The Research Team

At Chambers & Partners, we are proud to maintain a very high standard of research and commentary, and this is directly related to the calibre of our research team, which is larger and better-qualified than that of any other legal directory.

All of our researchers have at least a 2:1 or equivalent degree from a leading university. Many hold postgraduate qualifications, speak foreign languages and have lived and worked abroad.

Biographies of current team members are set out below.

Editors

Andrés Jaramillo-Mejía
Latin America Editor. Graduated in Law from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, Colombia, and holds a Masters (LLM) Cum Laude in European Intellectual Property Law from Stockholm University. He is a qualified lawyer in Colombia, with significant experience in media, entertainment and intellectual property law.

Antony Cooke
Editor of Chambers Student UK and Chambers Associate. Graduated from Durham University in Russian & French. Taught English at St. Petersburg State University. Previously worked at Michelin, managing teams in its European operations, and PricewaterhouseCoopers as an audit associate in Investment Management. Fluent in Russian and French.

Edward Shum
Editor for Africa, Canada, the Middle East, Caribbean and Global-wide sections. Studied Law at Magdalene College, Cambridge. Previously worked at a South London law firm.

Joe Mosby
UK Editor. Graduated with a MA in Literary Studies from Newcastle University in 2006.

James Cowdell
UK Bar Editor. Barrister. Read Modern History at The Queen’s College, Oxford. Practised at the Criminal Bar for five years and was a fee-earner in the family department of a leading London law firm.

Joanna Thomas
European Editor. Graduated in English Literature from the University of Durham in 2003. Speaks fluent Spanish.

Laura Mills
USA Editor. Graduated with a BA in History and Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Pittsburgh and an MA in Middle Eastern Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. Has studied French, Arabic, Spanish and Turkish.

Shi-Ning Koay
Asia-Pacific Editor. Graduated in Law from the University of Manchester. Completed the Bar Vocational Course and was subsequently called to the Bar in 2005. Trained with a leading Malaysian law firm and was called to the Malaysian Bar in 2006.

Stephen Wallace
Editor, Chambers Confidential. Graduated in Law from the University of Kent at Canterbury in 2006.

Deputy Editors

Andrea Serva
Latin America Deputy Editor. Graduated in Law from the Universidade Federal da Bahia in Brazil and holds a Master in Law (LL.M) from the London School of Economics. Also attained a Masters in Business Law from the Universidad de Alcalá de Henares in Spain. She is a qualified lawyer in Brazil, with particular experience in the field of international taxation. Fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

Cheska Polderman
Holds an MA in modern history and an MA in journalism from the University of Amsterdam. Worked as a copy-editor and translator for the Associated Press in Amsterdam. Taught English and Dutch in Paris.

Christopher Teevan
USA Deputy Editor. Graduated from the University of Warwick in 2006 with Honours in English Literature. Also holds an MA in Creative Writing from Royal Holloway, University of London.

Crystal Lo
Asia-Pacific Deputy Editor (based in Hong Kong). Graduated with an MA in Translation and Media from the University of Warwick and a BA in English and Translation Studies from the University of Hong Kong. Worked as a freelance translator/interpreter for the NHS, Thames Valley Police, UBS (Hong Kong), and a research assistant at CUHK. Speaks Cantonese and Mandarin.

David Lamb
Asia-Pacific Deputy Editor. Read English and Philosophy at the University of Leeds before converting to law. Has spent a year teaching English in Japan.

Georgia Brooks
Europe Deputy Editor. Graduated with an MA in Ancient History from UCL and a BA Hons in Classics from the University of Warwick. Previously worked in marketing and as a freelance translator and travel writer. Speaks Arabic, French and Italian.

Giles Thomas
UK Deputy Editor. Graduated in International Relations from the University of Sussex in 2005.

Jamie Horne
UK Deputy Editor. Graduated in 2008 from Emmanuel College, Cambridge, with an honours degree in History.

