Professional support team

Stephen Aldred is a former solicitor. He trained at Herbert Smith and worked in their IP department for two years after qualifying. He moved to Clifford Turner (which merged to become Clifford Chance), where he was a partner for eight years, specialising in IP law. He was subsequently a partner with Masons and Arnander Irvine and Zeitman, where he specialised in IP and IT law.

Mary Ambrose qualified as a solicitor in 1992 following a career as a museum curator. She worked as a solicitor in the private client departments of Lovells (now Hogan Lovells) and Simmons & Simmons before joining Macfarlanes as a professional support lawyer where she worked in the private client department for eight years. She has dealt with a wide range of onshore and offshore tax and trust matters. She joined PLC in September 2011 after three years as an associate solicitor at Ashton KCJ in Cambridge.

Krina Amin worked for the corporate departments of Mayer Brown in Vietnam, Hogan & Hartson (now Hogan Lovells) in Germany and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. She studied at Queen Mary, University of London and Humboldt University of Berlin achieving a degree in Law with German Language. She joined PLC Global in October 2011 as a Research Editor for the PLC Which Lawyer team.

Joanne Anderson joined PLC in 2005 as head of PLC Finance and is now Head of Product Management. Before joining PLC, Joanne was a partner at Mayer Brown Rowe & Maw (now Mayer Brown), specialising in PFI and project finance. She has been recommended in both Chambers and the Legal 500. Joanne is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Sandeesh Bahia graduated from the University of Leicester in 2009 with an LLB (Hons) in Law. She then completed the LPC at the College of Law, Birmingham with a distinction. She has also worked as a legal administrator and volunteered at a local independent advice centre. Sandeesh joined PLC Financial Services as a paralegal in April 2011.

Stephanie Baker trained at Edwin Coe qualifying into the property department in September 2001. She moved to the commercial property department at Forsters LLP in May 2003 where she worked until October 2011. She advised clients on a broad range of commercial property transactions with a particular emphasis on complicated development sites. She has acted for institutional investors, developers, landlords and tenants. Stephanie joined PLC Property in November 2011. She is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Beverley Barton qualified as a solicitor in 1993. She trained at Linklaters, where she stayed for six years following qualification, working on a wide range of general commercial litigation cases, including a number involving competition law issues. Subsequently, at CMS Cameron McKenna and Arnold & Porter, she practised as a litigator in a team specialising in pharmaceuticals-related work, and gained valuable trial experience on cases including Re Medicaments, the last ever case in the Restrictive Practices Court. In 2005, she moved to the role of litigation Professional Support Lawyer: first at Eversheds, and then at Bond Pearce. She joined PLC as an Editor in the Dispute Resolution team in October 2008. Beverley is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Hazel Barton worked at McKenna & Co upon qualification. She then became a commercial property partner at Argles & Court, where she worked for six years. More recently, Hazel worked for Herbert Smith and Cripps Harries Hall before joining PLC Property in 2002. Hazel is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Emily Bates graduated from the University of Cambridge in 2009 with a BA (Hons) in law and a LLM (Masters in Commercial Law). She then completed the BPTC at the BPP Law School and was awarded the Winston Churchill award and a Certificate of Honour for her performance in the BPTC from the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple. She was called to the Bar in July 2011 and is currently a non-practising barrister. Emily joined PLC What’s Market as a paralegal in October 2011.

Nisha Beerjeraz joined PLC in May 2010 and has been a paralegal in the Private Client and Share Schemes & Incentives teams since September 2010 (having previously worked as a team leader in PLC's client relations team). She graduated in 2008 from Brunel University with a degree in law and then completed the LPC at BPP Law School in 2009, obtaining a commendation. She has undertaken pro bono work mainly covering intellectual property and housing law and worked as a paralegal in-house and for the Treasury Solicitors.

Naomi Belcher is a former solicitor. She trained at Freshfields (now Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer) and joined the tax department on qualification in 1995. She moved to the Cayman Islands in 1997, where she worked as a trusts attorney at WS Walker & Co (now Walkers). Naomi joined Herbert Smith in London in 2000, where she worked as a tax professional support lawyer, and then joined Watson, Farley & Williams in 2004, where she set up and ran their tax professional support function. Naomi joined PLC Tax in 2007.

Sahar Bhaimia trained at Simmons & Simmons, qualifying into its commercial group in 2001. She practised commercial, consumer and IT law at Simmons & Simmons until 2007. She joined PLC Commercial in December 2008. Sahar is currently a non-practising solicitor.

David Bickley trained at Landwell (now PricewaterhouseCoopers Legal), qualifying into the financial services department in 2003 before joining the financial services team at CMS Cameron McKenna in June 2004. He moved to Eversheds' financial services department in January 2007, where he advised clients on a broad range of regulatory issues including the implementation of MiFID. David joined PLC Financial Services in December 2009. David is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Gemma Birt joined the litigation department of Allen & Overy in 2000 where she qualified as a solicitor in 2001. At Allen & Overy she was a member of the international arbitration group and gained experience in international commercial and investment treaty arbitration as well as general commercial litigation. Prior to joining PLC as a consultant, Gemma was the practice manager for Allen & Overy's international arbitration group. She is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Mike Boutell trained at Jaques & Lewis (which became the London office of Eversheds), and following qualification, practised in their corporate tax department for ten years. During that time he undertook a broad range of work including M&S, reorganisations, capital raising, joint ventures, and also developed a particular specialisation in property tax. Mike then spent 12 years at CMS Cameron McKenna as a professional support lawyer, save for a six month secondment to the British Property Federation which spanned the introduction of SDLT. Mike joined PLC in February 2010. Mike is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Sara Bradbury qualified into the corporate department of Norton Rose in 1996. In 1998 she joined Taylor Joynson Garrett (now Taylor Wessing), where she spent nearly eight years as an associate in the corporate department specialising in a range of company and corporate transactions including private and public M&A;, joint ventures and group reorganisations. Sara joined PLC Corporate in April 2006. Sara is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Rossella Brambilla is a former solicitor. She began her training at McKenzie Mills in 1994, and qualified into the corporate department of Withers in 1996. In 1997 she joined GE Financial Insurance, where she worked in the international section of the legal department, advising on commercial and IP law. She moved to Practical Law Company in April 1999, and is now editor of the PLC Cross-border Quarterly journal. Rossella is fluent in English and Italian.

Andre Brown graduated with BA (Hons) in Law and Politics at Queen Mary, University of London, then went on to do the LPC at Nottingham Law School. Andre joined Practical Law Company in 2004 and is Head of Research for PLC Which lawyer?.

Karen Brown graduated with an LLB in Law at the University of Manchester in 2010. She then completed the Legal Practice Course at City University in June 2011, gaining a distinction. She has worked at the University of Manchester Legal Advice Centre, the City University Pro Bono Employment Clinic and undertaken various work experience placements. Karen joined PLC Employment as a paralegal in October 2011.

Kirsten Bukht trained at Denton Hall (now Denton Wilde Sapte) and qualified into the insolvency litigation team in 1995. After four years Kirsten transferred to the banking department and, following the merger with Wilde Sapte in 2000, she worked in the financial markets and regulation group of Denton Wilde Sapte. In 2004, Kirsten joined the Financial Services Authority, where she was based in the retail policy division and subsequently in the financial promotions mitigation and strategy team. Kirsten joined PLC Financial Services in October 2007. Kirsten is currently a non-practising solicitor.

James Burke is a non-practicing barrister. He graduated with an LLB (Hons) (Upper Second Class) from the University of Durham in 2009. He was awarded the Hardwicke and Sir Thomas More scholarships by the Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn and was called to the Bar in July 2011. James has worked for mdp McDonald & Partners LLP Melbourne, advising large multi-national companies and celebrities, such as Kylie and Dannii Minogue, on commercial and intellectual property matters. James joined PLC in August 2011 as a paralegal for the IPIT & Communications and Commercial departments.

Jude Cairns trained and worked at Linklaters for two years on qualification. In October 2002 she joined the Property Team at the Law Commission where she worked for five years on a number of projects, including the Easements, Covenants and Profits project. In 2008, Jude moved to the property department of Manches LLP as a professional support lawyer. She joined PLC Property in January 2012. Jude is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Nick Callister Radcliffe qualified into the corporate department of Freshfields in 1988. In 1992 he joined McKenna & Co (now CMS Cameron McKenna), where he subsequently became a partner in the corporate group specialising in a broad range of company and corporate finance transactions. Between March 1998 and September 2000 Nick was seconded to the Takeover Panel as joint secretary. He joined PLC in August 2002 and was head of PLC Corporate from October 2003 to November 2008. Nick subsequently became Global Head of Corporate Finance and is currently Editorial Director for PLC’s know-how services. Nick is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Sophie Cameron worked as an editor for a magazine publisher before training as a solicitor at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in London. She qualified into the litigation department in 2000 following a secondment to the in-house legal department at Reuters. In 2001 she moved to the employment department of Bates, Wells & Braithwaite, where she specialised in contentious and advisory employment work for individuals and charities and regularly appeared in the employment tribunal. She joined PLC Employment in 2004. Since June 2005, Sophie has also been working part-time as a Visiting Research Fellow at the Fawcett Society, where she co-authored a report on the reform of gender equality legislation, Gender Equality in the 21st Century: modernising the legislation. Sophie is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Amanda Cantwell trained at Allen & Overy LLP and qualified into its corporate department as a legal executive in 1989. She worked on a variety of corporate transactions latterly specialising in non contentious court related transactions, restructurings, narrative reporting and corporate governance issues. In 2007 she joined Boyes Turner where she spent nearly four years as an associate in its corporate department. Amanda joined PLC Corporate in September 2011. Amanda is currently a non-practising Legal Executive.

