FOURTH EDITION £15.00 DEBO NWAUZU EDITOR This book is dedicated to my mother from whom I learned that worrying about what others think of you ultimately limits your horizons. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS y the time Black Letter Law 2008 was launched last October, Lehman Brothers had just imploded and I was shaken and gripped by the sheer scale of the catastrophe. Since that time, many talented young, and not-so-young, people have lost Btheir livelihoods in a wave of retrenchment that I do not believe the legal profession has ever seen. Yet Law remains a very popular vocation for many ethnic minorities. I would hope that this book serves as an encouragement to the discouraged in the current economic climate. Its contents show that there are many trailblazers and those who continue to make legal history. Being a perennial optimist, I am hopeful that the best is very much yet to come. On another positive note, I was very surprised (as I am now a non- practising solicitor) to be named by The Lawyer as one of this year’s Hot 100 lawyers. I do not like having my Campaigners photograph taken, but somewhat 18 The Lawyer Hot 100 2008 19 The Lawyer Hot 100 2008 to my amazement enjoyed the magazine shoot which took place on an unglamorous rooftop, as befits this recessionary time. I share that accolade with everyone in this book, as I received it partly because of this publication, which is about you - you are the truly “hot” ones! Debo Nwauzu is Shelagh, thank God I met you on that trip to the Alhambra Palace in Spain a non-practising and thank you for your energy, unstinting hard work and commitment. solicitor and is Tamba, thank you for your patience and understanding in expressing the founder and my vision clearly in the book designs. Finally, a big thanks to my family, Managing Director of particularly my children, without whom I would probably be a terrible Totally Management workaholic! Ltd, owners of BLD. She is also, and has There would be no book without the advertisers and those who buy it. been since 1986, My gratitude to you for making the seemingly impossible, possible. a barrister and a solicitor of the Supreme Court of Debo Nwauzu Nigeria. September 2009 4 FOREWORD am delighted to be asked to write the foreword to the 2009 edition of Black Letter Law. A mere three years after its inception, not only has this publication continued to increase in size, it is also firmly Iestablished in the legal profession’s consciousness. The cover of Black Letter Law speaks of “showcasing achievement in law”. That is precisely what this publication accomplishes. It highlights a considerable well of talent in the legal profession from which we all can, and we all should, draw and drink. There is, however, another thirst to be quenched, namely the encouragement of future generations of diverse lawyers. Everyone who features in this publication is an inspiration, both for those who are already interested in a career in law and also for those who have not yet made that decision (or who do not yet even know what being a lawyer is or what it involves). Indeed they are an inspiration for all of us already in the legal profession. My hope is that we all take on the responsibility of being role models and that each of us will talk to young people about why we became lawyers, what the legal profession brings to us (and what we bring to it) so that all young people know what it might mean to them to be a lawyer. I aspire to a legal profession that is as diverse as all the people it might be called upon to represent. Black Letter Law brings us closer to making that aspiration a black letter reality in the future. My request is therefore that lawyers and members of the judiciary who feature in this publication will take up opportunities where they develop, and even develop their own opportunities, to be role models. I look forward to reading future publications of Black Letter Law that demonstrate that we have succeeded in inspiring a future generation of lawyers even more diverse than the one I am proud to be celebrating in this year’s publication. The Right Honourable Baroness Scotland of Asthal QC, Her Majesty’s Attorney General for England and Wales and Attorney General for Northern Ireland 5 CONTENTS 30 70 89 136 165 182 220 230 236 253 257 264 6 SECTIONS 9 LEGAL HISTORY AND LEGAL HISTORY IN THE MAKING 39 PARTNERS IN THE UK TOP 100 LAW FIRMS 127 PARTNERS IN US AND OTHER INTERNATIONAL LAW FIRMS IN 99 THE UK 143 QUEEN’S COUNSELS (QCs) 171 JUDGES 197 HEADS OF LAW/DIRECTORS OF LAW IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT, PUBLIC SECTOR AND THE NOT- FOR-PROFIT SECTOR 201 213 PROFESSORS OF LAW/ ASSOCIATE PROFESSORS OF LAW AND ACADEMIC HEADS 227 HEADS OF CHAMBERS 233 GENERAL COUNSELS 245 MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT, PEERS