Meet The Team.
Craig Leigh
Head Of Advocacy
Craig was called to the Bar of England and Wales in July 2009 and is a member of Middle Temple. He has also been admitted to the roll and was granted higher rights of audience in civil proceedings, in July 2016.
During the early part of his career, Craig specialised in costs and civil litigation funding and was involved in all manner of hearings related to the assessment of costs, including attending multiple day assessments on bills worth in excess of £500,000.
As well as managing the day to day running of Your Advocacy, Craig’s practice involves attending hearings of all types including: interim applications, case management conferences (“CMCs”), costs and case management conferences (“CCMCs”), pre-trial reviews and disposal hearings, as well as providing attendance at final hearings, when required. When not in court, Craig accepts instructions on papers relating to all manner of drafting instructions and is regularly asked to prepare pleadings, provide advice on liability and quantum as well as advise on discreet issues that arise in cases both in writing and in conference.
Craig’s core specialisms are costs and civil litigation funding, consumer credit and finance, professional negligence and data protection and privacy. However, he is also able to accept instructions in disputes relating to nuisance and residential landlord and tenant.
Craig is praised by his clients for his approachable nature, his diligence and his ability to consistently provide solutions to the legal problems faced by them
Natalie Fletcher
Chartered Legal Executive / Legal Drafter
Natalie is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (“CILEx”), having attained Fellowship status in 2014.
Natalie began her legal career in 2007 as a trainee, and during the early part of her career, was part of a specialist Civil Litigation team dealing with all manner of civil claims including personal injury, debt recovery, boundary disputes and Inheritance Act claims. During this time, Natalie also worked within the firm’s Family Law department, assisting both in-house and at Court in matters concerning Public Law and child welfare.
Natalie later went on to work at a top ranking Legal 500 firm, representing a number of the UK’s largest retailers in the conduct of defence litigation on both fast track and multi track litigation, whilst also assuming conduct of one of the largest group actions brought in England and Wales, concerning historic child sexual abuse. During this period she amassed a wealth of experience in day to day file handling, preparation of court documents and attending both interlocutory hearings and trials to assist counsel.
Natalie now has a busy practice which involves her receiving instructions from her clients to draft pleadings and provide advice on issues such as liability, quantum and procedural matters. Currently, her work is mainly concentrated in the areas of data protection, finance and banking, consumer credit and housing disrepair.
Ignatius Ozoilo
Legal Drafter
Ignatius has a multidisciplinary and dual jurisdictional practice background having been called to both the Nigerian Bar and the Bar of England and Wales.
His experience of dealing with clients of all different persuasions and of extracting from the evidence provided the relevant key facts required to help win cases, and his experience of being pitted against both litigants-in-person and professional counsel, has sharpened up his legal skills immeasurably and continues to do so in his current role.
Ignatius has developed an interest and involvement in multiple different fields of practice throughout his career from Clinical Negligence, to Employment and Public Law. As part of his practice, Ignatius predominantly deals with instructions relating to matters involving issues of consumer credit and data protection and privacy matters. Ignatius is able to draft all manners of pleadings as well as provide advice on liability, quantum and procedural issues. Ignatius is able to draft all manners of pleadings as well as provide advice on liability, quantum and procedural issues.
Outside of work, Ignatius finds enjoyment in sports (particularly football), lawn tennis and he is a massive fan of music; his tastes include artists such as Rihanna and Coldplay.
Peter McDowell
Legal Drafter
Peter started his career in the insurance sector over 20 years ago and has worked in many different areas of the industry, gaining a wealth of knowledge from multiple disciplines including motor claims, personal injury, credit hire and fraud litigating on both the fast track and multi track.
Prior to joining Your Advocacy Peter spent 10 years with a top 50 law firm. Initially working as a fee earner within a large fraud department, his keen interest and knowledge in technology and a keen eye for detail served him well as an Intelligence Analyst.
During his legal career to date, Peter has advised clients from a wide variety of disciplines, including: RTA, medical negligence, marine and employer’s Liability, on a number of fraud related technical issues. He has also carried out investigations on a number of high profile cases which resulted in successful defences being launched.
As part of his role with Your Advocacy, Peter provides advisory and drafting services in the areas of banking, data protection, construction and consumer credit.
Peter is friendly, adaptable, and hard-working and will always go the extra mile for both clients and colleagues alike. Outside of work Peter spends the majority of his time with his family but he is also a keen musician and has an avid interest in riding and building motorbikes.
Deborah Eke
Legal Drafter
Deborah is an experienced litigator and negotiator and a qualified Barrister and Solicitor in her home country of Nigeria. She has previously practised generally in both criminal and civil litigation as well as dealing in family matters.
At Your Advocacy, Deborah receives instructions to advise on various issues including liability and quantum, and to draft pleadings, in the areas of mortgage miscalculation, data protection and privacy, consumer credit, housing disrepair and cavity wall insulation.
Deborah’s main goal when dealing with her instructions is to reach the right result, by the right method, whether that be by recommending settlement or litigation. The aim of her clients is always at the centre of Deborah’s decision making when dealing with instructions.
Outside work Deborah enjoys Sport, Movies and Music.
Stenio Aladim
Registered Foreign Lawyer / Legal Counsel
Stenio’s legal career started in 2009, when he passed the National Examination of the Brazilian Bar (“OAB”). During his time practising in Brazil Stenio held the role of Strategic Director of a prestigious Brazilian law firm, handling complex civil litigation cases for healthcare organisations, as well as telecommunications, food and textile companies.
Stenio is also a European Lawyer qualified in Portugal and in February 2021 he had his registration as a Foreign Lawyer granted by the SRA. As a Registered Foreign Lawyer regulated by the SRA, Stenio is fully authorised to advise on English and Welsh law and to practise European, Portuguese and Brazilian Law in England and Wales.
His role with Your Advocacy involves him in assisting his clients with the conduct of litigation by providing advisory, drafting and advocacy services. Stenio is instructed daily to prepare advice and pleadings concerning mortgage miscalculation, mortgage mis-selling, undisclosed commissions, data breach and cavity wall insulation related claims.
Stenio is praised for absorbing clients’ goals so that whether by legal advice, ADR or litigation, the most satisfactory approach to resolution of legal problems can be adopted.
Stenio is fluent in three languages: English, Portuguese and Spanish.
Thomas Julian
Legal Drafter
Tom joined Your Advocacy following a successful spell as a self-employed solicitors agent.
Throughout Tom’s time as solicitor’s agent he accepted instructions to appear in the county court on a wide range of civil matters, particularly relating to property, finance and consumer disputes. He has experience of representing a wide range of clients from FTSE 100 companies through to private landlords – including at final hearings.
Tom accepts a wide range of instructions to provide advice, draft pleadings and advocacy in chambers or on the small claims track in areas including: data protection, banking, housing disrepair, construction and consumer credit.
Tom is completing his LPC working towards qualification as a Solicitor. He also intends to obtain his higher rights of audience to enable him to further assist clients in resolving their disputes.
Rebecca Hodgson
Clerk
Rebecca offers support and assistance to all of our members at Your Advocacy. Her day-to-day activities include allocating incoming instructions, negotiating fees, diary management and maintaining accurate datasets on case instructions. She also assists in sourcing and distributing training for the team, to ensure our members are up to date with industry developments and remain compliant with the SRA and Bar Standards Board requirements.
In her spare time, Rebecca enjoys creative writing, cooking and knitting.
