Jarlath Clifford - Legal Officer

Mr Clifford joined the team from the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) where he initially held the post of Policy Officer covering Health, Criminal Justice and Education. In this capacity he worked on the regulation of Public Authorities under their statutory race equality duties. Mr Clifford wrote the biggest performance review to date of whether public bodies were meeting their Race Equality Duty under the Race Relations Act. Following this he led the investigation work in Wales for the CRE’s Formal Investigation into Physical Regeneration, which was published by the CRE in September 2007. Prior to working at the Commission, Mr Clifford was a research assistant in Jurisprudence at University College London. He has also held positions at Amnesty International and the British Institute of International and Comparative Law. He has an LLM in International and Comparative Human Rights Law from University College London and a BAL in Accountancy and Law from the University of Glasgow.

Mr Clifford’s current research is focused on various thematic facets that exist within international and comparative non-discrimination, equality and human rights law. 

Amal de Chickera – Research Consultant

Mr de Chickera joined ERT as a research consultant in July 2008. He previously worked at the Law and Society Trust (Sri Lanka) as a researcher and coordinator of the Trust’s Human Rights in Conflict Programme. His role included the monitoring, documentation and reporting of disappearances, abductions and killings in Sri Lanka. He has also worked as Research Officer of the (post-tsunami) Disaster Relief Monitoring Unit of the Sri Lankan Human Rights Commission. Here he conducted field and legal research, monitored post-tsunami rehabilitation and reconstruction work, investigated complaints, advised tsunami victims on their rights and was a facilitator of the island-wide post-tsunami public consultation process.

Mr. De Chickera is a founder member of Stages, a Sri Lankan Theatre Group which addresses prevailing social issues through cutting edge theatre. He also co-founded the UCL Student Human Rights Programme, and was co-editor of the inaugural UCL Human Rights Review. A member of the Sri Lankan Bar, Amal holds an LLM (Distinction) from University College London and an LLB (Hons.) from the University of Colombo.

At present, Amal is a researcher and coordinator of ERT’s Stateless Persons in Detention Project.

Jim Fitzgerald, Advocacy and Communications Officer

Jim Fitzgerald joined ERT in May 2009.  Prior to joining ERT, Mr Fitzgerald spent four years working for the Liberal Democrats in a variety of roles in campaigns, parliament and most recently working for a local authority.  He worked as a campaign manager in the 2006 local elections and has held senior posts in a number of high-profile by-election campaign teams.  Between 2006 and late 2007, Mr Fitzgerald worked as a parliamentary researcher for Paul Burstow MP, the Liberal Democrat Chief Whip.  Mr Fitzgerald joined ERT from Southwark Council, where he worked as a Political Advisor to the Liberal Democrat administration, advising the Council’s leadership on all aspects of policy and communications.   He holds an LLB from the University of Sheffield.

Ellen Raine Leaver - Legal Intern

Ms Leaver completed her MA in EU International Relations and Diplomacy Studies at the College of Europe in June 2008, her thesis concerned the possible role for humanitarian intervention within the European Security and Defence Policy. Since then she interned at Comas, a Scottish-based voluntary organisation, where she undertook qualitative research into the motivations and experiences of Scottish activists, and assisted with research and writing for funding proposals. In September 2008 she joined the Future of Peace Operations Program at the Henry L. Stimson Center, a Washington D.C.-based think-tank, as an intern for three months. Within the programme she focused on mapping security sector reform efforts and best practice in a number of countries and regional and international organisations. Additionally she researched and wrote factsheets on current UN peacekeeping operations in the Sudan and Chad, and updated research into the economic impacts of peacekeeping and the status of emergency civilian response mechanisms.

Ms Leaver also has a LLB in English and European Laws from Queen Mary University of London, which included a year’s study at Université Panthéon-Assas, Paris.  

Katherine Perks - Legal Researcher 

Prior to joining the Equal Rights Trust, Ms. Perks worked with Sudan Organisation Against Torture (SOAT), managing a variety of advocacy, research and service delivery projects within Sudan and internationally. In that post, she worked in collaboration with local Sudanese partners and international human rights organisations to develop strategic research and litigation initiatives and to lobby before international and regional human rights bodies. Ms. Perks previously worked in the Africa programme at the International Secretariat of Amnesty International where she held posts in the Africa regional campaigns team and the East Africa team. She recently conducted research on behalf of the equality programme at INTERIGHTS and her current research interests include gender equality, minority rights and affirmative action. Ms. Perks holds an LLM in International Human Rights Law from the University of Essex and a BA (Hons.) degree in Geography and Development from the School of Oriental and African Studies.

Kelly Scott - Executive Assistant

Ms Scott joined the ERT in March 2009. She recently completed a LLM in International Law at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). She submitted her dissertation on human rights obligations of Multinational Enterprises (MNEs), focusing on the extractive sector and conflict resources. Ms Scott also holds an MA International Studies and Diplomacy, completed at SOAS in 2006 and has held internships at the British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL) and Burma Campaign UK.

Prior to this, Ms Scott completed a BSc International Relations (Major), Political Science (Minor) at the University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica.

Serap Yildirim - Financial and Administrative Manager

Ms. Yildirim joined ERT as the Financial and Administrative Manager in January 2009. She is a Certified Accounting Technician. Ms. Yildirim is currently completing both a degree and a Masters in Applied Accounting from Oxford Brookes University and is completing her final exams for accreditation as a Chartered Certified Accountant with the Association of Certified and Chartered Accountants. Ms. Yildirim has a degree in Hotel Management and Business Studies from Istanbul University and Westminster Business School. This has helped her acquire a client based approach as well as management and financial skills. Ms. Yildirim has worked in a number of different companies and organisations as accountant/finance officer. Before joining ERT she set up and ran her own accountancy practice providing accountancy and financial services to a broad range of businesses in London. She has worked as finance officer over the past 5 years on a part time basis for the Imece Turkish Speaking Women’s Group providing various forms of support for Turkish Speaking Woman. She has also worked in the entertainment charity, Stratford Circus, based in London which was funded by the National Lottery.