AND GOVERNMENT 247 MINISTERS 251 BLD LAWYERS OF THE MONTH 259 TRAILBLAZERS AND THOSE IN THE NEWS 279 LEGAL GROUPS AND ASSOCIATIONS 292 ORDER FORM 283 293 INDEX 7 CREDITS Cover: Top row: Courtenay Griffiths QC 150, 180, 229 Raj Joshi 268, 284 Baroness Warsi 37, 249, 278 Middle row: Yogi Amin 45, 254, 263 Gifty Edila 22, 202, 255, 267 Trevor James 24, 132, 254, 270 Bottom row: Magdalene Bayim-Adomako 130, 256 District Judge Ray Singh CBE 35, 191 Professor Ben Bowling 217 FOURTH EDITION £15.00 © Copyright No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, First published in Great Britain in 2009 by without either the prior written Totally Management Ltd permission of the publisher or a licence 145-157 St John Street permitting restricted copying in the UK London EC1V 4PY by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Email: info @onlineBLD.com www.onlineBLD.com The following images were provided by UPPA: Editor Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Debo Nwauzu Paul Boateng, Nelson Mandela, Sibghat Kadri QC, Rudy Narayan, Frank Panford QC, Sub-editor and researcher Lord John Taylor and David Lammy. Shelagh Meredith The following images were by Robert Designed by Aberman: Tamba S. Foday of Treis Ltd Kalvir Kaur, Zarina Gani and the group picture on Page 259 of Cherie Booth QC Printed and bounded in the UK by with Kalvir Kaur, Yogi Amin, Adewuyi MPG Biddles Ltd Olorunfemi and Zarina Gani. 8 1 n the Legal History section LEGAL HISTORY of this book, you will find Iinformation about black AND LEGAL and ethnic minority lawyers dating back to 1862 whilst the HISTORY IN THE Legal History in the Making section highlights those who MAKING are still living but, as the title suggests, are making legal history. DAME LInDA DOBBS The Honourable Mrs Justice Dobbs DBE became Britain’s first (and so far, only) non-white High Court judge in 2004. She has many titles and accolades, including Queen’s Counsel, a number of doctorates and is a Dame of the British Empire. She sits in the Queen’s Bench Division, which includes sitting in the Divisional and Administrative Courts and the Criminal Division of the Court of Appeal. She was called to the Bar in 1981 and took silk in 1998. Her practice (both prosecution and defence) was predominantly in white collar crime, Customs and Excise offences and disciplinary matters. She was a member and chair of several Bar Council committees, including the Race Relations and Professional Standards Committee and the Criminal Bar Association. She is a contributing editor to a number of legal publications and has lectured extensively to university and Bar students, magistrates, police and other professionals. She undertakes pro bono work helping to train lawyers and judges in Africa and the Caribbean. She chairs the Magisterial Committee of the Judicial Studies Board. She is also the Senior Liaison Judge for Diversity and is involved in many initiatives to raise awareness about the judiciary and to encourage a wider pool of applicants. She is a patron and trustee of a number of charities which reflect her interests in international pro bono work. Linda was voted one of the 100 Great Black Britons. See also the Queen’s Counsels and Judges sections. 20 What! You are not on BLD? Some of the world’s largest and most diverse law firms are. Our fundamental aim at BLD® is to highlight, promote and champion diversity in the legal profession and to raise aspirations, empower and create a dynamic forum of information and network opportunities. At just three years old we are proud of the achievements at BLD. We remain focused on our aims and tireless in our pursuit in developing and assisting diversity programmes in the legal profession. 10 reasons why you and your organisation should tap into the BLD diversity pipeline 1 Free online listing 2 Delivery of a diverse recruitment strategy through online job advertisements 3 Positive promotion of your organisation’s diversity agenda through BLD’s networking and community events 4 Access to BLD’s annual Black Letter Law publication and monthly e-newsletters 5 Opportunity to promote and participate in BLD’s Legal Gateway Scheme targeting underprivileged youths and aspirational and budding lawyers 6 Tool for reviewing Equality, Diversity and Anti-Discrimination policies 7 Dynamic database of ethnic minority lawyers 8 Aid the public sector organisations in meeting legal obligations under the Race Relations Acts 9 BLD is the fastest growing online network of ethnic minority lawyers in the UK and Europe 10 We believe diversity is about ‘All of us’ To find out more about BLD and its products and services, including sponsorship, advertising on BLD, our newsletters or our annual Black Letter Law publication, email [email protected] or call us on 0845 601 8339.