About Us
The Immigration Department is well-known for representing highly vulnerable clients – young people, victims of trafficking and the mentally ill – , as well as high risk offenders. The Department’s clients have often been failed by previous solicitors or have been too unwell to present their claim. We are known for being able to take the more complex claims at short notice, for being successful in stopping removal and obtaining a successful end result for the client.
Due to the nature of our work, we cannot name particular clients. We receive referrals from, and work closely with, a number of leading NGOs and other organisations, including the Helen Bamber Foundation, Freedom from Torture, Amnesty International UK, Southall Black Sisters, the UK Lesbian & Gay Immigration Group, the Refugee Council and others, as well as from barristers and other solicitors.
The firm has been rated as ‘excellent’ following a detailed peer review.
Team
Senior Partner
Susan Sutovic
Susan qualified as a solicitor in 1994 and founded Sutovic & Hartigan in the same year and has been Senior Partner since with responsibility for running and managing the firm.
Solicitor
Nafsika Vasileiadou
Nafsika works in the field of asylum, human rights and immigration law, specialising in protection claims, domestic violence, and trafficking matters.
Partner
Paul Nettleship
Paul Nettleship is a Solicitor, Partner specialising in judicial review, immigration and civil damages claims. He qualified in 2004.
Solicitor
Gabriella Bettiga
Gabriella is a solicitor and qualified Italian lawyer. She graduated in law in Italy and obtained an LLM at SOAS, specialising in immigration and Islamic law.
Solicitor
Julie Brauer
Julie is a supervising solicitor specialising in asylum, immigration and human rights matters. Julie joined Sutovic & Hartigan in 2014.
Consultant Solicitor
Aisha N Ahmed
Aisha is a Consultant Solicitor and works within Sutovic & Hartigan’s Private Immigration Team. Her practice covers a full range of immigration and nationality matters.
Notable Cases
KA (Afghanistan) & Ors v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2012] EWCA Civ 1014 (25 July 2012)
Considering the effect of the Secretary of State’s systematic failure to comply with her duty to trace and the effect of this on unaccompanied asylum seeking children, as well as any corrective relief that is now due even if the appellant has now reached the age of majority.