Maria McCloskey, an associate solicitor at Napier & Sons in Belfast, has been appointed to co-ordinate a new legal project in partnership with the Northern Ireland Community of Refugees and Asylum Seekers (NICRAS).

Ms McCloskey will help develop best-practice legal guidelines to ensure that asylum seekers are fully aware of their entitlement to legal representation and what they can expect from their legal representatives and the service being provided.

The project will also provide information, feedback and training to immigration law practitioners, particularly in the area of client care.

Ms McCloskey is a member of the Law Society of Northern Ireland’s new Immigration Practitioners’ Group and is working on a dissertation in the area of immigration for a Masters in human rights law at QUB.

Her leading role in the project has been funded by the Executive Office’s Minority Ethnic Development Fund until March 2018.

Ms McCloskey said: “I am very excited about this project and believe that it has come at a crucial time, as work in the area of immigration law is increasing and when legal aid funding is being reduced.

“It is vital that all members of our community have equal access to quality legal services, and we must aspire to attain the highest possible standards, particularly for those more vulnerable members of our society.

She added: “I would like to thank Napier & Sons for their support in accommodating me to take up this role. It is often said that employers should ensure personal development and enhance the skills and experiences of their employees, but less often are those sentiments followed through in reality. Such foresight, and indeed corporate social responsibility, is only to be commended.”

NICRAS are aiming to make the guidelines available from early 2018, with training events for practitioners due to be delivered throughout the course of the intervening months.

If you believe that you can contribute to the project through resources, data or experience, contact nicraslegalproject@gmail.com.