Jethro Soutar
Latin America Deputy Editor.  Read Portuguese and Spanish at Cardiff University. He is a former capital markets reporter and a published non-fiction author and translator.

Joanna Haber

Global Deputy Editor. Graduated in Public Affairs and Management and International Development from Carleton University in Canada and holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism from the London School of Journalism. Speaks French and Bislama.

Johanna Hansson
USA Deputy Editor. Graduated with a BA in Politics and International Relations from the University of Essex in 2008, and with an MSc in International Relations Theory from the London School of Economics in 2009. Fluent in Swedish, and also speaks German and Norwegian.

Jules Atkey
Europe Deputy Editor. Read French and Spanish at Durham University, with an academic year spent teaching English in León, Spain. Qualified as a solicitor at Slaughter and May and worked in travel PR.

Juliane Althoff
Asia-Pacific Deputy Editor. Graduated with a BA Honours in Communication and Cultural studies from the University of Leeds and completed a MA in Journalism from the University of London before converting to law. Successfully completed the GDL and LPC at the College of Law, London. Fluent in German and speaks basic Spanish and French.

Leila Shah
UK Bar Deputy Editor. Graduated with a First in Law and French Law from the University of Exeter in 2009. Also attained a Master 1 in European Law from the Université de Rennes I in France. Speaks French.

Loretta Lok
Graduated Cum Laude from Columbia University in 2007, where she majored in English Literature and minored in Film Studies and Political Science. Speaks Mandarin.

Michael Perkin
USA Deputy Editor. Graduated in English Language and Linguistics from the University of Sheffield. Worked as a journalist for Hayters Press Agency and has had copy printed in a number of national newspapers, including the Daily Telegraph and the Mail on Sunday.

Phil Roe
Deputy Editor of Chambers Associate. Joined Chambers & Partners in 2007 from a global executive search firm, where he advised Private Equity clients. Has written extensively for both Chambers Associate and the Chambers Student Guide. Graduated with an MA in English from Oxford University, and is a theatre critic for London-based newspapers in his free time.

Richard Simmons
Deputy Editor of the Chambers Student Guide. Graduated with an MA in Medieval History from the University of Durham. Previously worked for a private bank and the publisher of a university guide.

Richard Winter
USA Deputy Editor. Graduated in English Literature from Loughborough University in 2007. Previously worked for a media intelligence company.

Seth Singh Jennings
USA Deputy Editor. Graduated with distinction from King's College London with an MA in Human Values and Contemporary Global Ethics, and holds a BA in Politics & Philosophy from the University of Sussex. Previously worked as a Web Manager at Gazelle Media production company.

Tamsyn McLennan
UK Deputy Editor. Graduated in English Literature and Language from the University of Leeds in 2004 and has a Masters in Screenwriting from Leeds Metropolitan University.

Ursula Ben-Hammou
Latin America Deputy Editor. Graduated in Law from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú and holds a Master in Laws (LLM) with specialisation in International Business Transactions from the London School of Economics and Political Science. She is a qualified lawyer in Peru, with significant experience in corporate and finance law. Fluent in English and Spanish and also speaks French.

Assistant Editors

Alex Marsh
Graduated with a First in English Literature from Manchester University. He also has an MA with Distinction in Contemporary Literature and Novel Writing. He has previously worked as a researcher with a City headhunter and at a business knowledge centre.

Emma Dougan
Graduated from Worcester College, Oxford in 2009 with a first in English.

Jurgita Meskauskaite
Assistant Regional Editor to the Europe guide. Graduated with an MA in Development Management from the University of Westminster in 2007. Previously worked as a business journalist in Lithuania and freelanced in London. Fluent in Russian and Lithuanian.

Nicolás Obregón Fox
Studied literature in Madrid before gaining substantial journalistic experience with a market-leading consumer magazine. Worked for three years as a researcher/writer for a travel magazine. Speaks fluent Spanish and intermediate French.

