I have a degree in Politics & Law from the University of Southampton and a Masters in Human Rights Law from the University of Nottingham. I qualified as a Solicitor in 1998 and have specialised in Immigration and Asylum Law ever since.After working in London for a number of years, I moved to Yorkshire in 2001. I headed the Immigration Team at Parker Rhodes before establishing Cole & Yousaf Solicitors in 2007. Cole & Yousaf then merged with Parker Rhodes Hickmotts in 2012. I was a partner and Head of Immigration at Parker Rhodes Hickmotts until September 2020.I specialise in complex Asylum and Human Rights cases, although I have extensive experience across the whole spectrum of Immigration Law. I am accredited at the highest level of the Law Society’s Immigration & Asylum Accreditation Scheme – Immigration Law Advanced. I have been recognised as a Leading Individual in Immigration Law by the Chambers UK Directory for a number of years, having been praised for my “sharp intellect and inspiring level of knowledge and commitment.”I was a Law Society Council member and also a member of the Law Society’s Immigration Law Committee for many years. I am co-convenor of the Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association’s Yorkshire & the North East Sub-committee.In February 2019 I was appointed a fee-paid judge of the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration & Asylum Chamber) and I sit in Manchester. In May 2024 I was appointed a Deputy Upper Tribunal Judge (Immigration & Asylum Chamber). I also work as a freelance consultant solicitor working with a number of organisations throughout Yorkshire and beyond. I focus on advocacy but I am also available for other tasks, including training.