Melissa Darnbrough

Host Organisation: Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit

After completing my Law Degree at Manchester Metropolitan University in 2012, I went on to study for my Legal Practice Course at the University of Law Manchester. I chose an Immigration Law elective as part of my course, and have had a strong interest in immigration and social welfare law ever since.

I am passionate about Social welfare law because it provides access to social justice by ensuring that the most vulnerable people within society are provided with crucial advice and assistance in times of desperate need. This was certainly the area of law that I wanted to pursue my career and so when I heard about the Justice First Fellowship, I considered this to be an amazing opportunity based on its commitment to the public interest, and social justice issues.

Opportunities within social welfare law are extremely limited, and even more so within legal aid organisations, and so I am very excited to be working at the Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit who have a fantastic reputation for their work in this field. I will be assisting individuals with their immigration and asylum issues during my training, and I hope to qualify as a solicitor with a wealth of experience and knowledge in order to continue working within this organisation.