Affiliations and appointments.
DLA Piper.
I am a partner in the London office of DLA Piper, a leading global business law firm. As the director of pro bono and responsible business I work closely with the CEO and Chairman to ensure the firm achieves significant positive social impact, and effectively manages Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) risks.
I also sit on several of the firm’s executive committees and boards including: the ESG SteerCo, the Health and Well-being SteerCo, the board of New Perimeter (a wholly integrated non-profit affiliate of DLA Piper), and serve as the partner sponsor for IRIS - our LGBT+ network.
Amnesty International.
I am the current Chairman of the board of Amnesty International UK Charitable Trust, which raises approximately £20 million annually. The Trust makes grants to fund human rights education and programming in the UK and abroad.
Open For Business.
I serve as a board member of Open For Business, a coalition of leading global companies dedicated to LGBT+ inclusion. Our task is to present the business rationale for inclusion: Successful, enterprising businesses thrive in diverse inclusive societies, and the spread of anti-LGBT policies runs counter to the interests of business and economic growth.
Wallumatta Legal.
Following a 5 year gestation period we will launch Wallumatta Legal in 2021 as the first non-profit, affordable family law firm in Australia. We will be offering low cost, fixed fee, unbundled legal services to people who do not qualify for legal aid and cannot afford to pay commercial legal fees. Wallumatta Legal will improve access to to justice for a very large and underserved segment of the market.
Association of Pro Bono Counsel.
In 2014 I worked with the US leaders of APBCo to establish the UK chapter of the Association of Pro Bono Counsel, a professional body representing lawyers who work full-time in pro bono roles in law firms. I remain a member of the UK leadership committee and I am currently leading an APBCo initiative on diversity.
The Collaborative Plan for Pro Bono in the UK.
In 2013 I worked with other pro bono leaders to create the Collaborative Plan for Pro Bono in the UK. The Plan now has more than 60 large law firm members collectively employing more than 18,000 lawyers. All member firms commit to achieving a target of 25 hours of pro bono per lawyer per year, and collaborate with each other to improve access to justice through coordinated and professionally managed pro bono initiatives. The Plan has successfully grown pro bono in the UK, with total reported pro bono hours increasing from 217,000 hours in 2014 to 392,000 hours in 2019.
Rights CoLab.
I am an Adviser with Rights Colab.
Rights CoLab advances human rights by fostering collaboration among experts across the fields of civil society, technology, business, and finance. Together we build new ways of organizing civic engagement and leveraging markets to improve the impact, resilience, and sustainability of human rights initiatives.
Trustee and Advisory Boards.
PILnet - The Public Interest Law Network, New York (current member of the Pro Bono Leadership Council)
TrustLaw - The Thomson Reuters Foundation, London (current advisory board member)
Public Interest Law Clearing House, Sydney, Australia (former board member / director)
Commonwealth Attorney General’s International Pro Bono Advisory Board (former role)
LawWorks, London, UK (former trustee)
Bristol University Law School.
Over the past 20 years I have enjoyed and valued the opportunity to work closely with law students who have an interest in public interest careers.
I am currently the Patron of the Pro Bono Society at the Bristol University Law School and I have been privileged to host many of the student members at DLA Piper in London.
New Perimeter.
New Perimeter is a registered 501(c)(3) that provides long-term pro bono legal assistance in under-served regions around the world to support access to justice, social and economic development, and sound legal institutions.
In 2008 I was honored to be invited to serve as a member of the New Perimeter Advisory Board, alongside many leading individuals from the worlds of law, politics, philanthropy, academia, business and international development.
Up until her untimely death in 2016, the Board was chaired with distinction by the wonderful Esther F. Lardent, founder and president of the Pro Bono Institute, a great visionary, an inspirational social justice warrior, the world’s leading pro bono lawyer, and a dear friend, colleague and mentor.