Emanuele Santella
Workshop leader, associate , RPC
Emanuele is an experienced associate in the cyber & tech insurance team at RPC focusing on all aspects of cyber breach response and technology litigation. His work includes defending claims arising out of data breaches and advising on regulatory investigations.
Rona Bar-Isaac
Keynote speaker, partner, Addleshaw Goddard
Rona specialises in UK and EC competition and merger control law. She advises UK and international clients on the wide range of competition law matters, including of anti-trust litigation. She is recognised as a leading practitioner in her area and was acclaimed as one of the Lawyer’s “Hot 100” for her contributions.
Her clients span a variety of sectors, including comprehensive experience of advising in the retail and consumer sector for over 20 years. She also regularly advises in regulated sectors and co-leads the firm’s Water Group. She is recognised by Legal 500 as a leading individual in that area.
April Baynes
Workshop leader, partner, Trowers & Hamlins LLP
April has over 8 years’ experience in the projects and construction sector and regularly advises major international construction and project companies. During this time she has represented a diverse range of clients, including employers, consultants, contractors and subcontractors in arbitration, adjudication and other forms of litigation in respect of disputes concerning defective design and workmanship claims, variation and delay claims, loss and expense claims, and unlawful termination.
Tim Edgar
Panellist, trainee, Charles Russell Speechlys
Tim is a third-seat trainee at Charles Russell Speechlys. He studied German and History at the University of Nottingham before going on to study the GDL at BPP and LPC at the University of Law. During his training contract he has enjoyed seats in corporate (first seat), tax (second seat) and corporate restructuring and insolvency (current seat).
Alexandra White
Panellist, trainee, Trowers & Hamlins LLP
Alexandra is a fourth seat trainee in the construction disputes department. Previous seats in real estate (housing and development), real estate (commercial) and projects & construction.
Robert Gray
Workshop leader, partner, Baker McKenzie
Robert is a partner in Baker McKenzie’s London corporate Group. He advises regularly on the structuring and negotiating of cross-border and domestic mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and complex carve-outs, with a particular focus on the Industrials sector. In addition, Robert has a particular focus on Russia and the CIS, having previously been based in the region.
Alison Riddle
Panellist, workshop leader, partner, Osborne Clarke LLP
Alison is a Funds and Corporate Real Estate Partner in Osborne Clarke’s London office. She specialises in structuring funds, joint ventures and corporate real estate sales and purchases, with a particular focus on the Built Environment sector. She has a broad range of experience working with institutions such as ARA Europe, PGIM, Fiera, KKR, Patrizia and GLP as well as smaller investment management businesses and family offices. Alison has established on and off shore structures as well as leading on complex portfolio and large asset sale and purchases. She has worked on operational real estate joint ventures, acting for both investors and operating partners in the UK and Europe.
Alice Anderson
Panellist, The University of Law
Alice is a future trainee solicitor at Wedlake Bell LLP (September 2024). She recently completed the LLM Legal Practice (SQE 1+2) and MA Law Conversion at the University of Law (Moorgate Campus).
Marina Sultonova
Panellist, trainee, Ropes & Gray International LLP
Marina is currently a first-seat trainee at Ropes & Gray, assisting the data and life sciences departments. Marina received an offer to join the firm after having completed a vacation scheme in July 2022. Prior to that, she was working as a paralegal in immigration law.
Showmir Chowdhury
Panellist, trainee, Addleshaw Goddard
Showmir is a first seat trainee in the Addleshaw Goddard (AG) London office, currently in the structured finance team. Showmir took part in the AG summer placement scheme in 2020 and received a training contract shortly after. Prior to Showmir’s legal career they worked as a buyer and have a keen interest in the retail and consumer sector.
Tina Lepomme
Workshop leader, senior legal technologist, Addleshaw Goddard
Tina is a senior legal technologist part of the legal tech consulting team at Addleshaw Goddard. She has 10+ years of experience guiding and supporting clients with the implementation of global tech solutions to meet their needs. She specialises in accompanying clients on their legal tech journey from the identification of the right tools through to their implementation and return on investment. She ensures that every step is met with success and that clients end up with a solution which is fit for purpose.
Joe Sandys
Workshop leader, associate , Cooley (UK) LLP
Joe’s practice focuses primarily on the life sciences sector, advising pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical technology companies in a wide range of domestic and international intellectual property-based transactions.
