Meet the Team
Meet our team of expert lawyers, consultants and professional advisors who are all on hand to provide our clients with the best quality service.
Meet our team of expert lawyers, consultants and professional advisors who are all on hand to provide our clients with the best quality service.
Leader of dynamic teams and high-profile organisations. Formerly legal and governance head of the Lawn Tennis Association, and Executive Director of its related charity, The Tennis Foundation.
Jo is the Chair of West London Welcome, a charity that supports refugees and asylum seekers, and a Governor of Bute House Preparatory School.
Tennis Foundation; Lawn Tennis Association; Herbert Smith Freehills
MSc in Leadership and Strategy (London Business School); Solicitor’s Practising Certificate (1999 – 2018); MA in Medieval History (King’s College, London); BA in Ancient History and Latin (Manchester University)
David is a recognised expert in helping SMEs and start-ups thrive. His experience covers corporate, commercial, employment, data protection and privacy (including GDPR), and dispute resolution. His knowledge of the media and technology sector also means that he is now retained to advise upon the business interests of a number of globally recognised music artists and athletes, together with university spin-outs and intrapreneur groups.
Guest speaker on entrepreneurship at the London Business School, as well as to postgraduate groups at other European universities. David is an Advisor to Africat, a Foundation focusing on wildlife and community conservation in Africa.
Ignition Law; Swan Turton; Osborne Clarke; Herbert Smith Freehills
Solicitor’s Practising Certificate (1999 to date); BSc in Psychology (Nottingham University)
Tim has nearly 25 years’ experience advising start-ups, SMEs, trusts and individuals on corporate and company commercial matters, in the UK, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand. He has particular experience in commercial dispute resolution. Trained at Herbert Smith Freehills and previously a barrister and an instructor for the College of Law in New Zealand, Tim is a regular speaker and contributor on company commercial and dispute resolution issues. He has made multiple appearances in New Zealand’s Courts and Tribunals, including in the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. He continues his advocacy in various forums in the UK.
Based between Devon and London, Tim is a trustee of the Torbay Coast & Countryside Trust. He volunteers for Torbay Hospital Radio and also runs his local pub quiz. He is keen to help businesses in the South-West, as well as in Greater London.
Ignition Law; Jones Day Reavis & Pogue; Herbert Smith Freehills; Coudert Brothers
Brasenose College, Oxford, Law, M.A.(Oxon), 2:1; Oxford Institute of Legal Practice, Diploma in Legal Practice – Merit
Solicitor, admitted in England and Wales, September 1999; Solicitor and Barrister; admitted in New South Wales, Australia, November 2005; Barrister Sole since 2010, admitted as Barrister and Solicitor in New Zealand in December 2005.
Specialist in supporting start-ups and SMEs. With a background in corporate law at Slaughter and May, Lizzie advises growth businesses and their founders on corporate and commercial legal issues. She is a trustee of a community centre in Mid-Wales and has been involved in several pro bono projects over the years. Lizzie is an active mum of three small boys.
Slaughter and May; Ignition Law
Solicitor’s Practising Certificate (2013 to date); BA (Hons) in History (Durham University; 1st class).
Teresa has broad corporate and commercial experience having acted for clients ranging from individuals and start-ups to large corporates and financial institutions. Her experience includes private M&A, joint ventures, fundraisings and commercial contracts.
Teresa regularly DJs in her spare time and whenever possible combines her love of music with her love of travel to DJ overseas.
CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP; Client secondment to SSE plc.
Solicitors Practising Certificate (2015 to date); LLB in Law with European Legal Systems (University of East Anglia, Norwich).
Qualified as a lawyer in Turkey and completed an MA in international commercial law in Manchester. Undertaken voluntary legal work in different fields of law such as immigration law, litigation and commercial law.
Passionate about the environment, volunteered for environmental projects such as planting trees and distributing educational books to children.
Immigration Advice Service; The Growth Company; Oncel, Aydin & Uygun Attorney Partnership; Ersan & Co Solicitors
Turkish Qualified Lawyer; L.L.M degree (University of Salford)
10 years expertise as a legal secretary at a firm of solicitors supporting a team on matrimony and child law, wills, probate and notary work. Previous experience as a Reinsurance Broker in the City of London where she worked for 14 years. Passionate about keeping fit, yoga and spending time with her family.
F Barnes Solicitors; HSBC; Craven and Partners; Minet; Bradstock Blunt & Crawley
Lloyds Introductory Test
Passionate about working for companies and organisations that are committed to their social values and purpose as well as sustainability management. Trained in London, works across a variety of briefs; corporate law, IP and employment issues.
