OUR TRUSTEES & STANDING VOLUNTEER TEAM
Meet the Team
A-Law is governed by a Board of Trustees who oversee the charity's work and compliance with charity and company regulations. The charity is assisted by a standing volunteer team, who fulfill executive functions involved in the running of the charity and by other volunteers who contribute to A-Law's project, policy and research work.
SENIOR POLICY TEAM
CHAIRPERSON & TRUSTEE
Paula Sparks
Paula is Chairperson of the UK Centre for Animal Law (A-Law). She was previous in practice as a barrister at Doughty Street Chambers. Paula has an interest in animal law and regularly lectures and writes on topics around animal law and policy; she is currently a visiting lecturer at the University of Winchester where she teaches animal law and policy. She also has experience in the voluntary sector, where she worked prior to starting independent practice as a barrister.
LEGAL AND POLICY DIRECTOR & TRUSTEE
Alan Bates
Alan is A-Law’s Legal & Policy Director. He is a barrister who specialises in competition, procurement, public/administrative and EU law. From 2000–2001 he worked at the Law Commission, auditing the compatibility of legislation with the ECHR. He advises campaign organisations on Parliamentary procedure and the legal aspects of their lobbying strategies.
SENIOR POLICY ADVISOR
Judith-Anne MacKenzie
Judith-Anne is now retired after a career: (1) as an academic lawyer; (2) in the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel (who draft primary legislation and advise the government on parliamentary procedure); and (3) in the Government Legal Service, in a range of government departments (Energy, Trade and Industry, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Transport). She is a specialist in public and administrative law, and in land law. Judith-Anne is also special adviser to the Save Me Trust on Whitehall matters.
INTERNATIONAL POLICY
Hannah Brown
Hannah co-ordinates A-law's international work. After 10 successful years in practice in London, UK as a qualified lawyer (specializing in litigation and advocacy) and legal journalist, Hannah emigrated to Canada. She uses her skills and experience in policy work, research and project management to develop A-law's interest in animal protection law across jurisdictions and apply that knowledge for the improvement of animal protection in the UK.
STUDENT TEAM
STUDENT GROUP MANAGER & TRUSTEE
Edwina Bowles
Edwina is an A-law trustee and student group manager. Edwina has been involved with the UK Centre for Animal Law (A-law) since 2010 and helped set up the student group, which she now manages. She is a solicitor at, and co-founder of, Advocates for Animals, the UK's first law firm dedicated to animal protection law.
UNIVERSITY LIAISON & TRUSTEE
Mike Radford, OBE LLB
Mike is a Reader in Law at the University of Aberdeen. He leads A-law's work with universities and academics and has taught and lectured on animal law widely, in addition to working extensively on the development of animal welfare law and policy with politicians, officials, veterinarians, NGOs, and other interested parties. Mike is presently a trustee of Dogs Trust, the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare, and OneKind; a member of the All Party Group on Animal Welfare; and a visiting lecturer at both Edinburgh and Glasgow Vet Schools. He was a founder member of both A-law and the Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law Veterinary Association. Mike was appointed OBE in 2008 for services to animal welfare law.
LEGAL SUPPORT OFFICER
Tiffany Mitchell
Tiffany is employed as Legal Support Officer. She works predominately with the student team to coordinate student activities and provide support to students interested in learning more about animal protection law. As part of this role she also supports academics teaching animal law by providing information about teaching resources and creating a forum for teachers and lecturers to share knowledge and expertise. Tiffany also helps with the delivery of A-law's legal education programme. Tiffany is from Newfoundland, Canada. She graduated from Memorial University of Newfoundland with a BA in Law & Society and German with a certificate in Criminology. She then graduated in 2018 with a LLB from the University of Leicester. Tiffany was a recipient of the Advancement of Animal Law Scholarship awarded by the Animal Legal Defense Fund, a US Animal Law Charity. She also founded and chaired the UK's first SALDF Student Society at Leicester University Law School. Tiffany aspires to use her legal education to create change in the field of animal protection law.