Researchers

Andrew Dyer
Graduated from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, in 2011 with a BA degree in Japanese. Spent a year abroad at Kobe University. Speaks Japanese and French, and is learning Mandarin.

 

Anna Maria Sulowska
Graduated with a Masters in EU Law from the Jagiellonian University in Poland. Also studied law at the Université de Montpellier I in France and completed GDL and LPC at the College of Law. Speaks Polish, French and is currently learning Italian.

Angela Castillo-Diaz
Graduated in Journalism from Universidad Central de Venezuela (with a special award, "Magna Cum Laude"), holds a Master Degree from Universidad Antonio de Nebrija (Madrid, Spain) in Audiovisual Tecniques applied to Journalism and a MBA degree in Marketing from University of Wales, Cardiff Institute. Previously worked as Editor for an important London-based Latin American newspaper and as Collaborator for Intereconomía Grupo de Comunicaciones (Spain). Fluent in English and a native Spanish speaker.

Ben Polak
Graduated from the University of Nottingham with a BA(Hons) in Modern Language Studies before completing the GDL and LPC at the College of Law. Speaks Spanish, Portuguese and French.

Charles Procter
Graduated from King's College, London in 2011 with a first in Spanish and Portuguese.

Christina Jose
Graduated from the University of St Andrews with a first in Modern Languages with English. Has an MA in Translation and spent five months as an intern at the European Commission.

Christopher Tooke
Graduated with a First in Russian, Czech and Slovak from UCL, where he submitted his doctorate in Russian literature in 2011. In addition to his experience within academia editing journals and teaching at UCL, he has also worked in reference publishing, recruitment and translation.

Claire Oxborrow
Graduated with a first in Modern History from the University of St Andrews in 2005. During postgraduate studies at the LSE she worked as a visiting lecturer at the University of Roehampton. After completing the GDL and the LPC she spent time as a volunteer at the Brunel Museum.

Clare Joseph
Clare has a B.A in English Literature from The Queen's University of Belfast.  She has also lived and studied in India, Portugal and the U.S and is very involved in drama and theatre in London.

Claudia Solaro
Graduated with a First in French and Classics from the University of Reading. Fluent in French and Italian.

Corey Francis
Graduated in Law from the University of Birmingham. Completed the Bar Vocational Course at the College of Law, London and was subsequently called to the Bar in 2010.

Daniel Pang

Graduated with an Honours degree and an MA in Ancient History from King's College London. Some experience as a reporter in Hong Kong. Speaks Cantonese, German and basic Japanese.

Danielle Rabin
Graduated with a dual BA in Creative Writing and Classical Civilizations from Florida State University in 2009, and completed an MA in the History and Philosophy of Medicine from Durham University in 2010.

David Watson 
Has a BA in Modern History from Keble College, Oxford, an MA in War Studies from King's College, London, and over twenty years of experience researching military historical matters for a Ministry of Defence Agency.

Dee Sekar
Studied Law (L.L.B) at Queen Mary College, University of London. Trained at a City firm and worked as a Project & Banking Finance associate for a year. Also has a background in events and international marketing.

Dunja Fehimovic
Graduated with a first in English and Spanish from Oxford, and has an MPhil in Latin American Studies from Cambridge. She speaks Spanish, Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian.

Ed Bradley
Graduated in French and Latin from the University of Bristol and completed the GDL and LPC at BPP London.

Elitsa Yurukova

Graduated in Law from the University of Sofia, holds a Master’s degree (LL.M.) in Corporate and Commercial Law from the London School of Economics and a Diploma in English and EU Law from the University of Cambridge. Previously worked at the Legal Service of the European Commission in Brussels as well as the Bulgarian Ministry of Justice. Fluent in English and Bulgarian.

Elizabeth Sands
Graduated from the University of Warwick with a first in English Literature. Elizabeth also writes for theatre.

Estelle Edwards
Graduated from Brasenose College, Oxford in 2011 with a degree in French and German.