Sophie Capel joined PLC from Ashurst, where she worked for nearly 11 years. In 1997 she became the first (and later senior) professional support lawyer for the Ashurst employment group, a post that she held until 2004. She was previously at Denton Hall Burgin & Warrens (now SNR Denton), having qualified there in 1990. She is a member of the Employment Lawyers Association, the Industrial Law Society and PEN (the PSL Employment Network). Sophie is head of PLC Employment. Sophie is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Felix Cardinal took a degree in Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh and an MA at the University of Sussex before undertaking the GDL and LPC. He joined PLC as an editor in 2007.

Alarna Carlsson-Sweeny is a former Australian-qualified lawyer who worked in commercial litigation and family law before starting at PLC in 2006. Initially an editor on the Cross-border handbooks, Alarna now works as a market practice analyst covering key market trends, noteworthy transactions and market practice developments across all practice areas.

Vicki Carr is a former solicitor. She joined Osborne Clarke's tax team in September 1999, specialising in corporate tax. After a two-year secondment to HMRC working on the rewrite of part of the Taxes Act 1988 (which became the Income Tax (Trading and Other Income) Act 2005), she rejoined Osborne Clarke as their tax professional support lawyer in April 2005. Vicki is a member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation. She joined PLC Tax in July 2007.

Lucinda Case joined PLC Corporate in September 2006 after ten years as a corporate PSL at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. She started her career at Slaughter and May, where she qualified as a solicitor in 1988. She then joined the smaller companies team at UBS advising on the full range of corporate finance transactions. From 1991 to 1996 she was a corporate PSL at Clifford Chance. Lucinda is now Head of Web Services in the US. Lucinda is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Sara Catley trained at Slaughter and May and qualified into the tax group in 2001, where she advised on a wide range of corporate and finance transactions. Sara joined PLC in 2005 as an analyst and writes on key market trends, noteworthy transactions and market practice developments across all practice areas. Sara is now Head of Market Intelligence. Sara is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Rebecca Catterson joined PLC in April 2010. She was previously a senior associate at Allen & Overy LLP, where she worked in the fields of restructuring and insolvency, and securitisation. Rebecca has significant experience advising institutional lenders and insolvency practitioners on domestic and international financings and workouts. Rebecca trained at Theodore Goddard (now known as Addleshaw Goddard) and is also a qualified attorney in the US (Illinois). Rebecca is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Jenny Chambers joined PLC in April 2008 from Eversheds, where she had spent five years in the corporate tax team and six years in the role of professional support lawyer. After qualifying as a chartered accountant with Deloitte Haskins & Sells (now part of PwC), Jenny moved to their corporate tax department. Subsequently, she transferred to their Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire office where she was engaged on consultancy and audit assignments. On returning to UK, she specialised again in tax in a regional accountancy practice.

Hannah Charlton trained at Lovells and, after qualification in 1999, joined Druces & Attlee as an assistant in the company and commercial department. In 2000 she joined the legal division at the Office of Fair Trading where she advised on all aspects of UK competition law, including Competition Act investigations, several appeals to the Competition Appeal Tribunal, market studies and mergers. She joined PLC as a competition editor in 2006. Hannah is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Avnish Chopra was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 2008 after completing the Bar Vocational Course at the College of Law. He was awarded the Inner Temple Major Scholarship and the Inner Temple Duke of Edinburgh Award in 2007. He has undertaken pro bono work at the College of Law Legal Advice Centre and is a trainee representative at the Free Representation Unit. Avnish joined PLC Finance as a paralegal in July 2008, and now works as a junior editor. Avnish is currently a non-practising barrister.

Emma Chown qualified as a solicitor in 1992 having trained at Frere Cholmeley Bischoff, where she stayed for five years following qualification, working in the commercial litigation department. In 1997 Emma joined Richards Butler as the first professional support lawyer in the commercial litigation department. She played an important role in developing their award-winning know-how database. She joined PLC Dispute Resolution from Richards Butler in March 2006. Emma is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Helen Clarke studied History at the University of Leeds, graduating with a BA (Hons) in 2004. She then completed the Graduate Diploma in Law and the Legal Practice Course, before working as a paralegal at a leading healthcare law firm in London. Helen joined PLC Cross-border as an editor in September 2008.

Robert Clay graduated from the University of Sheffield with a BA (Hons) in History. Following graduation he worked in the operations division of Cable & Wireless plc while studying part-time for the GDL and LPC at BPP Law School in London. He joined PLC in November 2004 and was involved with the launch and development of PLC Employment. He joined PLC Legal Risk as an editor in March 2007 and is now an Editor for UK Web Services.

Becky Clissmann trained at Denton Wilde Sapte (now SNR Denton), during which time she was seconded to ABN Amro and Goldman Sachs to work on their energy and emissions trading documentation. On qualification, she moved to Eversheds to help set up their environment practice in London. Prior to qualifying, Becky obtained extensive experience in climate change policy measures working for the Carbon Trust, where she set up an account management service for FTSE 250 companies and large public sector organisations. She also has experience in the energy and commodity markets, having worked as a Policy Manager at the UK Power Exchange (UKPX) and also the London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange (LIFFE). Becky joined PLC Environment in October 2009. Becky is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Samantha Cotton trained at Lovells before moving to Perth, Western Australia to practise commercial and insolvency law. On her return to the UK, she lectured at the College of Law for six years teaching business law and practice, commercial law, corporate finance, drafting, legal research, negotiation and public law. She joined PLC in 1998 and is an editor for PLC Corporate and PLC Commercial. Samantha is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Caroline Cox trained at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and joined their real estate department in September 2001. She spent seven years there after qualification advising both private and public sector clients on a variety of property and planning transactions. Prior to training as a solicitor Caroline worked for eight years in both the private and public sectors as a town planner. She is a member of the Royal Town Planning Institute. Caroline joined PLC in December 2008. Caroline is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Mary Cox qualified as a lawyer in Australia in 1993. She spent seven years practising corporate and commercial law in Adelaide and Melbourne before moving to London in 2001, where she worked at Dechert as an associate in the corporate department. She joined PLC Corporate in 2003. Mary is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Elliot Cross graduated from City University, London in 2008 with a 2:1 in Law (LLB (Hons)). He then went on to study the LPC at the College of Law, Bloomsbury, completing the course in 2009 with a distinction. He then spent several months working as a process server for a South London law firm, before joining PLC in August 2010 as a paralegal for PLC Property, PLC Environment and PLC Construction.

Janet Currier qualified as a solicitor in 1998 having trained at CMS Cameron McKenna. On qualification Janet joined CMS Cameron McKenna's banking and international finance team, where she specialised in contentious corporate recovery and banking litigation. She joined PLC Dispute Resolution from CMS Cameron McKenna in February 2006. Janet is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Lucy Cutler qualified in 1995 into the banking and capital markets group of Clifford Chance. Between 1999 and 2003 Lucy was a professional support lawyer for the banking and insolvency group of Bird & Bird. Lucy joined PLC in 2004 and works for PLC Finance. Lucy is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Helen D’Ardenne trained at Simmons & Simmons, working in both the London and New York offices. In 2005, she qualified into Simmons & Simmons’ financial services department, where she practised for five years. During her time there, she advised on a wide range of regulatory reforms and regularly advised buy and sell side firms on compliance with FSA rules, cross-border issues and establishing and operating financial services businesses. Helen joined PLC Financial Services in May 2010. Helen is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Catriona De Jongh is a non-practising solicitor. She trained at Slaughter and May, working in both the London and Paris offices. In 2001 she qualified into Slaughter and May's financial regulation group, where she practised for six years. During this time she undertook a secondment to the central compliance department of Goldman Sachs, and in 2006 she was seconded to the markets and wholesale firms team within the general counsel's division of the Financial Services Authority, where she worked on the implementation of MiFID. Catriona joined PLC Financial Services in November 2007.

