Amanda Millar is a former President of the Law Society of Scotland and was the first openly LGBTQ+ person to hold the office. She was also the first solicitor accredited by the Law Society of Scotland as a specialist in both Mental Health Law and Incapacity and Mental Disability Law.
A solicitor with extensive experience across legal practice, leadership and governance, Amanda has worked across the public, private and third sectors throughout her career. She has held a range of senior leadership, board and governance roles and is an experienced facilitator, speaker and coach.
Now, through Buchanan Millar, Amanda works with organisations and individuals across the public, private and third sectors on workforce performance, organisational development and inclusion.
Aniela is a dually qualified experienced executive with over two decades of international legal and compliance experience in UK, EMEA and US. Aniela is Vice President with GreenScale Data Centers, previously she held leadership roles with various tech and private equity companies including over 15 years with Siemens, where she broke ground as the company’s first woman General Counsel in Europe having worked on the development of over 7GW of renewables projects from the inception to construction and beyond.
Aniela is also an ambassador of POWERful Women (an organisation driving D&I in the energy sector), a mentor in the legal community and serving on the Board of Women’s Engineering Society (an organisation driving D&I in the STEM professions). She uses her broad knowledge, heritage, and leadership experience to promote and support the energy transition, several diversity and inclusion initiatives while championing change in the legal profession.
Clare Murray is the Founder and Managing Partner of CM Murray LLP, a leading boutique specialising in partnership, employment law and regulation and professional discipline. CM Murray LLP is ranked Tier 1 and Band 1 by Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners respectively for both Partnership Law and Employment (Senior Executives). The firm is described in Legal 500 as “one of the legal world’s strongest offerings in this area.”
Clare acts for US and UK professional services firms (particularly in the legal sector), and for equity partners in professional services and investment management firms. She has particular expertise in the strategic handling of partner investigations, partner conduct and performance issues, partner exits, team moves and restrictive covenants, as well as partner discrimination and whistleblowing complaints and litigation.
Clare is also regarded as a market leader in providing strategic advice to senior executives, founders, US and multi-national companies with UK operations, and US and UK law firms, on their employment law issues. CM Murray LLP founded IFSEA, the International Forum of Senior Executive Advisers, a multi-disciplinary forum chaired by Clare that brings together leading advisers to executives, boards and founders, from around the world.
Clare is personally ranked as a ‘Hall of Fame’ lawyer by Legal 500 for Partnership Law and Employment (Senior Executives), and as an ‘Eminent Practitioner’ by Chambers and Partners for Partnership (Contentious and Non-Contentious) and Employment (Senior Executive) matters.
Lesley has been a voracious champion of D&I throughout her career. In her previous role at Lloyds Banking Group, she supported all strands of diversity by fostering a positive culture where people’s different backgrounds, views and values are given appropriate respect at work. She led the hugely successful Breakthrough Mentoring programme to promote and retain female talent – the success of which she then used to raise the profile of other diversity initiatives including, the Rainbow Network.
Lesley is on the board of EurOut at London Business School and is a regular keynote speaker on LGBT+ issues. She is the Founder and CEO of Through the Looking Glass Charity (which provides less affluent students with rare insight into City professions) and Founder and President of The Eagle Club (which helps women in leadership positions to realise their potential and build strong support structures).
Lisa Ardley-Price is a Managing Legal Counsel at National Westminster Bank and previous winner of In-House Counsel of the Year, Women and Diversity in Law Awards 2023 for her empowering work in coaching, wellbeing and diversity. Lisa is Global Co-Chair of NatWest’s Gender Network and co-leads seven sub-committees and a global network of approx. 300 volunteers and 9,000 members, focusing on allyship, intersectionality gender-specific wellbeing and career development. Lisa is also a certified coach and yoga teacher who has driven initiatives to improve colleague wellbeing. Lisa has coached and mentored individuals internally and through external programmes, fostering growth, confidence and connection. Lisa's impactful work includes speaking at events including championing social mobility, DEI and wellbeing at The Lawyer and Legal 500 industry conferences and the ERG Leaders Summit this year. She facilitates training sessions internally and is a guest presenter for Women in Banking and Finance’s Personal Excellence Programme. Lisa also serves as a European Representative for the Global BAFT Women in Transaction Banking Committee and this year has also been shortlisted as Mentor of the Year in the Women in Power and Influence in Law Awards, Mentor and DEI Champion in a Legal Role in the Women and Diversity in Law Awards and DE&I Champion of the Year, Legal 500 ESG Awards 2024.