STUDENT CO-ORDINATOR
SAM GROOM
Sam is a law student and a Student Co-ordinator for A-law. After studying Modern and Medieval Languages at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was a Senior Scholar, he took the GDL course at City, University of London. There he set up the Cecilia Moot with A-law, the UK’s first animal law mooting competition. He is excited to lead the Cecilia Moot in its second, nationwide incarnation this academic year, and to get more students involved in animal law. He is about to start the BPTC supported by a Major Scholarship from the Inner Temple and a Postgraduate Scholarship from City.
Journal team
EDITOR & TRUSTEE
Jill Williams
Jill is a non practising solicitor and editor of A-law’s Journal. She joined A-law as a director in 2009 and has continued to play a significant role in the group’s work. Jill has both a health and legal background. She originally trained as a nurse before qualifying as a solicitor, and is currently working in the field of public health in a non-legal capacity.
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
George Pennington
George is a commercial lawyer who works in-house in the sports sector. He trained in Bristol before moving to London 4 years ago, shortly after which he became a member of A-law. Outside of work he is a keen football fan and currently battling the transition from vegetarian to vegan.
Social media & communications team
SOCIAL MEDIA OFFICER & TRUSTEE
Abigail Scott
Abigail recently finished her law degree with the Open University. During her studies, Abi was Chair of the Open University Law Society and received the title of UK Environmental Law Association Junior Moot winner, as well as being awarded student prizes in employment law and European Union law. Abigail is marketing manager in her family’s motorcycle dealership, Two Wheel Centre. Abigail is passionate about animal welfare issues and has been a trustee since 2013.
SOCIAL MEDIA CO-ORDINATOR & EDITOR OF 'ANIMAL JUSTICE UK'
Natalie Harney
Natalie is A-law's Social Media & Communications Co-ordinator and the editor of A-law's eMagazine for students, Animal Justice UK. Natalie holds a degree in English from the University of Birmingham and recently completed the GDL with Distinction. Natalie has a long-standing interest in animal law, particularly enforcement and the accountability of public authorities and private bodies responsible for farmed animal welfare. She works full-time for an animal welfare charity.
BLOG EDITOR
Randi Milgram
Randi is an American attorney from Philadelphia, currently living and working in London. Her legal practice has focused on intellectual property, specialising in copyright law. Randi also practiced in urban housing law before moving to the UK. Randi is a freelance writer as well as a lawyer, with a background in journalism. She volunteers with A-law on various projects.
Trustees (non-executive functions)
TRUSTEE
Jeremy Chipperfield
Jeremy is Co-founder of ALAW. He is a barrister and Assistant Coroner in West London and in Oxford. Jeremy’s civil liberties experience includes defending the first criminal prosecution of the new offences (re animal research organizations) under s 145/6 Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 and various proceedings relating to the activities of activists around the country; civil actions against the police and defending High Court actions and Committal applications brought by claimants including Monsanto, Huntingdon Life Sciences, John Lewis and Circus King.
TRUSTEE
Simon Cox
Simon is an Associate Tenant of Doughty Street Chambers. He is employed as the Migration Lawyer for the Open Society Justice Initiative, where he develops, implements and manages legal strategies and projects to promote the rights of international migrants worldwide. Before taking up his current post in October 2011, Simon was a tenant of Doughty Street Chambers where he acted for many civil society organisations, including Amnesty International, the AIRE Centre, Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, Refugee Legal Centre, Child Poverty Action Group and BUAV.
TRUSTEE
Christina Warner
Christina qualified as a solicitor advocate in 2012, cross qualifying as a barrister in 2014. With extensive experience across family, criminal and corporate immigration practices, she has worked for a variety of clients. Throughout her legal career she has also worked as a legal journalist and interpreter. Christina also regularly volunteers at the LGBT charity, Broken Rainbow, offering legal advice to those suffering and/or fleeing from domestic violence. She also sits as a magistrate.
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