Anna Deakin trained at Eversheds and practised in their banking team for one and a half years after qualifying. She then moved to CMS Cameron McKenna, where she spent eight years in the banking and international finance department. She advised on a wide range of finance matters including leveraged finance and property finance transactions and spent six months on secondment at Lloyds TSB Bank plc. Anna joined PLC Finance in September 2007. Anna is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Jenna Dodd graduated from the University of Manchester in 2006 with a BA (Hons) in French and German. As part of her degree course, Jenna spent a year working in Paris. She went on to study the GDL and the LPC at the College of Law, Chester. She joined PLC in July 2008 as a paralegal for PLC Property, PLC Environment and PLC Construction. Jenna has been working with PLC EU since May 2010 and became a junior editor in January 2011.

Robert Dow is the CEO and co-founder of the Practical Law Company. Prior to that he worked as a corporate lawyer in Slaughter and May. He has a particular interest in technology and developing new products.

Steven Down joined PLC as a float paralegal in August 2010. He graduated in 2007 from the University of Southampton with a degree in law and then completed the LPC at the College of Law in July 2008 with a distinction. He has also undertaken some voluntary legal work experience, which involved dealing with a variety of areas including probate and employment.

Suzanne Dray trained at Burges Salmon and on qualification joined the commercial property department, specialising in property insolvency transactions. In 1994 she moved to Herbert Smith, where she acted for development clients and provided corporate support. In 2001 Suzanne became the real estate PSL at Mayer Brown. Suzanne joined PLC in September 2011 and is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Liga Dugdale trained at Ashurst Morris Crisp (now Ashurst LLP), qualifying in 2003. She spent more than 7 years as an associate in the corporate department of Ashurst, specialising in equity capital markets and investment trusts. During her time at Ashurst she advised banks and issuers on IPOs, a wide range of secondary issues, block trades, continuing obligations and general corporate governance matters. She also spent time on secondment at Morgan Stanley. Liga joined PLC Corporate in October 2010 and is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Sara Feijao was called to the Bar in 1996 and then moved to the environment groups at Travers Smith Braithwaite and Herbert Smith. She also worked for several years for the Department of Environment (DETR and Defra), during which time she was seconded to the European Commission to assist with the drafting of the Environmental Liability Directive. Sara joined PLC in October 2005 to head up PLC Environment. Sara is currently a non-practising barrister.

Stuart Fellows is a former solicitor. He read modern history at Hertford College, Oxford before completing the Common Professional Examination, the Legal Practice Course and the Professional Skills Course at the College of Law, London. Stuart then trained at Linklaters, including seats in the corporate, banking, real estate, litigation and tax departments. He qualified into the Real Estate Department at Freshfields and later worked as an assistant solicitor in the Commercial Property Department at Devonshires Solicitors in the City of London. He joined Practical Law Company in 2004 and works as a managing editor in the PLC Cross-border Handbooks team.

Mervyn Flatt trained at Lovells and, following qualification, practised in their tax department for nearly five years. While there, Mervyn specialised in the tax aspects of finance, banking and debt capital markets transactions. Mervyn joined PLC Tax in May 2006. Mervyn is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Cally Foster studied law at King’s College London, graduating in 2005. She went on to undertake the Bar Vocational Course at the Inns of Court School of Law and was called to the Bar in 2006. She is also the Social Policy Co-ordinator at Rochford and Rayleigh CAB. Cally is the Junior Editor for PLC Public Sector and is currently a non- practising barrister.

Emily Gibb trained with Mayer Brown between 2008 and 2010, gaining experience in its corporate and litigation departments. As part of her training, she also undertook secondments to Unilever plc and ICI Paints AkzoNobel. Emily joined PLC Dispute Resolution as a junior editor in September 2010 and is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Sam Gage trained at Russell Jones & Walker, where she qualified into the criminal department in 1994. In 1995 she joined the employment department at Rowley Ashworth, where she undertook advisory and contentious work for trades unions and their members. Sam moved to Morgan Cole in 2000 before joining the employment department at Nabarro Nathanson in 2001 where, as a senior solicitor, she undertook predominantly contentious work for public and private employers and senior executives. Sam is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Richard Gibbard qualified in 2003 at Addleshaw Goddard where he practised for four years in the banking department. He advised on property finance and acquisition finance transactions. During that time he spent several months on secondment with Barclays Bank PLC in their property finance team. From 2007 to 2009 Richard was based in Australia with Minter Ellison where he advised on property and development finance transactions including funds and managed investment schemes. While in Sydney he was also seconded to National Australia Bank in their transactions legal team. Richard joined PLC Finance in September 2009. Richard is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Tina Glover completed the LPC at The College of Law, London before qualifying and practising as a competition solicitor for a number of years at a leading City law firm. Post-qualification Tina also completed the PG Dip in Competition Law at Kings College University before going on to teach EU/competition and criminal law on the PGDL at BPP Law School. Most recently she worked as a researcher and writer at The Legal 500 covering a wide range of different practice areas regarding law firms in the UK, EMEA, US and Asia. Previous publishing experience includes researching and writing articles and e-bulletins covering TMT and IP, as well as articles for Competition Law Insight, and contributing to the rail and gas chapters for Butterworths. Tina joined PLC as a Research Editor in November 2011.

Tim Gunn practised as a solicitor in Australia before qualifying as a solicitor in the UK, where he practised at Norton Rose. He then spent 11 years in roles as in-house counsel with British Technology Group, Astra Zeneca and Shell International, before working for six years as a professional support lawyer with City law firms including Ashurst and Simmons & Simmons. Tim holds a post-graduate diploma in IP law from Queen Mary College, University of London. He joined PLC IPIT & Communications in September 2009. Tim is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Lucy Harrison is a former solicitor. She is head of the competition service. Lucy qualified into the competition group of McKenna & Co and after a spell in the Government Legal Service returned to work as an EC and competition lawyer at Cameron Mckenna. Prior to joining PLC in 2002 she worked at Linklaters for three years, specialising in EC and UK competition law, merger control and public procurement.

Helen Hart joined PLC Commercial in March 2008 from Stevens & Bolton, where she was a senior associate in the corporate and commercial department. She trained at Allen & Overy in London and Frankfurt and qualified in 1998. Between 1999 and 2005 she worked as in-house counsel for Centrica plc and Palm Europe Limited. She is a member of the Society of Authors and the Society of Women Writers and Journalists and has an LLM in German law. Helen is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Peter Harvey qualified at Burges Salmon in 1993 and since then has been involved in environmental issues, particularly litigation. He joins from Veale Wasbrough where he led the Environment and Regulatory Team. Peter has extensive experience advising on environmental issues for commercial, public sector and institutional clients (including FTSE100 companies, local authorities, government departments and agencies). In addition, he has also acted in environmental litigation in the civil and criminal courts. Peter has a Masters in Environmental Law and before qualifying as a lawyer he worked for a local authority planning department. Peter is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Sarah Hassan is a non-practising solicitor. She trained at Taylor Joynson Garrett. She joined the corporate department of Travers Smith Braithwaite on qualification. She subsequently spent just under five years as an associate in the corporate group of Barlow Lyde & Gilbert before joining PLC Corporate in July 2004.

Alan Hawley joined PLC Commercial in May 2011, having specialised in the law relating to the supply of goods and services for most of his legal career. He obtained an LLM at LSE while practising as a commercial litigator at Linklaters LLP. There followed an extended period as in-house counsel, with Italian, Middle East and US multinationals. Since 1987 Alan has worked in the information technology sector, in London, Paris, and the Middle East. He moved back into private practice in 1996, first with Faegre & Benson LLP, and finally with Reed Smith LLP. For a number of years Alan presented IT and commercial law seminars for Hawksmere and other organisations. Alan is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Carol Haworth qualified at Collyer Bristow in 2002, following a ten-year career in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. On qualification she joined the private client department at Bircham Dyson Bell, where she became a senior associate and dealt with a wide range of trust and estate planning work, both onshore and offshore. She moved to PLC in March 2008. Carol is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Rachel Haworth graduated from the University of Cambridge in 2009 with a BA (Hons) in English and worked for the Trinity Hall Alumni and Development Office in Cambridge for a year. She then completed the Graduate Diploma in Law at the College of Law in Moorgate in 2011. She joined PLC in September 2011 as a paralegal for PLC Property, PLC Construction and PLC Environment.

Sue Highmore qualified into the Real Estate Department of Linklaters in September 1983, handling investment work, major development projects and advising landlords and tenants of commercial property. From 2002 she headed up the Real Estate PSL service, with particular interest in training and precedent development. Sue joined PLC Property in August 2009. Sue is not practising at PLC.

Susan Hollingdale is a former solicitor. On qualification she joined Norton Rose, where she practised as a corporate/commercial lawyer before becoming part of the Unisys in-house team. She worked as a professional support lawyer with Bird & Bird and Olswang and in the company and commercial department of BP Collins as both a commercial lawyer and professional support lawyer before joining PLC in 2005. Susan is head of PLC Corporate.

