We are pleased to announce the promotion of a new member of the LLP, two partners, and three associates for 2022.

Amrit Rana
Partner and LLP Member, Head of Private Client

With over 18 years of experience in private client matters, Amrit established our Private Client team when she joined Bindmans in 2019, and has continued to develop our practice in this area ever since. Her diverse caseload includes will drafting, estate and trust administration, contentious estates and trusts, and a broad range of Court of Protection matters. Amrit has a consistent record of achieving excellent results and is known in the industry for her instinct on complex cases, her tactical awareness, and her client care. We are delighted to welcome Amrit to the LLP. Visit Amrit’s profile here.

Melissa Arnold
Partner, Family and Matrimonial

Melissa is an experienced lawyer known for her compassionate and professional client care, recently commended in the Legal 500 as ‘fantastic with clients’, tackling her cases ‘with diligence and enthusiasm’. Melissa specialises exclusively in the field of family law, with particular emphasis upon the financial disputes which may arise as a result of a relationship breaking down. She also advises clients on disputes surrounding arrangements for children, and has extensive experience in cases which involve allegations of domestic abuse. Visit Melissa’s profile here.

Roberta Haslam
Partner, Immigration, Asylum and Nationality

Roberta is a highly regarded immigration lawyer, having been ranked as a Rising Star in the Legal 500 2022 and as a Star Associate in Chambers and Partners UK 2022, where she is commended for her ‘superb work marshalling factually complex cases for the most vulnerable clients, for whom she gets brilliant results’ and for her commitment to clients. Roberta has a particular interest in asylum and human rights claims. Her broad practice includes advising on all family-based applications, nationality and passport issues, and representing clients on appeal and in judicial review proceedings at all levels of court. She often trains other lawyers and community groups on immigration-related issues. Visit Roberta’s profile here.

Hannah Marshall
Associate, Family and Matrimonial

Hannah has established a diverse and busy practice in a range of family and children law matters. She frequently acts in complex cross-border children disputes, representing parents who are applicants and respondents in child abduction and warship proceedings. She is also growing her expertise in cross-border public law children proceedings. Commended in the Legal 500 as a ‘young practitioner to look out for’ who is ‘extremely good with clients and extremely thorough in her case preparation’, Hannah’s practice also spans private law cases involving child contact disputes, domestic violence, and applications to relocate children, as well as divorce and financial remedy proceedings, and adoption and surrogacy matters.

Marianna Michaelides
Associate, Family and Matrimonial

Marianna is a specialist accredited children solicitor specialising in all areas of international children and domestic private children law. She regularly represents clients in matters involving abductions to Hague and non-Hague countries in both the High Court and the Court of Appeal. Marianna is ranked as an Associate to Watch in Children: Cross Border in Chambers and Partners UK 2022, and commended as ‘a rising star in the field of children law’ in the Legal 500 2022. Marianna also advises on general jurisdictional disputes affecting children, surrogacy and inter-country adoption issues, as well as enforcing orders. She is committed to family law, particularly in relation to the welfare of children, and is known for her compassionate client care. Visit Marianna’s profile here.

Will Whitaker
Associate, Public Law and Human Rights 

Will’s work invariably involves upholding the rights of vulnerable people or their family members that need advice and representation. He is an experienced Court of Protection practitioner, commended in the Legal 500 as ‘supportive and understanding, completely unflappable’, dealing ‘sensitively with the most challenging clients.’ He acts in inquests for families who have lost loved ones in difficult circumstances, and is currently representing a number of residents and survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. Will also has a busy practice dealing with various human rights and public law issues, having helped those defending civil proceedings brought against them relating to protest, represented individuals who have been subjected to discrimination, and conducted claims for those that have had their human rights breached. Visit Will’s profile here.

Jon Crocker, Managing Partner, comments:

I would like to congratulate Amrit, Melissa, Roberta, Hannah, Marianna and Will on their thoroughly deserved promotions. They have each made significant contributions to the firm and their respective teams through their expertise, energy and dedication.

We continue in our commitment to developing talented individuals and recognising the success of our teams, and I look forward to further promotions in the future as we continue to expand our diverse offering across multiple practices.