Lubna Shuja is a former President of the Law Society of England and Wales. She is the first Asian, first Muslim and only the 7th female to take office as President in its 200 year history. She was also on the Law Society Board for 5½ years.
Lubna has been a solicitor for 33 years and a Mediator for 19 years. She is the owner of Legal Swan Solicitors in Birmingham. She is also a member of the Ministry of Justice’s Online Procedure Rule Sub-Committee and sits on Barbri’s SQE Advisory Board.
An expert in ethics and professional regulation for over 20 years, Lubna has Chaired hearings for professional regulators where she acts in the public interest taking decisions that ensure the public is protected. This role has entailed making decisions about whether professionals have acted ethically and in a way which upholds public confidence. She adjudicates as a Chair on misconduct/disciplinary hearings for the General Pharmaceutical Council, Social Work England and the Architects Registration Board. She has worked with the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal and was a Chair of misconduct/health hearings for the Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service, the General Chiropractic Council and the ACCA.
Lubna was awarded Outstanding Achievement Award 2026 by Women and Diversity in Law. She has received a host of other awards including Outstanding Achievement Award from the Asian Legal Awards (2023), Lifetime Achievement Award from the University of Westminster (2023), the Carrie Morrison Woman of the Year Award from the UK-India Legal Partnership (2022) and the Sole Practitioner/High Street Firm Award from the Black Solicitors Network (2021). She has also been awarded Honorary Doctorates for her contributions to law and diversity by Leeds Beckett University, The University of West London, Aston University and the University of Law.”
Lucy Burrows is Senior Clerk at Duxton Hill Chambers, where she works with its members on the development of their practices and the continued growth of Chambers in London, Singapore and internationally.
Lucy has more than 20 years’ experience at the commercial Bar, having held senior clerking, practice management, business development and strategic leadership roles at a number of leading sets. She was named in The Lawyer’s Hot 100 in 2024.
Throughout her career, Lucy has been actively involved in initiatives aimed at improving equality, diversity, inclusion, wellbeing and retention within the profession. She chairs the Institute of Barristers’ Clerks’ Equality, Diversity & Inclusion and Wellbeing Committee, sits on the IBC Executive Committee and has contributed to a number of Bar Council and profession-wide initiatives in these areas. She was also a member of the Reference Group for the Harman Review into bullying, harassment and sexual harassment at the Bar.
Lucy is committed to helping create a profession in which talented people from all backgrounds are able to build, develop and sustain successful careers.
In 2023, Lucy won the Unsung Hero Award at the Women & Diversity in Law Awards and was subsequently shortlisted at the Legal 500 ESG Awards in 2024. She is delighted to return to the Women & Diversity in Law Awards judging panel.
Nina Goswami is Clifford Chance's first Head of Inclusion UK. She is responsible for developing and implementing the law firm's inclusion policies and campaigns within the London and Newcastle offices. Before Clifford Chance, Nina was the BBC's Creative Diversity Lead and headed up 50:50 The Equality Project. The multi-award-winning initiative uses data monitoring to ensure media content better reflects society. She also led work around inclusive language and supported BBC News with its diversity and inclusion strategy. This included launching impact-driven partnerships such as Reframing Disability with the Media Trust. Nina also worked as a journalist for The Sunday Times, The Sunday Telegraph and the legal press. This was prior to her roles at the BBC, which included TV News Editor. Nina has named as Inspirational d&i Leader 2024. Nina has also featured in the Global Diversity List as Head of Diversity (2023), Champion (2021) and Diversity Professional (2020).
Patrick is the Chief Executive of the City of London Law Society and the co-CEO of City Century, a solicitor apprentice initiative with around 50 law firms, currently recruiting 150 school-leavers, most of whom are low SEB, into remunerative City law careers.
He is co-founder of the Social Welfare Solicitors’ Qualification Fund, for which he has raised over £1.5m, allowing 140 legal aid workers to qualify.
Patrick is the immediate past Director of Learning at Linklaters, where he led the firm’s global L&D strategy, and is the immediate past Chair of the City of London Law Society Training Committee.
He is the founder of two legal queer recruitment initiatives: DiversCity (2012) and Queer City Law Career (2024).