Felicity Hawksley
Graduated from Oxford University in 2009 with a degree in Mediaeval English and two Blues. Currently studying for an LLB in Law. Has previously worked repairing racing boats and in the healthcare sector.

Fiona (Hiu Wing) Wong 
Holds a B.A. (First) and an MPhil in English from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and a PhD in English and Comparative Literary Studies from the University of Warwick. Has been writing for publishing companies and an online magazine. Speaks Cantonese and Mandarin.

Francesca Wright
Read Classics at University College London. Recently completed her GDL and LPC at the College of Law.

Francois Gill

Graduated with a First in History from University College London in 2006. Went on to complete a Masters in the subject at UCL. Speaks French.

Fredrik Kruse
Graduated in Sociology from the University of Oslo in Norway. Fredrik has extensive research experience in both private and not-for-profit sectors, and recently collaborated on the European Commission's INVIP-project. Norwegian national fluent in Spanish, Italian, Swedish, Danish and German.

Gareth Hewer
Graduated in History from Queen Mary, University of London, in 2008, and holds an MA in the History of Political Thought and Intellectual History from University College London. Previously worked as a freelance writer and researcher.

Giseli Haughan
Head of Brazil Research.  Holds a Bachelor of Education from Universidade do Rio de Janeiro. Worked as an English teacher, translator and interpreter in Brazil and as Executive Researcher for Business Research Group and Harris Interactive in London. Currently studying Project Management at Brighton School of Management. Fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

Haleema Mansoor
Graduated in 2009 with a BSc in Applied Psychology and Photography from Pakistan and a MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience from the University of York in 2011. Briefly managed events and has been a freelance writer since 2005.

Harriet Carter
Graduated with a first in English from the University of York. Completed an MA in Aberystwyth and a PhD in Creative and Critical Writing at the University of East Anglia. She has taught English literature and creative writing at both school and undergraduate level, and written two novels.

Hiten Patel
Graduated in Law (LLB) from Queen Mary, University of London in 2010. Also holds a BA (hons) in History from Queen Mary.

Houman Barekat
Studied Law at University College London, graduating in 2002. Holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the College of Law and an MA (with distinction) in Modern History from University College London. Worked for two years as an employment law caseworker. Has written for a variety of magazines and websites.

Ian O’ Neill
Graduated from Nottingham Trent University with a degree in European Law with German.

Imogen Corke
Graduated from Trinity College, Dublin, with a degree in English Literature.

James Astin
Graduated with an Msc in Management with distinction from Leeds University and an LLB in law from The University of Nottingham. Completed the LPC at Nottingham Law School and has worked for an international bank in Hong Kong.

James Wright
Read English Language & Literature at Trinity College, Oxford, before a Master's in Medieval English. Previously worked at the Oxford English Dictionary before completing the GDL at BPP London.

Jane Pasquali
Graduated with a First in Spanish and Italian from Exeter University in 2007. Has lived and taught in Madrid and Barcelona, and worked for three years in a financial spreadbetting company in London. Awarded a PGCE with Distinction in Primary Education and Spanish in 2011.

Jon Comlay
Graduated in History from the University of York in 2005.

Jonathan Rubin
Graduated with Honours in Law from the University of Kent in 2006. Completed the LPC at BPP College in London. Qualified as a solicitor in 2009, training with a top American firm in London and Dubai. Studying for an LLM in Law and Political Justice at Birkbeck College, University of London.

Kharunya Paramaguru
Graduated in History of Art from UCL in 2008 and holds an MA in International Law from SOAS. Has worked as a researcher for various not-for-profit organisations.

Laura Kearns
Graduated from St. Aidan’s College, Durham University with a BA in History. Has recently completed the GDL at BPP Law School, London.

Lauren Long
Graduated from King’s College London and Paris 1, Pantheon-Sorbonne in 2009, in LLB Law and French Law/ Maîtrise en Droit. Speaks fluent French and is learning Russian.

Leila Afshar
Graduated in Law from King's College London; holds an MSc in Development and Anthropology from the London School of Economics.