Elizabeth Hone qualified at Freshfields in 1992 and practised for seven years in the finance department. She advised on a variety of transactions including corporate lending, project and structured finance. During that time she was seconded to Lehman Brothers and spent almost two years in Freshfields' Milan office. She then worked in the finance department of Wedlake Bell LLP for ten years, the last six as a partner, specialising in property and acquisition finance. She joined PLC Finance in November 2010 and is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Sharon Hooker is a former solicitor. She trained at Linklaters and practised in their international finance department for three years after qualifying, concentrating on structured finance work. She then joined Freshfields, where she spent a year and a half as a PSL in the corporate department. Sharon joined PLC Finance in 2005.

Raichel Hopkinson was a partner in the dispute resolution department at Denton Wilde Sapte for 5 years, specialising in commercial litigation and arbitration. Raichel joined PLC as the head of Dispute Resolution in January 2010. Raichel is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Heidi Hurdle qualified as a solicitor at Gouldens (now Jones Day) in 1991 and practised as an IP litigator for eight years, acting for clients in a number of high-profile cases, including the TREAT trade mark case. She subsequently moved to Olswang, where she established their IP know-how function and spent four years as a professional support lawyer, before joining PLC IPIT & Communications. Heidi is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Kate Hurford is a former solicitor and consultant with PLC Dispute Resolution. She qualified as a solicitor in South Australia in 1993 and was subsequently admitted to practice in Hong Kong and England and Wales. She has had extensive experience in commercial litigation, working for Piper Alderman in Adelaide, Australia and then for Herbert Smith in Hong Kong and, from 1999 to 2009, for Herbert Smith's London office.

Ros Innes joined PLC in January 2007 as head of PLC Financial Services. Before that she spent seven years in Travers Smith's financial services and markets group advising on a broad range of regulatory and compliance matters. During her time at Travers she was seconded to the general counsel division of the Financial Services Authority. She qualified at Clifford Chance in 1989 before joining the Government Legal Service in 1990, starting at the Law Commission. There she worked on a major project considering the relationship between the fiduciary duties owed by financial services firms to their clients and the obligations imposed upon them by statutory and self-regulatory rules. This was followed by stints at the Office of Fair Trading (where, among other matters, she advised on consumer credit issues) and the Department of Social Security. Ros is a member of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment’s Disciplinary Panel. Ros is currently a non-practising solicitor. She was appointed Group head of Corporate Finance in September 2010 and will continue in her role as Head of PLC Financial Services.

Mark Ives is a former solicitor. He took a degree in Modern History at St Peter’s College Oxford. He trained as a solicitor at Barlow Lyde & Gilbert and qualified in 2001. He worked as a court reporter from the Royal Courts of Justice from 2003 to 2004. Mark joined Practical Law Company in 2005 and is now an editor in the PLC Cross-border Handbooks team.

David Jacob trained at SJ Berwin and joined the tax department on qualification in 2003. He moved to Herbert Smith in 2005, where he advised on a wide range of corporate, finance and property transactions. In 2008, he joined McDermott Will & Emery, advising mainly on corporate and finance matters. David joined PLC Tax in 2010. David is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Siji Jaganathan studied Psychology at the University of Toronto before joining the Graduate Diploma in Law course at Nottingham Law School, graduating in 2009 with a first. She completed the Legal Practice Course at Nottingham Law School in 2010. She has undertaken pro bono work for the Nottingham Law School Legal Advice Clinic. She joined PLC Dispute in April 2011.

Jacqui James (nee Irvine) trained at Slaughter and May and then moved to Bird & Bird, where she practised as a solicitor specialising in contentious IP law for four and a half years. She has worked on a range of high-profile cases, including Sean Sweeney v Macmillan, involving the copyright in James Joyce’s Ulysses. Jacqui has a first in law and the BCL from Oxford University, and holds the diploma in IP law from Bristol University. She joined PLC IPIT & Communications in 2005. Jacqui is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Catherine Jarvis is a former solicitor who qualified in Australia in 1996. She worked at Phillips Fox (now DLA Phillips Fox) and Abbott Tout lawyers (now HWL Ebsworth) in Sydney. She joined Practical Law Company in January 2000, and is now an editor on the PLC Cross-border service.

Naomi Johnson trained at Slaughter and May, qualifying in 2005. She spent nearly four years as an associate in the corporate department of Slaughter and May, where she advised on a wide range of corporate transactions. Naomi joined PLC Corporate in August 2009. Naomi is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Christine Johnston joined PLC in 2011 with nearly 15 years' experience of pensions law and practice regarding occupational, public sector and personal pensions, gained both in private practice (legal and actuarial) and in-house. She has worked most recently as a pensions lawyer at AEGON (Scottish Equitable), Bevan Brittan LLP, Hewitsons LLP and Towers Watson. Christine is an associate member of the Association of Pension Lawyers, a Fellow of the Pensions Management Institute and a Fellow of the Institute of Taxation. She is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Vera Jonova studied Law at Brunel University and a Masters in International law at UCL. Vera then worked as a corporate lawyer for half a year for a Russian company in London. Vera has worked as a Cross-border Handbooks editor since October 2009. Vera is fluent in English, Russian and Latvian..

Louise Jones trained at Maples Teesdale and qualified into the commercial property department in September 2001. She spent six years there after qualification working on a variety of transactions including acquisitions, disposals, landlord and tenant and secured lending matters. In 2007, she moved to SJ Berwin as a professional support lawyer. Louise joined PLC Property in October 2008. Louise is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Saira Joomun graduated from Richmond - The American International University in London in 2004 with a BA (Hons) in History & Political Science. Whilst at university Saira also worked for Daimler Chrysler, after which she spent a year working as a legal assistant for various firms and companies including Genesis Housing Group. She later completed her Graduate Diploma in Law at BPP Law School in June 2006, before joining PLC in July 2006 as a paralegal for PLC Property and PLC Environment. Saira joined the PLC Cross-border team as a research editor for PLC Which lawyer? in April 2010.

Jacqueline Judge is a former solicitor. She qualified in 2001, following an eleven-year career as an archivist. On qualification she joined Stafford Young Jones, a small City practice, where her work covered probate, administration of trusts and estates and the Court of Protection. In 2005 she moved to Rooks Rider's private client department where she dealt mainly with probate. Jacqueline joined PLC Private Client in April 2008.

Harpal Jutley graduated from City University, London with a 2:1 in Law (LLB (Hons)). He then completed the Legal Practice Course at The College of Law, Bloomsbury with a Distinction. He has worked as a paralegal for various small/medium sized law firms and has acted as an advisor for The Legal Advice Centre within The College of Law. He recently worked in the financial services sector with Lloyds Banking Group before joining PLC as a Real Estate Paralegal in September 2011.

Dipika Kachhala graduated from the University of Oxford in 2006 with a BA (hons) in Law. Following a gap year spent travelling and volunteering in South America, she successfully completed the LPC at the College of Law, gaining a commendation. She went on to work at Ashurst LLP within the corporate know-how department before joining PLC in August 2009 as a paralegal in the Real Estate cluster.

Rowena Karim trained at Trowers & Hamlins and joined their commercial property department on qualification in October 2002. She spent four years there working on a broad range of transactions including commercial acquisitions, disposals and lettings before joining PLC Property in December 2006. Rowena is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Damien Knight is a freelance consultant who has an association with PLC. He has been consulting in the area executive compensation for nearly 30 years and has advised the management and remuneration committees of many organisations across all sectors of the economy, including several of the FTSE100. He has consulted for Hay Group, Aon and Watson Wyatt. He is familiar with the problems of designing and implementing executive share incentive plans, and he has frequently consulted with the ABI and major institutional investors to understand their requirements and views on share plan design.