Patrick also led #TheLLP!, which won Best LGBT+ Initiative at the 2025 Women & Diversity in Law Awards and the 2025 Legal 500 ESG Awards. Patrick is the 2024 UK Social Mobility Awards’ Champion of the Year, received a Special Mention at the 2024 British LGBT Awards and was shortlisted in the 2025 Women & Diversity in Law Awards’ LGBT Person of the Year category. The projects and teams he has led have been shortlisted for 25 national awards in the last two months, to date winning over half.
Patrick is also one of the most visible LGBTQ+ professionals in the UK legal sector, with nearly 20,000 followers and over 2 million views annually on LinkedIn, currently ranking 6th worldwide.
He is out as queer, #StateSchoolProud and late-diagnosed neurodiverse.
Phoebe’s purpose is to support and encourage the advancement of women. A believer in equality since she developed conscious thought, she works to authentically, boldly support women to identify, harness and communicate their power and, breakdown systemic inequalities at the meso and macro levels.
A two-time winner of Management Today’s 35 Women Under 35 (having achieved this at 29 and 31, for her contributions to gender equality in business), Phoebe is Co-Founder and Partner of Optimising Potential.
Phoebe has clients in the private, and non-profit sectors. She works with all gender identities and all intersectionalities - her mission to support everyone feel as good as they deserve to feel.
Phoebe is the sole Leadership Consultant for UN Women UK, the first of its kind, instructed after years of being a participant to Commission on the Status of Women.
Phoebe is a former tutor of three years for courses at the University of Cambridge’s Institute for Sustainability Leadership ('Women Leading Change: Shaping Our Future' and 'High Impact Leadership'). She is a Judge of MT's 35 Women Under 35, the Women and Diversity in Law Awards and the UK Start up Awards.
First woman to be President of the Federation of European Bar Associations.
Professor Sara Chandler KC (Hon) is a solicitor in London South Bank University’s Legal Advice Clinic, and was a Council Member of the Law Society of England & Wales (LSEW), representing solicitors in the voluntary sector from 2002 to 2021. She is also active in local law societies and is Past President of Westminster & Holborn Law Society and Past President of South London Law Society. She was Chair of the Law Society’s Human Rights Committee from 2011 to 2015 and continues as an active member with particular responsibility for Colombia.
Sara has a background in free legal services having worked for 15 years in Law Centres, 5 years in legal aid firms, 9 years in the University of Law Legal Advice Centre, and joined London South Bank University in 2012. Her work in the Legal Advice Clinic involves training and supervising law students to give free legal services to members of the public.
In 2016 Sara was made Honorary QC for her work in human rights, pro bono and clinical legal education. During 2003 to 2012 Sara worked pro bono in training programmes of the Law Society of England & Wales with the legal professions of Nigeria, Uganda, Zambia and the Eastern Caribbean on access to justice, promoting legal aid schemes and free legal services.
From 1982 to 92 she worked in North Lewisham Law Centre as a welfare rights worker and in 1995 she qualified as a solicitor, working in a legal aid firm assisting homeless people as a solicitor specialising in Housing Law.
Sara has been a member of the Human Rights Commission of the Federation of European Bars (FBE) since 2006, and in 2011 she became President of the Human Rights Commission until 2015, when she joined the FBE Presidency. She is currently the Secretary to the Commission.
In 2017 she became the first female President of the European Bars Federation (FBE), and campaigns for Women in Leadership in the Law. Since 2018 she has been the Chair Law Society’s Equality Diversity and Inclusion Committee and is working to achieve a more diverse and inclusive legal profession.
Rachel Walker is General Counsel & Chief Administrative Officer (Europe) at GLP Capital Partners where she set up the in-house Legal, Compliance and Governance function when she joined in 2014. She oversees the Legal, Governance, Risk and Regulatory programmes, as well as Marketing and Communications and GLP’s Luxembourg team.
Rachel is passionate about talent development and initiated GLP Europe’s pan-European mentoring programme as well as the “G-Academy” talent development programme for her team. She is an active member of GLP’s DEI&B group, and chairs GLP Europe’s Charity Committee.
Rachel has a law degree from Oxford University and prior to GLP she spent 10 years at Herbert Smith Freehills LLP. Previously she has contributed to publications of the International Comparative Legal Guide to Real Estate and other legal journals.