Counsel for a Bio/Agri-Tech business that has designed technology to address some of the world’s most serious environmental challenges.
Ignition Law; Russells; Briffa; Live Nation Entertainment
Solicitor’s Practising Certificate (2014 to date); MBA (LSE); Law LLB (King’s College London)
Media, technology and data protection lawyer and entrepreneur with specialism in the creative industries. Provides strategic advice to SMEs and copyright counsel/ virtual GC services to media and technology companies.
Non-Executive Director of the Ivor’s Academy, a member of BLACA, and an Editorial Board Member for the Oxford University Press published Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice.
Ignition Law, Warner Music International, Vodafone Group PLC, EMI, Michael Simkins LLP
Solicitor’s Practising Certificate (2007 to date); LL.M University of London (IP); Law LL.B ( Hons)
Specialist charity lawyer, (most latterly with Farrer & Co and Charles Russell Speechlys), advises charities and not for profit organisations. Provides wide range of services including establishing new charities and not for profit organisations; governance and regulatory; constitutional reviews and amendments; tax, trading and fundraising issues.
Member of the Charity Law Association and writes regularly on charity law and related matters.
Berwin Leighton Paisner; Farrer & Co; Charles Russell Speechlys LLP
College of Law (Lancaster Gate); LLB Law (Queen Mary University of London)
Francesca has a background in supporting a range of companies with funding. Throughout her 18 years of experience from her early days at Linklaters to R&R Ice Cream and Hambro Perks, she has advised Boards of companies on buyouts, fundraising, portfolio management and exit strategies. She now focuses on advising start-up and scale-ups on matters including employee incentive schemes (including EMI option and growth share schemes), general employment law and corporate matters.
Outside of the office, Francesca is an accredited mediator and brings those skills to her role as a magistrate in Guildford’s Family Court and is also an avid ice-skater.
FAY Consulting Limited; Hambro Perks Limited; R&R Ice Cream plc; Linklaters LLP
The Lawyer Awards – Hot 100 (2015); Accredited Mediator – Civil and Commercial (2022); Justice of the Peace – Family (2021); Solicitor of Supreme Court of England and Wales – (2007); Legal Practice, BPP Law School, London, 2003-04 (Distinction); BSc Biomedical Science, Kings College London
Mike advises founders and early-stage businesses on fundraising, commercial deals and the legal issues that come with building a company. Over more than a decade in practice, he has supported start-ups through VC funding rounds, strategic negotiations and the practical challenges of scaling, from employment and data protection to IP and dispute resolution.
He also has extensive in-house experience at an international charity, advising teams globally on legal risk and leading on high-value contracts, including with partners in the medical and technology sectors. Alongside his legal work, Mike completed an MSc in psychology part-time and has a particular interest in organisational dynamics, bringing a practical understanding of the human as well as technical dimensions of legal and business problems.
Ignition Law, Save the Children International, Hogan Lovells, Acritas Legal Research.
Solicitor’s Practising Certificate (2017 to date); MA (Cantab) English (Cambridge University).
With over twenty years of experience as a banking and finance lawyer, Adrian has worked in a range of global banking and private practice environments in Australia, Singapore and the UK. Throughout his career he has focused on loan markets, as well as wealth funds, payments, commercial and derivative areas. His global knowledge has given him access to a range of clients and organisations, providing him with a rich understanding of the sector.
Adrian is also a proud father of four children, is a passionate skier and a Park Run enthusiast.
Bank of New York (Singapore); ANZ Banking Corporation (Melbourne); Santander UK plc (London).
Admitted to the Supreme Court of New South Wales (March 2002); Admitted to the High Court of New Zealand (May 2001); Bachelor of Laws, Otago University, New Zealand.
A dual qualified senior corporate lawyer, Louise began her legal career in Melbourne, Australia but has been practising in the UK since 2011 in corporate and commercial law. Louise specialises in corporate law and her expertise includes transactional and advisory matters such as company acquisitions, disposals, working with start-ups, corporate reorganisations as well as shareholder and board advice.
Louise’s career has led her to work at leading firms and companies such as Linklaters, Minter Ellison and BBC Studios. Louise now lives in Bristol and enjoys spending time with her husband and her two young children.
Nova Systems International (engineering consultancy); BBC Studios; Linklaters; Minter Ellison (Melbourne).
Solicitor admitted in England & Wales (April 2025); Australian lawyer admitted in Victoria,
Australia (April 2008); University of Adelaide (Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Commerce).