Chris Knuckey trained at Cobbetts, and worked in their commercial department advising on public procurement and general commercial matters. From 2004 to 2006 he was a solicitor at Clarkslegal advising on public procurement, including in respect of PFI/PPP schemes undertaken by local authorities. From there, Chris joined the Treasury Solicitor's Department, advising across Government on procurement law and associated commercial issues, before joining PLC Public Sector in 2008. Chris is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Sui Lee worked as an associate at Wragge & Co, specialising in property tax, acting for a varied portfolio of clients. Sui started her tax career at Coopers and Lybrand (now PricewaterhouseCoopers) in their international corporate tax department. After several years she left to qualify as a solicitor at Linklaters. Sui subsequently joined Laytons Solicitors, where she advised on a diverse range of corporate and other taxes. She is a member of the Association of Taxation Technicians, the Association of Women In Property and the Stamp Taxes Practitioners Group. Sui joined PLC Tax in 2007. Sui is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Elisabeth Lindsay trained at Trowers & Hamlins and practised in their commercial property department for nearly five years after qualification, where she worked on a range of transactions for clients in the public and private sectors. Elisabeth joined PLC Property in 2005. Elisabeth is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Claire Lipman qualified in 1994. She trained at Paisner and Co (now Berwin Leighton Paisner), where she worked for some 13 years in their dispute resolution department. In addition to practising in all areas of general commercial litigation, Claire specialises in international arbitration and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. She has contributed a chapter in ADR and Commercial Disputes, published by Sweet and Maxwell. Claire joined PLC Dispute Resolution in July 2007. Claire is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Lucy Lowry trained with Denton Hall and practised as a solicitor there for six years, specialising in IP&IT law. During this time she was seconded for a period to the toy manufacturer, Hasbro UK, where she acted as intellectual property counsel. She is part-qualified as a trade mark attorney, holds the diploma in IP law from Bristol University and is a former plain-English officer for a leading insurance company. She joined PLC IPIT & Communications in 2004. Lucy is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Jo Luker qualified in 1993 with Herbert Smith, where she worked on a range of commercial litigation and arbitration disputes. In 2000 she joined Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer as a practice development lawyer providing professional support to the firm's litigation and international arbitration lawyers. Jo co-authored the "Global Overview" chapter of Arbitration World (2004), a multi-jurisdictional guide for arbitration practitioners. Jo joined PLC Dispute Resolution in October 2006. Jo is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Vanessa MacNair qualified as a solicitor at Slaughter and May in 1990 and worked in the corporate group for four years doing a wide variety of corporate transactions and corporate finance work. She joined Goldman Sachs in 1994 where she was a lawyer in the investment banking division for seven years advising on mergers and acquisitions, IPOs and other offerings. Having become an executive director, she left Goldmans to join PLC in August 2001. Vanessa is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Yassir Mahmood qualified in 2001 and spent six years working for K&L Gates, where he was an associate in the construction and engineering group. Yassir has advised on the negotiation of building contracts and professional appointments, as well as international engineering projects and PFI transactions. He has also represented clients in adjudication and litigation. Yassir’s time at K&L Gates included a secondment to the legal department of a well-known construction contractor, and he was also involved in drafting the RICS standard forms of consultant appointment, published in 2008. He is a member of the Society of Construction Law. Yassir joined PLC Construction in December 2007. Yassir is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Meena Makh graduated in 2007 from the University of Warwick with BA (Hons) in Law and Business Studies. Following graduation, she spent two years teaching English in Fukui, Japan. She has undertaken an administrative role at a private-practice immigration law firm and completed various internships at commercial law firms. Meena completed the Legal Practice Course at the College of Law, Moorgate in June 2011 with distinction classification and joined PLC Employment as a paralegal in September 2011.

Faye Marosif trained at BP Collins, qualifying in 2002. In 2004, she joined Campbell Hooper (now Speechly Bircham) as an associate in the Corporate Finance team, where she spent over 7 years advising on a wide range of corporate transactions and developing her specialism in private company mergers and acquisitions. Faye joined PLC in October 2011, and is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Jonathan Marshall trained at Paisner & Co (now Berwin Leighton Paisner) and spent three years there after qualification, working on a variety of commercial property matters. In 2000, Jonathan moved to Russell-Cooke, again practising in commercial property. He then spent four years at Devonshires, mainly acting for housing associations on acquisitions, before becoming a property professional support lawyer for them in 2005. He joined PLC Property in February 2006. Jonathan is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Nikki Martin trained at Clarke Willmott and joined their commercial property department on qualification in 2001. She then worked at Burges Salmon before moving to the real estate team at PinsentMasons. In 2005 Nikki joined Osborne Clarke where she acted for banks and financial institutions on the provision of loans to borrowers for acquisition and development purposes and also specialised in advising administrators, liquidators and creditors on corporate and individual insolvency property issues. Nikki joined PLC in October 2008. Nikki is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Kirsten Maslen trained at Nabarro Nathanson (now Nabarro) and qualified in January 2005. She then moved to West Sussex County Council where she advised on education and information law. Kirsten continues to work at West Sussex and now specialises in projects, procurement and contracts, advising on all aspects of the tendering process and drafting and negotiating contracts from low value agreements to major projects. Kirsten is not practising at PLC.

Duncan Mawhinney specialises in personal and corporate insolvency. Duncan joined PLC as an editor in May 2011 having worked with insolvency practitioners at Grant Thornton, RSM Tenon, Lester Aldridge and The Insolvency Service. He is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Karen Maxwell practised at the bar for ten years from 20 Essex Street, appearing in cases at all levels from the House of Lords down. She specialises in arbitration and has co-written three editions of a well-received book on arbitration law, Ambrose & Maxwell, London Maritime Arbitration, published by Lloyd's of London Press. Karen joined PLC Dispute Resolution in February 2006 and is head of Arbitration. Karen is currently a non-practising barrister.

Isabella May joined PLC Finance in September 2006 as an editor and became head of PLC Finance in September 2010. Previously, from 1997 to 2006 she worked as an in-house lawyer at Credit Lyonnais and then Calyon (now Crédit Agricole Corporate & Investment Bank) where she advised on a wide variety of finance matters including corporate lending and structured commodity trade financings. Isabella qualified at Allen & Overy in 1995 and worked in their banking department until 1997. Isabella is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Jane-May Cross graduated with an LLB in Law with French Law and Language from the University of Leicester, with a French law diploma from the Jean Moulin University in Lyon. She trained and qualified as a solicitor at Reed Smith. Jane-May joined Practical Law Company in 2008 and works as an editor in the PLC Cross-border Handbooks team. Jane-May is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Rachael McAleavy joined PLC Pensions as a Pensions Paralegal in August 2011 from Sharpe Pritchard Solicitors, where she completed her training contract. Rachael studied Modern History at Oxford University before completing the GDL and LPC at the College of Law. Rachael was awarded a Distinction in her LPC.

Tom McEvoy graduated from the University of Cambridge in 2009 with BA (Hons) in Law and was called to the Bar in July 2010. He has provided pro bono advice and representation to a number of claimants in the employment tribunal. He joined PLC Employment as a paralegal in January 2011 and now works as a junior editor.

Sophie McGuinness qualified as a solicitor in 2001, training with, and later becoming employment partner, at Sykes Anderson LLP. In 2005 she moved to head up the employment team at Bolt Burdon. Before joining PLC Employment in November 2009, she undertook predominantly contentious employment work, mainly acting for senior executives and SMEs. Sophie is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Jo McKenna graduated in 2009 from the University of Nottingham with an LLB (Hons) in Law. Following graduation, she spent a year working as an employment and housing paralegal before commencing the Legal Practice Course at BPP Law School (Leeds) in September 2010. Jo gained a Distinction on the LPC where she took electives in employment, private client and advanced commercial litigation. Jo has also completed a number of vacation placements at various commercial law firms. Jo joined PLC Tax as a paralegal in August 2011.

Martha McQuay trained at Slaughter and May and qualified into its tax department in 2005. Before that, she worked as a journalist specialising in legal and regulatory issues and financial news. Martha joined PLC as assistant editor of PLC Magazine in 2006. Martha is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Aditi Mene studied Law at King’s College London, followed by an MSc in Political Theory at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and the LPC at the Inns of Court School of Law. She joined PLC in 2007. She is a Market Practice Analyst for the PLC Cross-border team, and writes about key market trends and legal and commercial developments for a variety of practice areas.

Abigail Milburn is a former solicitor. She qualified in New Zealand in 1996 and in England in 2000. In England she worked at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, before moving in 2001 to Bingham McCutchen, where she worked in the financial restructuring and finance teams. Abigail specialises in restructuring and insolvency. She joined PLC in August 2008 and is now a consultant editor to PLC Restructuring and Insolvency.

Lisa Millar trained at Clyde & Co, qualifying into its corporate department in 1998. She worked in Weil, Gotshal & Manges' corporate finance department between 1999 and 2005, where she advised on a wide range of corporate and commercial transactions. Lisa joined PLC Corporate in June 2005 and was appointed head of PLC Commercial in August 2008. Lisa is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Charlotte Miller joined PLC Property in January 2012 from Nabarro LLP, where she had worked in the Commercial Real Estate Group since qualifying in March 2000. Charlotte has acted for institutions, property development companies, public bodies and individuals dealing with acquisitions, disposals, developments and landlord and tenant matters. Charlotte is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Chris Millerchip founded PLC with Robert Dow in 1990. Prior to that he worked as a corporate lawyer in Slaughter and May. He is now Chairman of PLC US.