Lidija Liegis
Graduated in Philosophy and Psychology from the University of Edinburgh (MA hons) and also holds a master's degree in Investigative Journalism from City University. Previously worked in journalism, on a project in collaboration with the Financial Times. Speaks French, Latvian and Spanish.

Lindsey Ford
Graduated from Oxford University in 2010 with a BA in English and Spanish. Fluent in Spanish. Has previously worked as a writer and translator. Currently training part-time as a legal translator and learning Cantonese.

Lucy Morris
Graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a LLB in Law and Politics and from the University of Miami with a Juris Doctor (JD) and LLM in Real Property Development. Admitted to the Florida Bar.

Lucy Morton
Graduated from the University of Oxford with a degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics and then converted to Law. Trained and qualified as a solicitor at a City law firm in London and worked there as an associate for two and a half years.

Luke Kenison
Graduated from the University of Warwick in 2010 with a first in English and Comparative Literary Studies. Currently learning French and Italian.

Madalena Andrade
Graduated in English Literature with Publishing from Loughborough University. Previous experience includes teaching English as a foreign language and translating. Madalena is a Portuguese national.

Marko Starcevic
Graduated with a BA(Hons) in Classical Studies from King's College London in 2007, followed by an MA with distinction from University College London in Medieval History in 2008. He has previously worked as a translator and researcher, as well as managing a retail establishment. He is fluent in Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Dutch and English. Learning German. 

Mayeni Smart
Graduated from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in International Studies and Diplomacy. Also has an BA in Modern Languages from the University of Oxford. Has worked for humanitarian organisations in Brazil and Sierra Leone. Fluent in French, Portuguese and Spanish.

Michael Bennett
Graduated with a First in History from Oxford University in 2010, and has subsequently worked as a journalist for Oh Comely magazine and a legal assistant at Monckton Chambers.

Milena Bellow
Graduated in English Literature from the University of Glasgow in 2009. Has previously worked in probate and genealogy research.

Miriam Bishop
Graduated with an Honours degree in French & Spanish from Leeds University. Spent time working in the not-for-profit sector and completed the GDL at College of Law in 2010. Speaks fluent French and Spanish, as well as basic Catalan.

Miriam Urgelles-Coll
Graduated with an MA in Computational Linguistics before completing a PhD in Theoretical Linguistics both from Essex University.

Natalia Tejedor
Natalia graduated in English Studies from the University of Valladolid (Spain), and holds Postgraduate Certificates in Research Training and Education from the University of Hull. She also obtained a Diploma in Practical Icelandic from the University of Iceland, and attended the University of Salamanca (Spain) and University College Dublin. Speaks Spanish and French.

Natalie Stanton
Graduated from the University of East Anglia in 2008 with a degree in Politics with Media, before completing an MA in International Conflict Studies at King's College, London.

Nick Martin
Graduated from King's College London in 2011 with a degree in Spanish with English. Spent a year living in Mexico where he taught English with the British Council and has also worked in the past as an assistant to legal professionals.

Oliver Dimsdale
Graduated with an MLitt in Creative Writing from the University of St Andrews in November 2010. Also holds an MA in English Literature from the University of Warwick. Has previously worked as a writing tutor, in Scotland, and as a journalist in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Speaks Spanish and German. Learning Italian.

Paul Davy
Graduated from King's College London with a BA (Hons) and an MA in History. Worked in research and analysis for the civil service in Whitehall before living in Chile for three years where he learned Spanish, travelled and worked as the English Training Manager for an engineering firm in Santiago. Fluent in Spanish with working knowledge of French and German.

Paul Rance
Graduated from Exeter University with a first in English Literature and also spent a year abroad at the University of Toronto to read Canadian literature. He completed his MA in English at UCL in 2010.

Peter Whitfield
Graduated from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne with a BA (Hons) in English Literature, and is currently studying towards a Masters degree in Philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London.