Chris Stack
Panellist, partner, Cooley (UK) LLP
Chris advises businesses on all aspects of UK employment law. He partners with clients to understand their culture, values and priorities and is experienced in helping companies navigate the legal and cultural differences arising from different jurisdictions’ employment law regimes.
Vik Khurana
Panellist, partner, Bristows LLP
Vik specialises in all aspects of commercial technology law and regularly leads complex and strategic technology projects. In particular, Vik advises on outsourcing, software development and licensing, digital transformation, cloud computing, e-commerce, and other arrangements involving the use or exploitation of IP and technology. In addition, Vik has a growing practice in emerging disruptive technologies like artificial intelligence, advising both high-growth and established businesses as they develop, deploy and scale new products and services in the market. Vik acts for clients in a diverse range of sectors, including technology, media, government, healthcare and financial services. Having spent significant time seconded to clients – including a global energy company and the Singapore arm of a major telecoms provider – Vik has a keen understanding of the needs of clients’ legal and business teams.
Hamish Perry
Workshop leader, partner, Charles Russell Speechlys
Hamish is a partner in the corporate team at Charles Russell Speechlys. He is the training principal for both the London office and the overall trainee cohort and has been with the firm since 2005. Hamish advises on general company and commercial matters with a particular emphasis on private company mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, fundraisings/private equity and corporate reorganisations. Hamish is particularly active in the Caribbean and is very experienced in advising clients on transactions in that region across a number of industry groups and sectors.
Adeola Alade
Workshop assistant, associate , Baker McKenzie
Nicci Da Costa
Workshop leader, trainee, RPC
Nicci is a third seat trainee, currently sitting in the cyber and tech team at RPC. Before this Nicci completed seats in construction, media and professional and financial risks. Before starting her training contract Nicci completed her undergraduate Law degree at the University of Bristol before working as a paralegal in RPC’s media team in London.
Charlotte Henschen
Panellist, partner, RPC
Charlotte represents clients in complex High Court litigation relating to a wide range of industry sectors nationally and internationally. She specialises in high value commercial litigation, with a focus on investment banking litigation, capital markets, investment and fund management disputes and civil fraud.
Victoria Srivastava
Workshop leader, associate , Ropes & Gray LLP
Victoria Srivastava is an associate in Ropes & Gray’s private equity group. Victoria trained at the firm’s London office and gained experience in the private equity, data privacy and intellectual property, bank finance and real estate private equity departments of the firm.
Victoria has a range of experience acting for private equity and corporate clients on domestic and international acquisitions and disposals as well as advising on general corporate law and governance issues.
Katie Fielding
Workshop assistant, trainee, Ropes & Gray International LLP
Michael Ahyow
Workshop leader, senior associate, Osborne Clarke LLP
Mike is a senior associate in the commercial team. He acts for clients in technology-driven and creative industries on matters relating to IT sourcing, software development and licensing, digital distribution, e-commerce and consumer, intellectual property exploitation, marketing and data privacy. He has previously acted for major telecoms companies, high street retailers, online platforms, international media organisations, “triple A” video games developers and indie studios.
Anna Martinez
Workshop leader, legal technologist, Addleshaw Goddard
Anna is a legal technologist within the legal tech consulting pillar of the innovation & legal tech team at Addleshaw Goddard (AG). Anna has worked with AG for a couple of years where she has been involved in testing, using and advising on various kinds of tech solutions for a range of clients. In the last year, she has been involved in a client secondment where she assisted to roll out a contract lifecycle management tool within their business.
Matt Morrow
Workshop leader, associate, Jones Day
Matt Morrow practices commercial litigation with a focus on complex disputes. He has acted for large corporations in a wide range of matters, including fraud, asset tracing, and construction disputes. Matt’s recent experience includes: successfully acting for a real estate developer in adjudication proceedings arising from defects in the design and construction of the cladding system of one of its London properties; advising a Kazakh bank in tracing assets and pursuing claims against a number of fraudsters across multiple jurisdictions while successfully seeking interim relief in the courts of England and Wales; working for an Emirati bank in an action brought in aid of foreign proceedings in which worldwide freezing orders were obtained in the United Kingdom and against Chabra defendants in the British Virgin Islands (BVI); and acting for Project Today in its defense of the high-profile proceedings and search orders brought by Ocado.
Melissa Parkes
Panellist, trainee, Jones Day
Melissa is a Durham University graduate with an Upper Second Class Honours in Law LLB. She completed the LPC at BPP University (Holborn), and is now completing a Training Contract with Jones Day.