Amanda Milsom qualified as a solicitor in 1992 and joined Lewis Silkin in 1994, specialising in all forms of dispute resolution and focusing on contentious insolvency matters. In 1999 she became a partner in Lewis Silkin's commercial litigation department. She joined PLC in December 2005 as Head of PLC Dispute Resolution and launched the service which she managed for three years. She joined the Executive Committee of PLC as HR Director in 2008 and is responsible for HR globally. Amanda is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Loreto Miranda is Head of PLC Pensions. She joined PLC from Hogan Lovells, where she worked in the dispute resolution department since qualifying in 2001. She specialised in pensions-related disputes and is an associate member of the Association of Pension Lawyers. She also acted in a range of other commercial disputes, including cases involving alternative dispute resolution, and obtained Higher Rights of Audience. Loreto is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Fiona Montagu trained at Allen & Overy and qualified in 1996. She worked as a company/commercial lawyer for four years before moving across to property. Fiona joined PLC Property from Shearman & Sterling in February 2010. Fiona is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Rayna Moore read Law at Girton College, Cambridge University. She then completed the Bar Vocational Course at Nottingham Law School. Rayna was called to the Bar in July 2005 and is a member of Middle Temple. Rayna joined Practical Law Company in March 2006 as an editor on the PLC Cross-border Handbooks and has been the Head of the Handbooks Editorial team (Cross Border) since 2009. Rayna is non-practising.

Joanna Morris is a former solicitor. She qualified into the corporate department of Clifford Chance in 1995. She then moved to Manchester and joined Cobbetts' corporate/commercial department. She subsequently became a commercial solicitor at The Co-operative Bank p.l.c. She joined PLC in 2000 where she is the editor of PLC Magazine.

Mary Mullally qualified as a solicitor at Lewis Silkin in 1989. She worked as a solicitor at Alan Edwards & Co, a niche housing firm in Notting Hill Gate, where she was subsequently made a partner. In 1998 she joined Global Professional Media as the in-house correspondent for Legal Week. From 2001 to 2004 Mary edited Legal Director, a sister title to Legal Week which focused on management issues for in-house counsel. Mary joined PLC in October 2004 and is Head of Networks. Mary is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Iain Murdoch joined PLC in January 2007 from Taylor Wessing, where he was a senior associate in the construction and engineering group. Iain specialises in non-contentious construction law, having worked for property owners and occupiers, developers, lenders, contractors and consultants. Iain specialises in non-contentious negotiation, contract drafting and reporting work, but has also advised on the pre-action stages of construction disputes, the settlement of disputes and adjudications. He trained at Lewis Silkin before joining Speechly Bircham following qualification. While at Speechly Bircham, he undertook a part-time secondment to an international construction and engineering contractor's in-house legal department. Iain is a member of the Society of Construction Law and is head of PLC Construction. Iain is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Stuart Murray is a former solicitor. He trained at Freshfields, specialising in competition law when Britain joined the common market. He then spent 25 years in industry, latterly in BICC/Balfour Beatty as company secretary. He joined PLC in 2001 and still has a copy of the first PLC magazine.

Emma Nendick trained at Freshfields (now Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer) and worked as an associate in the tax department for three years. She moved to Herbert Smith in 1996, where she set up and ran the tax professional support function. She joined PLC in September 2006 as head of PLC Tax. Emma is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Megan Newhouse trained at Linklaters, qualifying into the Competition/Antitrust department in 2003 where she worked on a range of EU and UK competition matters, in particular merger control, Articles 101/102 and the equivalent UK legislation antitrust cases and procurement. Megan joined PLC Competition in September 2011. Megan is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Elizabeth Newman trained with Lovells and qualified into their IP department, where she worked on a range of non-contentious and contentious IP and IT matters. She was seconded to Granada Media where she worked on Granada broadband initiatives, and to Standard Chartered Bank where she worked on IT contracts. She subsequently worked as the in-house lawyer for TalkTalk Direct, a subsidiary of Carphone Warehouse. She holds the diploma in IP law from Bristol University. Elizabeth joined IPIT & Communications in 2006. Elizabeth is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Karen Ngo qualified as a barrister in 1991 and as a solicitor in 1994. Karen joined PLC Commercial in April 2011 after practising for 17 years as a Commercial in-house lawyer in the media industry, which included 2 years as Head of Legal at Copyright Promotions Group PLC, and 10 years as Vice President, Legal and Business Affairs at Warner Bros Consumer Products, EMEA. Karen has an LLM in Commercial Law and is currently a non-practising solicitor and barrister.

Suzie Noble graduated from Bournemouth University with an LLB Honours Degree in Business Law in 2000 and has worked as a paralegal for Denton Wilde Sapte and Barlow Lyde & Gilbert. Suzie worked at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer for over 5 years, firstly as a professional support paralegal for the litigation team and then as a practice development executive for the international arbitration team. Suzie joined PLC Dispute Resolution in August 2008 as a junior editor, specialising in arbitration.

Sonia Noon trained with Denton Hall Burgin & Warrens (now SNR Denton) and qualified in 1993. Following work at a number of smaller firms, Sonia joined the property department of Druces & Attlee in 1996, where she advised a range of clients, including pension funds and syndicates of private investors. In 2001, Sonia moved to Lawrence Graham LLP, where she worked for nearly six years in the real estate department, acting for developers and institutions advising on a variety of property matters ranging from sales and purchases and landlord and tenant matters to the development of a large regional shopping centre. Sonia joined PLC Property in April 2007. Sonia is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Annelise O’Neill qualified in 1994 at Allen & Overy where she practised for nine years in the banking department. She advised on a variety of finance transactions including syndications and acquisition finance. During that time she was seconded twice to Greenwich NatWest, first to negotiate repo documentation and then to their syndications desk. From 2004 to 2007 she was a professional support lawyer in Allen & Overy’s banking department. Annelise joined PLC Finance in January 2009. Annelise is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Marlena Ong graduated from University College London with an LLB in 2004 and an LLM in 2006, specialising in international economic law. She also completed the LPC at BPP Law School before joining PLC in March 2010.

Fred van Oordt trained at Simmons & Simmons and, upon qualifying in 1996, joined Ashurst as a finance lawyer. In 1999, he moved to Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft where he advised on securitisations. Following a team move in 2000 to Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy, Fred spent five years specialising in securitisations, CLOs/CDOs and related structured finance transactions. In 2005 he joined Bank of America as in-house counsel supporting the structured securities desk (covering CLOs/CDOs and total return swaps). Fred joined PLC Finance in January 2009. Fred is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Edward Osborne is an Australian qualified lawyer who graduated with a BA in Politics at Macquarie University before going on to complete a Juris Doctor at the University of Technology, Sydney. He joined PLC as a Junior Editor in 2011. Edward is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Vanessa Osborne graduated with an LLB (Hons) in Law and completed the Legal Practice Course at the College of Law, London, specialising in Intellectual Property and Media and Entertainment Law. She then trained as an editor in legal academic publishing with Old Bailey Press before moving into professional legal publishing. Vanessa joined PLC Cross-border Handbooks in October 2010.

Liz Parkinson joined Norton Rose upon qualification in 1988. She later worked at Slaughter and May and then Simmons & Simmons in the commercial property departments. More recently she was a partner in the West End firm of Collins Benson Goldhill. Before joining PLC Property in 2004, Liz obtained a masters degree in European Real Estate at Kingston University. Liz is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Miriam Patterson is a former solicitor. She qualified in New York in 1996 and in England in 2000. From 1996 to 2005, she practised US law in Allen & Overy's international capital markets department in London, where she advised banks and non-US companies on various US law matters, including SEC-registered offerings, private placements, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance requirements. She then joined Latham & Watkins, where she was a knowledge management lawyer for the US corporate finance lawyers in London for three years. Miriam joined PLC in September 2008.

Judith Pain worked at Allen & Overy for 13 years, specialising in commercial property. She spent the first seven years working on transactions, and then set up and ran the professional support service for the property department before joining PLC in 2000. Judith is head of PLC Property. Judith is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Adrian Pashley specializes in all aspects of charity law and practice and the application of corporate and commercial law to the charity and wider not-for-profit sector. His experience includes charity mergers and re-structuring projects and setting up Academy schools. He has worked as a senior lawyer in the education and charities team at Veale Wasbrough (now Veale Wasbrough Vizards) and in the charities teams at Bates Wells & Braithwaite and Blake Lapthorn. Adrian has extensive experience in lecturing and training and is a contributor to the ICSA Charities Handbook. Adrian joined PLC Private Client in October 2010 and is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Katharine Paulson joined Macfarlanes as a newly qualified solicitor in 1994 where she worked for 9 years specialising in estate, residential and agricultural law. She worked briefly as an in-house lawyer for a construction company giving general property law advice before joining PLC in October 2011. Katharine is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Hilary Pearson has been a partner in the IP department of Bird & Bird since 1995, with extensive experience of all aspects of contentious and non-contentious IP&T law. After a tenancy in London patent chambers, she spent ten years practising as a US lawyer and US patent attorney, first in Silicon Valley and then in Texas. Her degree in physics from Oxford University enables her to deal with complex technological issues, and her contentious experience includes managing semiconductor patent litigation for leading chip manufacturers. Hilary is not practising at PLC.

Lauren Peaty joined PLC as a paralegal in October 2008, and has been a member of the Tax team since April 2010 (having previously worked with PLC Pensions). Lauren graduated with a Law degree from Cambridge University. Before joining PLC, she worked for the Council for Racial Equality, preparing discrimination cases for employment tribunal hearing.

