilsons in October 2019. He has an active asylum and human rights caseload and undertakes both legally aided and privately funded work.
Prior to joining Wilsons, Isaac was a paralegal at Wesley Gryk Solicitors. He has previously volunteered for HELP for Domestic Workers, a Hong Kong based charity that provides advice and guidance to migrant domestic workers, and Here for Good.
In the recent past, Isaac has organised a legal advice clinic for Napier Barracks residents, provided training and support to lawyers advising individuals following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, and has helped the Immigration Law Practitioners Association prepare submissions to the Home Secretary following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Isaac is a co-Chair of Young Legal Aid Lawyers.
Mathilde joined Wilsons in October 2022. She graduated from the University of Essex in 2019 with a LLM in International and Human Rights Law. Her dissertation focused on the lack of gender sensitivity in the asylum system in Europe, with a specific focus on female genital cutting related claims.
Prior to joining Wilsons, she worked for the British Red Cross as a caseworker and was accredited under the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner at Level 1.
During the pandemic, she worked with the NHS Clinical Commission Group in Essex to reduce barriers to health care access amongst asylum seekers, refugees, and undocumented migrants, with a specific focus on access to interpretation.
Mathilde has previously worked for Refugee, Asylum Seeker and Migrant Action in Essex as a caseworker supporting asylum seekers, refugees and vulnerable people. This inspired her to become an immigration lawyer.
Mathilde has a strong interest in family reunion and family life applications. She also volunteers for Care 4 Calais as a French translator.
Rebecca joined Wilsons as a senior immigration caseworker in 2021. She provides advice and assistance in a wide range of immigration, asylum and human rights cases.
Rebecca graduated from Durham University in 2014 with a BA in Classics. She later studied the GDL and LPC, passing both with distinction, and trained in an international law firm.
During her legal training Rebecca spent 6 months in the firm’s pro bono team, where she worked on family reunification cases and helped to establish an award-winning project increasing access to legal advice for asylum seekers on Lesvos.
After qualifying as a solicitor in 2019 Rebecca undertook an LLM in public international law at the London School of Economics.
She graduated in 2020 with distinction and received the LSE’s Lauterpacht-Higgins prize. Her LLM dissertation explored the recognition of nationality deprivation as a form of persecution in international refugee law.
Prior to joining Wilsons Rebecca volunteered with organisations aiming to support and empower survivors of torture, oppression and displacement, including the Helen Bamber Foundation and Cara.
She spent several months volunteering as an English teacher in a rehabilitation centre for Syrian refugees in Jordan, established and run by a group of Syrian women. More recently she has volunteered with IRAP, providing remote legal assistance to refugees in Jordan navigating family reunification and resettlement processes.
Rebecca is accredited as a Senior Caseworker under the Law Society’s IAAS scheme and is a member of the HRLA’s Young Lawyers’ Committee.
Rebecca graduated from the University of Bath in 2008 with first-class honours in European studies with French and Italian. Following her studies she spent a year volunteering in France, including time in Calais with the organisation Salam which sparked an interest in immigration law and the asylum process.
In 2013 Rebecca converted to law with distinction via the LLM Qualifying Law Degree at Birkbeck College, University of London and then joined Wilsons in 2014. She completed her training in the immigration department and qualified as a solicitor in November 2018.
Rebecca has experience across the whole immigration field – from initial applications to appeals and Judicial Review – encompassing asylum, family life applications, deportation, and citizenship. She regularly assists vulnerable clients, including those lacking capacity, and works with conviction and courage to achieve significant results.
Rebecca has developed expertise in applications based on Article 3 ECHR and protection claims where there are ongoing criminal prosecutions. Rebecca has a keen interest in nationality law and is frequently instructed in complex citizenship matters – revocation, registration in exceptional circumstances, and first overseas passports.
Rebecca has worked on cases with high-profile client groups, including challenges to the ARAP and Homes for Ukraine schemes, which require a strategic and coordinated approach.
Our Board of Trustees
Tahmid co-founded Here for Good in 2018, and alongside Bella was named on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2020 for his social entrepreneurship.
In the year prior, he was Co-Founder and Director of The People’s Challenge, a crowdfunded pressure group which was a party in the Article 50 Miller litigation.
Alongside his Trustee responsibilities, Tahmid is part of Here for Good’s Executive Team, leading on finance and governance as a volunteer.
Outside of Here for Good, he works as a Senior Account Director at M&C Saatchi World Services; sits on the Boards of five other UK charities; and is a Judge at the Charity Times and Better Society Awards.
Gary is an actuary that specialises in governance, reward, culture and organisational issues. He has been a partner at the global actuarial, HR and benefits consulting firm, Mercer, for the last 9 years. Prior to this he was a partner at PwC for 15 years.
Gary specialises at modelling future workforce supply in the UK and other countries, particularly the impact of migration and changing participation, and consults with organisations on all aspects of their people strategies.
He also currently has responsibility for driving Mercer’s market-oriented Brexit strategy.
Kim Hooper is a chartered accountant, previously holding Senior Manager posts at both Ernst & Young and PWC, working with clients ranging from PepsiCo to Warner Bros.
With a passion for charity work, Kim founded her own accountancy practice specialising in charities and small businesses. She particularly supports Here for Good with its charity governance and finances.
Paul is a CIPFA qualified accountant who has worked with public sector and not-for-profit clients for more than 30 years including some of the largest London, Boroughs, County Councils and NHS trusts in the UK. He currently chairs Grant Thornton’s Local Government Board.
Paul also has extensive experience in governance. He is a member of CIPFA’s Public Financial Management Board, the Fighting Fraud LOCALLY Board and is a school governor.
If you’d like to offer your support to Here for Good, please do not hesitate to contact us.