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 Stephen PierceBackground Stephen Pierce is one of the founding partners of the firm. After several years working in the advice sector, Stephen qualified as a solicitor in 1990. Having previously headed the housing law departments at Steel & Shamash and Fisher Meredith solicitors, he joined Polly Glynn in establishing Pierce Glynn in 1997. Social welfare law In the Chambers 2009 Directory, Stephen is ranked in category 1 for his housing and community care work, described as "enormously experienced" and credited with "always remaining calm and logical, even under the most testing conditions." While expert in all aspects of housing, community care and social security law, Stephen has special expertise in acting for those who lack mental capacity in a wide range of social welfare law cases; he is regularly instructed by the Official Solicitor and by relatives in such cases. Stephen also has experience of conducting 'best interests' cases in the High Court. Stephen is also very experienced in social security law. He sits as a part-time Tribunal Judge in the First Tier of the Social Entitlement Chamber hearing social security appeals. He has contributed to the Disability Rights Handbook. He wrote the chapters on social security law and housing law in the first and second editions of the Legal Action Group's Support for Asylum Seekers handbook. Stephen has written many articles and reviews, most recently co-authoring (with Gareth Mitchell a series of articles on social welfare law and legal aid for Legal Action magazine). Stephen has delivered training to other lawyers in housing, community care and social security law. Stephen is a member of the editorial board of the Community Care Law Reports. Stephen sits on the management committee of the Legal Aid Practitioner's Group. Stephen is an independent costs assessor for the Legal Services Commission. Public law, discrimination and human rights Whilst Stephen's primary focus remains on social welfare law, Stephen has extensive experience of conducting judicial review cases in the Administrative Court and the Court of Appeal. In particular, Stephen is very experienced in migrant support law, particularly where complex issues of EC law are raised. Reported cases Significant cases in which Stephen has represented include:
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