About Us
The Teenosphere is the world inhabited by teenagers - dark and unknown to the adults who need to help them navigate it.
Teenagers face all kinds of challenges—and sometimes, they get into serious trouble. The consequences can be life-changing, and as an adult, it’s not always clear how to respond.
Many of the issues that arise are connected to complex and sensitive areas like sex, drugs, mental health, neurodiversity, and special educational needs.
We equip adults with the tools, knowledge, and information to navigate complex situations and advocate effectively for a better outcomes for their teens. Whether you're dealing with a legal issue, a mental health crisis, or a school-related conflict, we’re here to help you take the right steps.
If knowledge is power, then parents of teenagers need all they can get.
Our team
Katya Moran, Director, YJLC
Katya is a Director of the Youth Justice Legal Centre and a specialist youth justice lawyer with extensive experience representing children in criminal proceedings. After several years providing direct representation at police stations and in court, she now leads on the Centre’s strategic and legal work, authors best practice guides on youth justice, and delivers regular training and lectures to sector professionals.
Katya has contributed to a wide range of youth justice policy initiatives and is frequently invited to serve on stakeholder advisory groups, sharing her expertise to influence systemic change. Recently she has led key projects focused on young people turning 18, addressing racial injustice in youth justice and the policing of pupils.
With a background in the arts and a keen interest in design, Katya brings a creative lens to legal education. She has developed innovative, visually engaging learning materials for both the Youth Justice Legal Centre and the Child Law Network. Her work reflects a commitment to improving practice across the sector through fresh, imaginative approaches.
Laura Cooper, Director, YJLC
Laura is a specialist youth justice lawyer who has been at the Youth Justice Legal Centre since 2015, becoming co-lead in 2019. She has practised as a solicitor advocate since 2011 and has experience of representing children at the police station, youth court, and Crown Court.
Laura oversees the YJLC national advice line for lawyers, youth offending teams, families, children, and other professionals which provides accurate expert knowledge on youth justice law and practice. Laura regularly presents at events on youth justice issues, feeds into the broader youth justice policy work of the charity, and writes legal updates and best practice legal guides for the YJLC website.
Laura previously worked for a criminal defence firm in London where she focused on representing children. She has volunteered for Reprieve in Houston, Texas, and at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva.
Aika Stephenson, Director, YJLC
Aika founded Just for Kids Law alongside Shauneen Lambe in 2006 and remains the Legal Director. She is a solicitor and youth justice expert with 20 years’ experience representing young people in criminal proceedings. Aika started her career working for the Children’s Society at Feltham Young Offenders Institute as an Advocate before going on to Westminster Youth Offending Team.
Aika represents young people at every stage of the criminal justice system, from the police station to the Supreme Court. She is driven by a determination to bring about systemic change that benefits all children and young people caught up in the criminal justice system.
Aika has pioneered employing cutting-edge arguments to ensure she gets the best possible results for her young clients, particularly those with special educational needs. She has had a high level of success using the Modern Slavery Act to ensure that vulnerable young people who have been groomed by gangs into selling drugs are recognised as victims, rather than treated as offenders.
Shauneen Lambe, Director, YJLC
Shauneen Lambe is a barrister in England and Wales and an attorney in the USA. She is former joint chief executive officer of Just for Kids Law (2005-2018) and co-founder of Impact - Law for Social Justice, a consultancy that supports those considering using the law for social change. Prior to working in the UK, Shauneen worked at the Louisiana Crisis Assistance Center representing those facing the death penalty and helped Clive Stafford Smith set up his NGO - Reprieve. For her work, Shauneen has been awarded an Eisenhower Fellowship, and Ashoka Fellowship, a Shackleton Fellowship, and a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader.
Ruth McGregor Hamann, Senior Youth Justice Lawyer
Ruth is a specialist youth justice lawyer. Her legal career was inspired by her experience as an intern for a charity in Texas, providing representation to people facing the death penalty.
The focus of Ruth’s career has been representing children and promoting this as a specialist area of legal practice. She helped to set up the charity Just for Kids Law and went on to work with them in various capacities over the following years. She spent 9 years at Hodge Jones and Allen Solicitors, a top tier Legal 500 firm, where she helped to establish a dedicated youth team within the criminal department. Ruth has facilitated and presented practitioner trainings with Youth Justice Legal Centre for some years now. She also covered Laura Cooper’s maternity leave during 2021-22 acting as co-head of the organisation alongside Katya Moran.
A variety of extra-curricular activities deepen Ruth’s experience in working with children. She was a trustee of the Zahid Mubarek Trust for almost 12 years; a charity advocating for systemic change within the criminal justice system with a particular focus on equality and prisoner’s rights. She also volunteers with the children’s educational charity Forest School Camps, managing groups of children and their staff in outdoor settings.
Ruth is now based in Sheffield and, from there, runs the YJLC national Advice Line, providing free legal advice and support to children, carers, and practitioners on issues relating to youth justice law and practice. Alongside this role she also represents children at the police station and Court on a consultancy basis with local firm Shah Hague, keeping her practice knowledge up-to-date. She is passionate about the impact that charities can have on improving the justice system.
Robbie Eyles, Youth Justice Lawyer
Robbie is a specialist youth justice lawyer. He spent four and a half years at Just for Kids Law, where he worked as a criminal defence lawyer, representing children and young adults who were accused of committing criminal offences. Robbie conducted his own advocacy in the Youth and Magistrates Court including trials.
Robbie has particular expertise in child criminal exploitation and in the rights of undocumented migrant children and has published two academic articles on the subject in peer-reviewed journals.
Robbie primarily works on YJLC's advice line, providing free legal advice and support to children, carers, and practitioners on issues relating to youth justice law and practice. Robbie has also provided face-to-face training to solicitors and barristers on representing children, written YJLC's legal guides and contributed to the book Youth Justice Law and Practice. He is motivated by the impact that a great lawyer can have on a child's life.
Claire Coulton, Operations Lead
Claire is a highly experienced project officer and has supported a diverse range of research projects from urban design to cyber security during her 17 years as professional service staff at Lancaster University. Her last role was as Lead for Monitoring and Evaluation at the PETRAS National Centre of Excellence for IoT Systems Cybersecurity.
Claire has a PhD and MA in Educational Research and a PGCE in Adult Further and Higher Education specialising in Adult Literacy teaching. She has taught literacy skills in prisons in the North West of England and previously worked in barristers' chambers.