Reign has 16 years’ senior management experience and 13 years’ legal industry experience, spanning both legal practice and strategic advisory roles, with significant expertise in developing commercial strategy, developing client relationships and coaching teams to achieve results. Her USP is operating in the unique space where law, business and culture come together. In addition to her legal practice, Reign works with senior leadership teams to design commercial strategy in relation to client acquisition, identify new strategic opportunities and service lines, develop and drive execution plans, and enhance market positioning. She also works with individuals and teams on strategic alignment, practice development, business development, change management, performance, and team building.
Sara is an employed barrister with over 27 years’ experience in the criminal justice, public policy and international sectors. Much of her career has been spent working for government, including as Director of Strategic Policy at the Crown Prosecution Service before joining the IBA in 2019.
Sara has led the legal teams on two public inquiries (The Baha Mousa Inquiry and the Detainee Inquiry) and spent 3 years as a legal and policy advisor to the Senior Presiding Judge and Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales. She has sat in a judicial capacity on the Council of the Inns of Court Disciplinary Tribunal between 2013 and 2020 and was appointed as a reviewer for the National Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel in 2019. She currently heads up the Legal Policy and Research Unit at the International Bar Association, working across all Committees and Divisions to lead and support a wide range of IBA projects. This frequently involves collaboration with external stakeholders, including the United Nations, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), European Union institutions and World Bank. Current project work includes gender parity in the legal profession, business and human rights and sustainability, Anti-Corruption and ethics, rule of law and mental well-being in the legal profession.
Sara is also a trustee for the homeless charity, Under One Sky.
Collaboration, creativity and confidence are core to Sunita Harley’s work with law firms over the last 18 years as an award-winning Inclusion and Professional Development Specialist. Through her consultancy Collective Insight launched in 2016, Sunita and her team deliver engaging inclusion sessions, inspiring career management programmes and insightful leadership sessions for law firms, chambers and other corporate organisations including Lloyds Banking Group, Marie Curie, Meta and Coursera.
She is proud to have delivered award-nominee programmes to equip professionals at all stages of their careers. Her clients value the unique career management programmes for women and diverse professionals, inspiring group coaching sessions, exec coaching conversations and leadership development workshops she delivers for a number of leading law firms.
Sunita’s expertise has been featured in Psychologies, People Management, Elle and on the BBC. In 2023, Collective Insight won the Diversity Champion of the Year in a Specialist Role award at the Women and Diversity in Law Awards. When collecting this award, Sunita told Baroness Floella Benjamin that she was dedicating the award to her late best friend Natasha. In 2024, Sunita was selected as one of the four finalists for the Outstanding Achievement Award by University of Westminster.
Sunita worked in-house as an HR leader at Herbert Smith Freehills, Slaughter and May and Addleshaw Goddard. Sunita is previously the Co-Chair of the Cultural Diversity Network at Taylor Wessing and the Chair of the Family Network at Slaughter and May.
She kicked off her earlier career working as a DJ and in fashion where, despite being one of the few British Mauritian South Asian professionals in her sector, she was selected for assignments with global brands including Nike, The Body Shop and Vogue.
Her podcast Lucky Things focuses on looking after our careers, confidence and wellbeing. She is a proud mental-health advocate having navigated numerous life setbacks. Sunita is often asked to deliver talks for colleagues throughout the year as well as for Mental Health Awareness Week, International Women’s Day and South Asian Heritage Month. Sunita loves sharing practical know-how via her LinkedIn corner and often reminds all of us to celebrate our career achievements. She looks forward to celebrating all of the nominees and finalists for the 2025 Women and Diversity in Law Awards.
Yasmin Waljee OBE, is responsible for shaping the International Pro bono Practice at Hogan Lovells Cadwalader. Her appointment in 1997 was the first of its kind in Europe and her appointment to the partnership was the first such appointment in the UK.
Yasmin is an expert in the field of human rights with a focus on victims and reparations work. She has practiced in this area at Hogan Lovells Cadwalader for 27 years, starting on Privy Council appeals against the death penalty and working on many ground breaking and law changing matters. She has expertise in human trafficking and sexual violence, including formerly sitting on the Advisory Panel to the UK's Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner. She is also a Council of Europe member of the network of lawyers on anti-human trafficking (GRETA), Trustee of the IBA Human Rights Institute, Director of the Global Board of Equality Now and Trustee of the Chancery Lane Project and Advisory Board member to the Patchwork Foundation