Emma is a dual-qualified English and Australian lawyer with extensive experience advising global businesses across the UK, Europe, Australia and Asia. She has held senior in-house roles with multinationals across technology, FMCG, retail, media and manufacturing, advising boards and C‑suite leaders on commercial, corporate and regulatory matters.
Her specialisms include commercial contracting, technology and outsourcing, data privacy and GDPR, intellectual property, advertising and marketing law, and corporate governance. She regularly supports multi‑jurisdictional projects as a central legal contact, coordinating local counsel and working as embedded in‑house support through flexible legal resourcing models.
Lawyers on Demand; Babies Who Lunch London; Supernova (Singapore); Bega Beverages (Melbourne, Australia).
Admitted to practice in England and Wales, and in Victoria, Australia, LLB (Hons) from the University of Leeds (2003).
Georgie Blears is a lawyer with broad legal and commercial experience in high-value litigation, arbitration, and regulatory investigations, having trained and practised at Latham & Watkins (London) LLPs Litigation and Trial department. She has advised global clients on compliance and risk, and has acted in a range of high-profile cases before the English High Court, Court of Appeal, and Administrative Court.
Passionate about sustainability, Georgie also works on legal initiatives in East Africa to curb single-use plastics and sits on the advisory board of Daya Ventures, a femtech venture studio. She graduated top of her year in History at the University of Edinburgh, with published research in early modern witchcraft.
Latham & Watkins (London) LLP
Higher Rights of Audience in the UK (2024); Graduate Diploma in Law & Accelerated Legal Practice Course (BPP, London 2017-19); MA History Honours (University of Edinburgh, 1st class, 2017)
David is a highly motivated and experienced FCCA with a successful track record working with privately owned entrepreneurial businesses. He has a unique skill set developed and honed over 30 years; working with the leadership teams of dynamic and highly regarded businesses. His broad experience covers the strategic aspects of day-to-day business issues within a growing business, helping the leadership team to achieve their goals and increase their value.
KPMG; HBOS; United House Group; Ideaworks Group; Vendigital.
Association of Accounting Technicians (1986); Institute of Chartered Certified Accountants (1990); JIEB 1998.
Lisa is our expert on compliance, risk and regulation. A highly-valued member of our team, Lisa helps us ensure that our policies and procedures are up to date. Her knowledge of SRA compliance, Anti-Money laundering and Professional Conduct requirements is vital to the London Law Collective.
Lisa enjoys spending time outdoors and is a keen runner and with a young family, much of her spare time is spent in the park. She is a supporter of social enterprise and works closely with third sector businesses and promotes the ethos of ‘business for good’. Lisa is a people person and likes nothing more than sitting around a fire pit on a warm evening with a glass or two of wine!
Jonathon Bray Ltd; NewLaw Solicitors; Capital Law; Harrisons Solicitors
Law Society accredited Lexcel Consultant; Solicitor’s Practising Certificate (2005 to 2015); LLB in Law (Aberystwyth University)
Miki has over twenty years’ experience working in communications across the public and private sectors. In that time, he has been Head of Corporate Affairs at the British Library and has led consumer PR campaigns for major global brands. He now runs his own consultancy offering support to cultural, creative and other organisations.
Miki is also a writer, recently released a collection of short stories and is working on his next book. He volunteers with refugees in Greece with the charity FoodKIND, works with the refugee charity Breaking Barriers and is a Governor of Highgate Wood Secondary School.
British Library; Burson-Marsteller; Ketchum PR
MA Creative Writing (Birkbeck, University of London); MA History Hons (University of Edinburgh)
Lyra
It has to be said that law is not my strong point – it amazes me how everyone sticks to all those rules. I find them baffling and often transgress without realising or just because I find it too tempting. However, the CEO tells me that people are often the same and that’s why law firms are in demand. It’s nice to know we’re not so very different after all.
Santi
I’m a thoughtful young hound. As Shakespeare said, “The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool”. You know what? In both cases, I think he was talking about my ancestors. I’m happy in any echelon of society, bringing a ‘joie de vivre’ to any situation.
Ollie
While I may not boast a traditional legal education (who needs it when you’ve got my paw-some instincts?), my knack for sniffing out justice is unmatched. Though I must confess, my passion for snacks often leads me astray – a trait my colleagues know all too well! But fear not, for beneath my insatiable appetite lies the heart of a calm and collected legal beagle, always ready to tackle any challenge that comes our way by being the perfect companion in high-stakes negotiations and intense meeting dramas.