ARLS

Amanda is currently a second-six pupil at Crystal Chambers, and works closely alongside her professional team of colleagues to deliver an exemplary level of service. Amanda was the President of the University of Hull Law Society, before graduating with a Joint Honours Degree in Law & Legislative Studies. Amanda spent a full year working with Lord Norton in the House of Lords as a Parliamentary Researcher, with the additional responsibility for liaising with national press and media, and standing-in for Lord Norton on several Parliamentary meetings. Amanda continues to work for Lord Norton on a regular basis.

More recently Amanda obtained a Masters (LLM Legal Practice – Barristers), and after passing her BPTC Bar Exam, she took her ‘Call to the Bar’ at Inner Temple, followed by Pupillage at Crystal Chambers. In addition to the legal work carried out during her second-six of pupillage, Amanda is involved in several other activities, including organising the Wroxton Workshop, organising The Centre for Legislative Studies, and working with various Parliaments around the world on Legislative Drafting.

Amanda spent 26 years touring the world as a professional singer under her stage name Julia Martin and can still be seen performing in theatres around the UK. Amanda established the UK registered charity ‘Autism Unseen’, to help tackle the bullying and social exclusion that autistic individuals suffer from within schools and colleges, and in 2017 she led a group of young autistic adults and carers on a life changing experience to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. In 2025/26 Amanda will be taking 60 autistic and special needs young adults on the Autism Unseen Tall Ships Challenge, where they will be sailing a 70-foot Challenger racing yacht around the UK.

In 2015 Amanda co-founded the Conflict Free Mineral Association and delivered a keynote speech about Human Rights abuses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the Lord Mayor, Civic Dignitaries, and Council Members of Hull. Amanda was then instrumental in taking Hull on the journey to become the first City in Europe to pass a Conflict Free Mineral Resolution. Amanda also wrote and performed the song ‘Your Voice’, which backed the campaign video.

Baron Norton of Louth (Life Peer), cr. 1998 BA, MA, PhD

Philip Norton – British political scientist, author and academic, Professor of Government and Head of the Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Hull

Professor Lord Norton is a Legislative Drafting & Parliamentary Affairs Consultant for ARLS.

Education: BA, University of Sheffield; MA, University of Pennsylvania, USA; PhD, University of Sheffield

Career: Lord Norton of Louth is Professor of Government and Head of the Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Hull. He was appointed Professor in 1986. In 1992 he also became Director of the Centre for Legislative Studies. Following his elevation to the peerage in 1998, he was Chairman of the House of Lords Select Committee on the Constitution from 2001 to 2004. He also chaired a commission for Leader of the Opposition, William Hague, to design ideas for the strengthening of the institution of Parliament. He has been described in The House Magazine – the journal of both Houses of Parliament – as “our greatest living expert on Parliament”. His research interests include British politics, the British parliament, the British Constitution, the British Conservative Party, comparative legislatures, and US politics and government. Lord Norton is Editor of The Journal of Legislative Studies.

Publications include: Dissension in the House of Commons 1974–1979 1980, Commons in Perspective 1981, Constitution in Flux 1982, The Political Science of British Politics (co-author) 1986, National Parliaments and the European Union (editor) 1996, The Conservative Party (editor) 1996, Parliaments and Pressure Groups in Western Europe (editor) 1999, The British Polity 2001 (4th edition), Parliaments and Citizens in Western Europe (editor) 2002, Parliament in British Politics 2013 (2nd edition), Politics UK 2014 (8th edition; co-author – 9th edition forthcoming), Reform of the House of Lords 2017; several pamphlets, book chapters and numerous articles in professional journals.

Jide Lanlehin is a Direct Access Barrister at Crystal Chambers and was called to the English Bar at the Inner Temple in 1994, and admitted to the Nigerian Bar in 2013. He obtained his LLB Honours in Law at the University of East London 1992. He started his career at the English Bar training at Tooks Chambers (chambers of Michael Mansfield QC) where he did his first six months pupillage before proceeding to Cloisters, 1 Pump Court (David Turner-Samuels QC) for his second six months training.

He is a versatile and exceptionally gifted advocate who originally established himself at the English Bar as a specialist in very serious criminal cases, undertaking a variety of cases involving Mortgage Fraud, Money Laundering offences, Confiscation, Murder, and Rape. He appeared as a leading junior counsel in the Crown Court in a number of these cases. He also receives instructions in Employment Law cases, Unfair Dismissal and Racial Discrimination, Immigration, and the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT).

In 2011, JL was appointed an English Law Consultant for a leading Nigerian Firm. Upon his call to the Nigerian Bar as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria he was elevated to the position of Partner at the Firm. He has since left that Firm to establish his own practice. He receives instructions and advise on all aspects of Nigerian Law particularly Nigerian Commercial, Property, Probate, Family and Divorce Law. JL also specialises in Legislative Drafting for Parliaments around the world.

JL’s current area of particular interest is the devastating impact on the environment of oil spillage by multi-national companies in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria. He has widely researched this issue and is prepared to litigate on behalf of those who have been most affected and disenfranchised by this modern phenomenon.

JL is qualified to conduct cases, including full rights of litigation under the public access provisions of the Bar Council.

Memberships

• Member of the Criminal Bar Association.
• Member of Professional Negligence Bar Association
• Member of Society of Black Lawyers
• Member of British Nigeria Law Forum
• Friend of Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers
• Friend of European Lawyers for Democracy and Human Rights

Teaching Experience

• 2000 Part- time lecturer – Inns of Court School of law- criminal law- court of appeal- professional ethics.
• 2002 Obtained IATC certificate to teach Advocacy for Bar students and Barristers.
• 2002-2006 Lecturer at BPP Law School- advocacy, conference, and negotiation skills.
• 2006-2007 Taught crime, tort, administrative law for undergraduates on LLB.
• 2010 – present External Advocacy Assessor for the Crown Prosecution Service. Regularly lectures Student nurses at City University in Tort and law of negligence.
• 2012 Qualified to assess Higher Rights Advocacy Certificate candidates.

Elizabeth Lanlehin is a Direct Access Barrister, and the Head of Crystal Chambers. She was called to the bar in March 2001 by Inner Temple. Ms Lanlehin has gained extensive in-house experience with Solicitor’s firms in London, dealing with Immigration Law, Appeals and Judicial Review.

Ms Lanlehin also practiced at Peel Chambers and 2 King’s Bench Walk Chambers where her main areas of practice were Immigration Law, Criminal Defence and Prosecution, both in the Magistrates’ and Crown Court.

In 2007, she joined the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) where she prosecuted matters in the Magistrates and Youth Court from Driving Offences to Burglary.

Since leaving the CPS, Ms Lanlehin has contracted with various Local Authorities as an in-house Barrister dealing with prosecutions and civil cases, and has extensive experience in Immigration, Family Law, Civil Litigation, Housing, and Legislative Drafting.

Elizabeth is qualified to conduct cases, including full rights of litigation under the public access provisions of the Bar Council.

• Criminal Defence and Prosecutions
• Immigration
• Licensing
• Housing
• Civil matters
• Employment Law
• Family Law
• Legislative Drafting