Daphne Perry qualified as a barrister. She practised (as Daphne Loebl) at Fountain Court for 12 years until 1997, when Chambers' Directory included her in the top 11 juniors for commercial work in London. She then worked for another 12 years as a professional support lawyer at Denton Wilde Sapte. A keen member of Clarity, the international association for plain language in the law, she is quoted in the Law Society's textbook Clarity for Lawyers (2007) and was for 3 years Denton Wilde Sapte's Plain Language Co-ordinator. Daphne joined PLC Commercial in July 2010. Daphne is currently a non-practising barrister.

Elanne Pimstone trained at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and qualified into the corporate department in 1995. In 1997 she joined Harbottle & Lewis, where she specialised in employment law, dealing with predominantly non-contentious and advisory work for employers and individuals. As a senior associate in the employment group Elanne had responsibility for employment know-how and presented client seminars on matters ranging from the Working Time Regulations to family-friendly rights. Elanne is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Jeremy Pitblado is a non-practising Barrister, called to the Bar in November 2010 by the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple. He studied for a BA in Politics at the University of East Anglia, graduating with a 2:1 in 2008. Jeremy went on to complete the Graduate Diploma in Law and Bar Vocational Course at BPP Law School in London. He joined PLC in February 2011 as an EU Paralegal.

Sara Poole is a former solicitor. She trained at MacRoberts in Glasgow before joining the banking group of Dundas & Wilson in 1996, where she worked in the property finance and retail finance teams. She spent a year in the in-house legal department of National Australia Group and then moved to Denton Wilde Sapte, where she worked in the financial markets and regulation group for seven years. Sara joined PLC Financial Services in May 2007.

Judith Rauhofer is a former solicitor. She qualified as a solicitor in 1999, having previously qualified as a Rechtsanwalt in Germany. She practised for four years at Lewis Silkin, specialising in data protection, e-commerce and general commercial law, before joining PLC IPIT & Communications in 2001. She also works as a Research Fellow for Law, Information and Converging Technologies at the University of Central Lancashire, where her research focus is on data protection law, a field in which she has published articles and presented papers at conferences and workshops.

David Rawson joined PLC in January 2009, from the restructuring and insolvency team at Eversheds LLP. He specialises in all forms of insolvency appointment, both personal and corporate and contentious and non-contentious. Prior to joining Eversheds, he worked in the insolvency team at Hammonds LLP, where he trained and qualified. He is head of PLC Restructuring and Insolvency. David is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Neil Richardson qualified with Simmons & Simmons in 2000 and spent the following five years working as an assistant solicitor in their Private Capital Group, where he dealt with a range of onshore and offshore tax and trust matters. After a brief spell as an associate solicitor in the Tax Department at SJ Berwin LLP, he joined Clarke Willmott LLP in 2006 as their first Professional Support Lawyer in the private client field. Neil joined PLC Private Client in September 2010 and is currently a non-practising solicitor.

David Ritchie graduated from the University of Sussex in 2008 with a law degree and went on to study the BVC part-time at BPP Law School. Whilst studying he qualified as an immigration adviser and undertook pro bono advice and representation for an immigration charity. He has also worked as a paralegal in the Indirect Tax Litigation department of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and as a legal officer for a small health and safety consultancy. David was called to the Bar in November 2010 and is currently a non-practising barrister. David joined PLC in May 2011 as a paralegal for the IPIT & Communications, Commercial, and Finance web services.

Omar Roomi studied Social Anthropology at Goldsmiths, University of London and graduated with a First. He then went on to study the GDL and attained a Distinction on the LPC at Kaplan Law School. Omar joined PLC in January 2011 as a paralegal for PLC Property, PLC Construction and PLC Environment..

Michelle Rousell trained at Cameron Markby Hewitt (now CMS Cameron McKenna) and then spent five years at Nabarro Nathanson (now Nabarro) before joining the construction and engineering team at Lewis Silkin in September 2000. She specialised in all aspects of construction and engineering disputes and worked for a wide range of clients - employers, contractors, specialist subcontractors and their insurers, registered social landlords and public bodies. Part of Michelle's time at Lewis Silkin was spent on secondment to the in-house legal team of an international mining company, where she was primarily engaged on an ADR scheme voluntarily established by the company. She is a member of the Society of Construction Law and joined PLC Construction in February 2008. Michelle is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Orlando Fernandez Ruiz graduated with an LLB (Hons) in Law from the University of Sheffield in 2002 and then completed an LLM in Public International Law at the University of Nottingham and the Legal Practice Course at BPP Law School Holborn. Before joining PLC, Orlando worked at the United Nations in Geneva and several non-governmental organisations in Spain, the UK and Uganda. Orlando joined PLC in July 2007 and currently works as a market practice analyst, writing on key legal developments and noteworthy transactions across all practice areas. He is a native Spanish speaker and fluent in French.

Lucy Ryland joined PLC Corporate in July 2009 after six years as a corporate PSL at Allen & Overy LLP. Lucy trained at A&O and qualified into its corporate department in 1999.  She worked on a variety of corporate transactions until 2003 when she joined the corporate know-how team. Lucy is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Nick Sargent is a former solicitor. He joined PLC in May 2006 from Denton Wilde Sapte, where he was a senior solicitor in the pensions department. Nick qualified in 1996 at Reynolds Porter Chamberlain. In 1999 he moved to Denton Hall (now Denton Wilde Sapte). During 2003, Nick spent six months as a professional support lawyer in the pensions department at Slaughter and May, before returning to a fee-earning role at Denton Wilde Sapte. Nick is a member of the Association of Pension Lawyers and a former assistant editor of the Occupational Pensions Law Reports. Nick was the first head of PLC Pensions and launched the service in December 2006.

Rachel Scott is a former solicitor. She qualified as a solicitor in 1999 and as a Chartered Tax Adviser in 2003. She has worked for a number of reputable private client firms, including three years with PricewaterhouseCoopers in their personal tax team and latterly with Boodle Hatfield. Rachel specialises in tax and estate planning advice for UK domiciled and non-UK domiciled individuals, including the taxation of onshore and offshore trusts. Rachel joined PLC Private Client in February 2008, she is now working as a consultant.

Susan Scott qualified as a solicitor in 1992. She trained with Norton Rose and joined PLC Dispute Resolution in February 2006 from Simmons & Simmons, where she was a member of the commercial litigation department, specialising in professional negligence disputes. She has broad litigation experience (including multi-party actions and trials) and has acted extensively for insurers and a wide range of insured professionals. Susan is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Zoe Schluter is a former solicitor. She trained at White & Case and, after qualification in 2006, joined the international arbitration department of Dewey & LeBoeuf where she represented companies in a number of ICSID, ICC and LCIA arbitrations. She joined PLC as assistant editor of PLC Magazine in 2008.

Sona Shah completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Warwick, where she studied European Law. Following graduation in 2009, she undertook various work placements and pro bono work, including a Death Penalty Internship in California. She studied the Legal Practice Course at BPP in Holborn, passing with distinction. Sona joined PLC in August 2011 as a paralegal for PLC IPIT & Communications, Commercial and Employment.

Chloe Shanley trained at Winward Fearon LLP (now Maxwell Winward LLP) and specialised in property litigation upon qualification in 2003. She then joined Nabarro LLP in 2007 where she advised large institutional landlords, developers and commercial tenants on all core property litigation matters. Chloe joined PLC in 2010. Chloe is a non-practising solicitor.

Shireen Shaikh trained as a barrister and completed her pupillage in 1995 at 2-3 Gray's Inn Square. She re-qualified as a solicitor in 2002 and has specialised in employment law since 1996. She has worked at a variety of firms, including as an associate at Reed Smith (now Reed Smith Richards Butler) for five years and as a partner at Wilsons in Salisbury, where she worked until March 2008. Shireen has a lot of advocacy experience, representing clients in the employment tribunal. Clients have included senior individuals, private and listed companies, charities and a public authority. Shireen has lectured widely and provided training on several aspects of employment law. She joined PLC Employment in August 2008. Shireen is currently non-practising.

Nicola Simmons graduated from the University of Birmingham with a degree in Law (LLB (Hons)) in 2010. She then completed the LPC at the College of Law (London Moorgate) with a distinction. Nicola joined PLC What’s Market as a paralegal in August 2011.

Graeme Simpson joined PLC from Shoosmiths’ pensions department where he was a partner, recommended as “excellent” in the Legal 500 directory (2009). He qualified in 1997 and has experience of providing advice on a wide range of pensions matters, in particular, to pension scheme trustees and on public sector outsourcing issues. A member of the Association of Pensions Lawyers, he is a previous speaker on the APL "Beginners" training course. Graeme is also a past editor of Tottel’s "Pensions Law Handbook" and has provided comment on pensions issues for various national news broadcasters. Graeme is not practising at PLC.

