The Board

Cordella Bart-Stewart has been a fee-paid Immigration Judge since 2000. She was admitted as a solicitor in 1987. For over twenty years she has ran her own practice in North London, specialising in family and immigration law and has a strong interest in equality and human rights issues. She has been a Privy Council Agent since 1987 acting in appeals from many Caribbean jurisdictions. She was Public Relations Officer for North Middlesex Law Society and held the post of President for a number of years.

She served as Secretary of the Society of Black Lawyers between 1982 and 1985, was instrumental in organising conferences and seminars for this group and was involved in lobbying the Bar Council and the Law Society to establish race relations committees. Cordella has worked with a number of community groups as voluntary legal advisor or as a member of their management committee. For many years, she was honorary legal adviser for two Citizens Advice Bureaux and a committee member and legal adviser to the African Caribbean Medical Society.

Cordella is concerned with the low numbers of BME lawyers in the Judiciary and has given talks and organised workshops and training on this issue and
been involved in high level consultations. She also gives talks on Immigration issues and participated in think tanks and seminars.

Cordella is a founder member, a Director and became Chair of the Black Solicitors’ Network (BSN) in November 2008. She is also a Director and
Trustee of the Solicitors Benevolent Association.

In 2009 she was granted an honorary doctorate from Staffordshire University. She graduated from Staffordshire University (formerly North Staffordshire Polytechnic) in 1980. Since January 2010 she has been an independent member of the Board of Governors.