Advancing human rights and equality
through public interest litigation

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Staff

The PILS Project currently has two staff members:                                       

Acting Project Manager & Solicitor: Sarah Corrigan

Sarah is a Dual Qualified Solicitor. Prior to joining PILS in 2019, Sarah worked at Housing Rights for nearly 10 years. As the in-house Solicitor, Sarah acted for a number of tenants experiencing difficulties in maintaining or accessing tenancies, challenged public bodies and worked hard in the fight to prevent homelessness and promote social justice.

Sarah has an LLB and LPC, awarded by Northumbria University, holds a first-class honours in an LLM in Human Rights Law, from Queen's University Belfast (QUB) and a Certificate from the Institute of Professional Legal Studies, Belfast. Sarah is a qualified legal mediator in Civil and Commercial matters, accredited by Institute of Professional Legal Studies, Belfast and the Law Society of NI. Since 2020, she is also a law tutor on the Rights and Accountability Undergraduate LLB course at QUB.

 

   

Project Officer & Pro Bono Coordinator: Emma Cassidy

Emma joined the PILS Project in November 2018, taking on the role of Project Officer. She is responsible for leading the Project’s communications work to raise awareness of public interest litigation and its impact. Emma also manages the PILS Pro Bono Register, matching members’ needs with legal expertise and dealing with pro bono requests. In addition to this work, Emma assists with event organisation, office management and initiatives designed to break down barriers that prevent people accessing justice.
 
Before joining The PILS Project, Emma worked in Brussels (with ILGA-Europe, the umbrella organisation for LGBTI activists in Europe and Central Asia), Budapest (with PILnet: the Global Network for Public Interest Law) and Dublin (at FLAC, the Free Legal Advice Centres). Emma studied Economics, Politics and Law at Dublin City University and was awarded an LLM in Human Rights and Criminal Justice from Queen’s University Belfast. She is particularly happy to return to Belfast, having previously volunteered with CAJ, who are among PILS’ neighbours at Community House.
 


 

Project Manager & Solicitor: Melissa Murray (on career break from July 2020)

Melissa is the PILS Project Manager and Solicitor. She has lead the project since it first opened its doors in 2009 and has helped develop it as a centre for public interest litigation in NI.

Since the Project's inception, Melissa has been involved in promoting public interest litigation as a tool for change. Melissa studied law in Trinity College Dublin before qualifying as a solicitor in NI in 2005. Her background is in criminal and public law.

When not working at PILS, Melissa loves rambling outdoors and is always planning her next family adventure.