Rachel Low
Graduated with an MA in Sociology from Brandeis University (Boston) and a BA in Communication Studies from the Nanyang Technological University (Singapore). Worked as a news producer at an English-language TV news station in Singapore and also did corporate communications for a transport statutory board. Proficient in Chinese.  

Rebecca Cumming
Graduated in Law from Cardiff University in 2007 and completed the BVC at College of Law from 2009-2010. Has also worked as a law tutor and research assistant at Cardiff University.

Robert Li
Graduated in Modern Chinese Studies from Leeds University, later completing the CPE at Westminster University. Previously worked in a domain name management company, helping clients to manage their intellectual property on the Internet. Speaks Mandarin Chinese.

Sam Morris
Graduated from the University of Leiden, The Netherlands with a first in Political Science in 2008 and from the London School of Economics with an MSc in Comparative Politics in 2009. Has worked for the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Speaks Dutch and German.

Sana Ahmad
Graduated Cum Laude from the University of Pennsylvania, where she majored in Political Science. During her time in university she participated in a semester abroad programme at the University College of London. She has recently completed her Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) at the College of Law.

Sara Veale 
Sara Veale graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with degrees in English and Dance and recently completed an MA in Modern and Postmodern Literature at University College London. She currently freelances as a literary critic and is the sub-editor of The Literateur.

Sarah Kogan
Graduated from Oxford University in 2004 with a degree in English Language & Literature. Worked in the television industry for several years as a Researcher and Associate Producer. Subsequently completed the GDL (Graduate Diploma in Law) in 2011 at the College of Law.

Sarah Wallace
Graduated with a BA in Modern Languages (French, German and Polish) from the University of Sheffield in 2010, with distinctions in spoken German and Luxembourgish. Has since worked in France as a language teacher, administrator and interpreter/translator. Studied French and German linguistics, literature and psychology in Frankfurt, Germany and Réunion Island during 2008-2009. Fluent in French and German.  

Shuma Hoque
Holds a law degree and most recently worked in Spain where she completed her legal studies at Universidad Complutense de Madrid.

Stella Heng
Graduated in Law from London School of Economics. Completed the Bar Vocational Course at the College of Law and was called to the Bar in 2010. Fluent in English and French and also speaks Malay.

Sue Li Ciraki
Graduated in Law from the Nankai University in China, and holds a Master (LLM) in International Trade Law from the University of Essex. Previously worked as a global sourcing manager for a leading British bank based in London. Fluent in English and a native Mandarin speaker.

Summer Hao
Graduated with an LLB in International Economic Law from Dalian Maritime University and an LLM in Common Law from the University of Hong Kong. Native Mandarin speaker.

Talia Addleman
Graduated from the University of Birmingham in 2008 with a BA in Ancient and Medieval History. Has completed the GDL and LPC at the College of Law.

Thomas Carter
Graduated Jesus College, Oxford, BA Lit. Hum. (Hons).

Tobias Waters

Graduated from the University of Kent with a BA in English and American Literature, and also holds an MA in English Literary Studies from the University of Durham. Has lived, studied and worked in the United States and Japan.

Tom Sykes
Tom studied LLB Law at University and then went on to train as a Barrister at City University ICSL. Throughout education he has worked in various media organisations and edited two publications. Before joining Chambers Tom was Legal Director at CIP Management Ltd.

(Tommy) So Lap Yin
Currently into his final year with the University of London’s International Programme, studying for a BSc Law with Management. Also graduated from the University of Manchester with a Masters degree in Ethnomusicology (Musical Anthropology) in 2010, and a Bachelors degree in Music in 2009. Speaks Cantonese and Mandarin.

Victoria Sheehan-Dare
Graduated from New College, University of Oxford in 2010 with a double first in Music. Previously worked as a PR Account Manager.

Yvonne Berman
Having completed a law degree (at the University of North London) became a member of the Bar of England and Wales (non-practising) and spent several years in industry and private practice in IP, specialising in trade marks and copyright.