Sophie Simpson qualified as a solicitor into Linklaters’ Environment and Planning Group in 1999. Her experience includes advising on environmental issues in corporate, property and project finance transactions, as well as giving stand-alone environmental and planning advice. In 2002, she became a professional support lawyer for the Linklaters' Environment and Planning Group. Her role involved planning, creating and managing know-how systems, writing practice notes on specific areas of law and regular internal newsletters and client bulletins, drafting precedents, and supporting fee-earners with research on their matters. Sophie joined PLC Environment in July 2009. Sophie is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Saira Singh qualified as a solicitor in 1994 with Lovell White Durrant (now Lovells LLP), where she specialised in commercial and insurance litigation and arbitration, with an emphasis on contractual disputes and professional negligence claims. In 2001, she became a professional support lawyer in the dispute resolution practice at Lovells, covering litigation, arbitration and ADR. She joined PLC Dispute Resolution in May 2009. Saira is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Rachel Smith (on maternity leave) joined PLC Pensions in July 2008 from the Pensions Regulator, where she was a solicitor in the corporate risk management department advising on regulatory matters. Rachel qualified in 2000 at Allen & Overy, where she advised trustees and employers on pensions issues before moving to the Pensions Regulator in 2005. Rachel is a member of the Association of Pension Lawyers. Rachel is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Graeme Standen qualified at Gouldens (now Jones Day) in 2002. Graeme has worked on share incentives as part of Jones Day's employment, pensions and employee benefit team. He has a particular interest in the tax aspects of share incentives and the export of employee equity programmes. Graeme joined PLC Share Schemes & Incentives in January 2007 and is Head of Share Schemes & Incentives. Graeme is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Pia-Cody Styles qualified in 1999, having trained at Travers Smith. She has dealt with a broad range of disputes including claims in the Commercial Court and has taken a number of cases to trial. She joined PLC Dispute Resolution from Travers Smith in April 2006. She is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Mark Tarran joined PLC Employment from employment publishers IDS, where he was a senior researcher, writing for employment law journal IDS Brief, the IDS handbooks and supplements and the web. He qualified as a solicitor in 2000 with Stone King and advised both employers (mainly SMEs) and employees. Mark is an active member of PEN (the PSL Employment Network) and the Employment Lawyers Association (ELA), and is often involved in ELA working parties responding to government consultations. He devised a series of workshops for the ELA Foundation Course in Discrimination Law, and has also contributed to a book, A Parent's Guide to the Law, published by Lawpack in 2009. Mark is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Anastassia Tchernova joined PLC Financial Services in February 2009 from Linklaters, where she worked in the financial markets group. During her time there, she was involved in advising the administrators of Lehman Brothers on various regulatory issues in connection with the Lehman Brothers administration. Prior to that, she worked in the financial services group at Norton Rose, where she advised clients on the implementation of MiFID and worked on obtaining FSA authorisation for one of the first UK Islamic banks. Before moving to the UK, Anastassia worked as a financial services lawyer at Clayton Utz, Sydney, where she was seconded to the legal department at ING for three months. Anastassia qualified in 2003 at Brett Davies Lawyers. Anastassia is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Claire Templeton trained at Hobson Audley (now Faegre & Benson) and qualified into the dispute resolution department in 1998. Following secondments to one of its US offices and Viacom (UK) Limited, she joined the employment department of Norton Rose, dealing with predominantly non-contentious and advisory work for employers. She then returned to Faegre & Benson, where she gained wide experience of advising clients on international employment issues. Claire is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Liz Thomas is a former solicitor. She qualified at Slaughter and May in 1988 where she practised as a corporate lawyer. Following a move to Allen & Overy, she became a founder member of the environmental law group in 1990 and advised on the environmental aspects of many corporate, finance and property matters. She has latterly spent a number of years at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer as a knowledge management lawyer and has been involved in many knowledge management and client relationship management projects, including a secondment to a major client.

Jon Tilley trained at Wragge & Co LLP and qualified into its corporate department in 2002, following a secondment to the in-house legal team of a major private equity firm. He subsequently spent 6 years advising on a wide range of private equity transactions, at all stages of the investment process. Jon joined PLC Corporate in November 2008. Jon is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Sian Wakeling trained at Cameron Markby Hewitt and qualified into their financial services team in 1997. Following the firm’s merger with McKenna & Co later that year, she worked in CMS Cameron McKenna’s financial services team for a further eight years. Sian joined PLC Financial Services in 2005. Sian is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Rupert Walker graduated from the University of St Andrews in 2003 with a 2:1 MA (Hons) in English, following which he completed the GDL and LPC at BPP Law School, London. He has worked for Entertainment and IP law firms in Boston and New York, and has lectured on European IP law. He was also invited by a leading US firm to attend a seminar on Media & Communications Law in New York. Rupert joined PLC in September 2005, and is currently Senior Publisher for UK Web Services.

Simon Watton trained at Pinsent Curtis (now Pinsent Masons) in Birmingham. Having qualified in 1999, he worked in the employment department advising employers and employees and providing corporate support. Simon moved on to the specialist employment publishers IDS, where he wrote for and edited the employment law journal IDS Brief and IDS handbooks and supplements, authoring large sections of publications on equal pay, transfer of undertakings and age discrimination. He also spoke on a wide range of employment-related subjects at conferences and seminars. Simon is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Roger Wesson trained at Slaughter and May and worked in their corporate and commercial department for two years after qualifying. He then practised media and IP law for two years with Denton Hall (now Denton Wilde Sapte), before moving to Allison & Humphreys (which later merged with Field Fisher Waterhouse), where he was a partner for five years, specialising in media and IP&T law. He is head of PLC IPIT & Communications. Roger is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Jane West worked as a solicitor for the London Borough Council of Haringey for three years, before joining Mayer Brown Rowe & Maw, where she gained substantial experience of public and administrative law and practical experience of civil litigation, in particular judicial review proceedings. Jane joined PLC Public Sector in 2008 from Beachcroft where she advised public sector bodies on public and administrative law matters, including statutory powers and other public law litigation. Jane is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Michelle Wheeler trained at Herbert Smith and practised in their IP department for two years after qualifying, concentrating on contentious work. She then joined the College of Law, where she spent five years as a lecturer in IP and commercial law. Since joining PLC IPIT & Communications, her role has included writing and delivering PLC training courses in the fields of IP and commercial law. She holds the diploma in IP law from Bristol University. Michelle is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Claire White qualified in 1997 and worked in the private client practice at BP Collins until 2000, when she joined the private client department at Bircham Dyson Bell as an assistant, then associate solicitor. As a fee earner, Claire has worked as private client advisor as part of a multi-disciplinary team of lawyers for clients with considerable property, commercial and trust interests and she has extensive experience in estate planning, post-death planning and trusts from creation and administration to termination. In 2008, Claire joined Herbert Smith LLP as the professional support lawyer for their Private Wealth and Charities group and she joined PLC in September 2009 as head of PLC Private Client. Claire is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Karen Williams editor in the competition service, is an EC and competition lawyer who qualified at Linklaters and practised for four years in their London and Brussels offices before moving to Chile, where she worked for a number of years as a consultant to the Chilean Foreign Affairs ministry. She joined PLC in January 2000. Karen is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Elizabeth Woodman is a former solicitor. She trained at Allen & Overy, completing her articles in 1989. In 1990, she joined chartered accountants, Neville Russell (now Mazars), where she qualified as a chartered tax advisor. In 1992 she joined the actuaries and benefits consultants Watson Wyatt, specialising in incentives. She advised on a wide range of remuneration and executive compensation issues. Elizabeth joined PLC in 2006 and was Head of PLC Share Schemes & Incentives until January 2009 when she was appointed as head of new UK legal sectors for PLC. Elizabeth is now Head of New Services

Anna Wordsworth trained at Pinsent Curtis (now Pinsent Masons), qualifying as a chartered tax adviser in 2001 and as a solicitor in 2002. Anna worked in Pinsent Masons’ Share Plans team until November 2008, advising on employee share plans and trusts in a wide range of companies and corporate transactions. While at Pinsent Masons, Anna participated actively in the Global Equity Organisation (GEO) and spoke at a number of GEO conferences. She is particularly interested in international share plans and share plan reporting and compliance obligations. Anna joined PLC in January 2009. Anna is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Rachel Wyatt trained at Fox Williams, qualifying into its commercial department in 1995. She then joined the Commercial IP/IT department at Bristows, where she advised on a wide range of commercial and IP matters for 11 years, before joining PLC Commercial in August 2010. Rachel is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Dominic Zammit graduated from the University of Exeter in 2010 with an LLB (Hons) in Law. He is now undertaking the Legal Practice Course at the College of Law in Bloomsbury and is set to graduate in 2012. Dominic joined the PLC Cross-Border team in September 2010 as a Research Editor for the PLC Which lawyer? editorial.