About Us

Luke & Bridger Law is a specialist law firm with an award-winning team of solicitors established to assist with your legal needs.

Our mission is to offer the highest standard of client care and legal services with a friendly and personable approach.  Our legal professionals offer unparalleled representation with all aspects of Prison Law, Public Law and Community Care.

If you would like more detail on our specialised services please see the various pages on our site.  Alternatively, please feel free to contact us if you would like to discuss your individual situation.

Meet The Team

Stephen Luke

Director / Solicitor

Stephen is an experienced advocate and has specialised in Prison Law for over 20 years. He regularly represents clients, whether they be determinate or indeterminate sentence prisoners, before Judicial members of the Parole Board and has a great success rate.

As well as Parole Board reviews, he is also able to advise in relation to all other aspects of Prison Law, including:

  • Recall
  • Category A Reviews
  • Pre-Tariff Reviews
  • Adjudications (Governor and Independent)
  • + More

 

Stephen is also the Director and editor of Jail Mail, The National Prison Newspaper which is distributed free of charge to prisons nationwide on a monthly basis. Stephen and the firm regularly write articles to assist all those in custody as we believe that it is important, that even those who do not have access to legal representation are aware of their rights whilst incarcerated.

Stephen is an active member of the Association of Prison Lawyers.

Stuart Luke

Director / Solicitor  

Joint Head of our Public Law and Community Care Department

Stuart is the joint head of our Public Law and Community Care Department. He is a Public Law and Community Care specialist. Stuart has over 13 years of experience in Judicial Review work, challenging the unfair exercise and abuse of power by public authorities, human rights breaches and discrimination. In 2017 Stuart was awarded the prestigious Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year Award for his work and success representing Age Disputed Children.

Stuart has acted for claimants in judicial review and civil claims against all limbs of the state and frequently appears and represents client’s in the High Court, Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court and the European Court of Justice. Stuart has been instrumental in developing key caselaw establishing fundamental rights and duties for an on behalf of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. Stuart has experience in bringing claims against a wide range of public bodies and organisations on issues with include Brexit, Social Services obligations under the Children Act 1989, the powers of the state to access personal data (DRIPA/RIPA), the asylum support regime, the detention and removal of children, age disputes and local authorities powers to terminate services under the Children Act for unaccompanied asylum seeking children.

Notable cases include:

  • R(Miller) v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union [2017] UKSC 5
  • R (on the application of MM (Lebanon)) (Appellant) v Secretary of State for the Home Department (Respondent) [2017] UKSC 10
  • AA v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2017] EWCA Civ 138
  • Watson & Others (Brice & Lewis) C 203/15 and C 698/15 CJEU
  • R (on the application of ZM and SK) v The London Borough of Croydon (Dental age assessment) [2016] UKUT 559 (IAC)
  • S, R (on the application of) v London Borough of Croydon & Anor [2017] EWHC 265 (Admin)
  • R(KA & NBV) v The London Borough of Croydon[2017] EWHC 1723 (Admin)

Martin Bridger

Director / Solicitor  

Joint Head of our Public Law and Community Care Department

Martin is the joint head of our Public Law and Community Care Department. He is a Public Law and Community Care specialist. As a litigator he has focussed on Judicial Review work since 2009, challenging the unfair exercise and abuse of power by public authorities, human rights breaches and discrimination.

Martin has a wealth of experience, acting for claimants in civil claims against all limbs of the state, in the High Court, Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. He portrays a wide knowledge of the law and has experience in litigating against a wide range of public bodies and organisations on issues as diverse as the legality of Brexit without Parliamentary control, Social Services obligations under the Children Act 1989, the asylum support regime, the ability of the Government to preclude individuals with a derived right to remain in the UK from accessing homelessness support and local authorities powers to remove children from their prospective adopters under the Adoption and Children Act 2002.

Notable cases include:

  • R(Miller) v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union [2017] UKSC 5
  • R(Sanneh & Ors) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2015] EWCA Civ 49
  • R(HA) v University of Wolverhampton [2018] EWHC 144
  • R(Vigrass) v the Parole Board [2017] EWHC 3022
  • R(Ghulam & Ors) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2016] EWHC 2639
  • R(DL & Anr) v London Borough of Newham [2011] EWHC 1127

Name: Katherine Potter

Position: Office Manager/Supervisor

Department: Prison Law Supervisor

Office Location: Nottingham

Date of Joining: 1st June 2022

 

Prison Law Department

Name: Isobel Munn

Position: Trainee Solicitor

Office Location: Nottingham

Date of Joining: 18 April 2023

 

Name: Ben Shellard

Position: Prison Law Paralegal

Office Location: Nottingham

Date of Joining: 19 June 2023

 

Civil Department (Public Law and Community Care)

Name: Debbie Heath

Position: Public Law Solicitor

Office Location: Nottingham

Date of Joining: 18 April 2023

 

Name: Elisa Cronier-Mackie

Position: Trainee Solicitor

Office Location: Nottingham

Date of Joining: 18 April 2023

 

Name: Miya Watson

Position: Paralegal

Office Location: Nottingham

Date of Joining: 17 July 2023

 

Name: Vanessa Stefanescu

Position: Paralegal

Office Location: Nottingham

Date of Joining: 16 August 2023

 

Administrative

Name: Al Franz Monasterial

Position: Admin Assistant

Office Location: Nottingham

Date of Joining: 18 April 2023

 

Name: Abby Sanderson

Position: Admin Assistant

Office Location: Nottingham

Date of Joining: 18 April 2023

 

Name: Alex Arnold

Position: Admin Assistant

Office Location: Nottingham

Date of Joining: 18 April 2023

 

Name: Jay Lord

Position: Admin Assistant

Office Location: Nottingham

Date of Joining: 18 April 2023