THE MAGAZINE OF THE CITY OF LONDON SOLICITORS' COMPANY AND THE CITY OF LONDON LAW SOCIETY
“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.”
MAYA ANGELOU
The City of London Solicitors’ Company Court of Assistants
Master
EDMUND PARKER
Senior Warden
VIRGINIA CANNON
Junior Warden
SIMON DAVIS
Stewards
GARETH LEDSHAM
LEE MCLERNON
Full Assistants
Past Master RUPERT JONES
Past Master JOHN WOTTON
Past Master ROBERT BELL
Past Master TONY KING
Past Master SARAH DE GAY
JOHN ABRAMSON
MARY-ANN WRIGHT
DOMINIC GRIFFITHS
CLARE MURRAY
LUCY RILEY
CLARE WILSON
RAFIQUE KHAN
ASTER CRAWSHAW
Additional Assistants
SIMON MCMENEMY
JULIA SMITHERS EXCELL
CLIONA O’TUAMA
LUCA CORDELLI
Chair of the City of London Law Society
COLIN PASSMORE
Ex-officio assistants
Past Masters
JOHN YOUNG
DAVID BIDDLE
STUART BEARE
WILLIAM KING
MICHAEL MATHEWS
MICHAEL CASSIDY, C.B.E., Dep.
BRIAN GREENWOOD
ALASTAIR COLLETT.
NIGEL BAMPING
KAREN RICHARDSON
ALEXANDRA MARKS, C.B.E.
ALDERMAN SIR DAVID WOOTTON
JOHN WHITE, T.D.
MARTIN ROBERTS
ALDERMAN VINCENT KEAVENY
DAME FIONA WOOLF, D.B.E, D.L.
NICHOLAS HUGHES
DAVID GRAVES
Clerk
KERRI MANSFIELD, J.P.
The City of London Law Society
President
*THE MASTER
Chair
COLIN PASSMORE
Chief Executive
MATTHEW ROUS
Treasurer
VICTORIA YOUNGHUSBAND
Administrator
ELIZABETH THOMAS
Legal Policy Analyst
KEVIN HART
Committee
CHAIR
PRESIDENT
ELISABETH BALTAY
VIRGINIA CANNON
SALOME COKER
*ASTER CRAWSHAW
ED CROSSE
SIMON DAVIS
CHRISSY FINDLAY
RICHARD HARRISON
†DAVID PATIENT
CHRISTOPHER PUGH
†LAURA UBEROI
†CHRISTOPHER VIGRASS
NICHOLAS WRIGHTSON
†PETER YOUNG
* Ex-officio, appointed by the CLSC
† Ex-officio as members of the Council of The Law Society
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Editor Salome Coker
Editorial Board
Joel Leigh (Howard Kennedy LLP), Chair
Sophia Bell (Macfarlanes LLP)
Colin Passmore (Simmons & Simmons LLP)
Katherine Ramo (CMS)
Matthew Rous (CLLS)
Naureen Shariff (Blackfords LLP)
Elizabeth Thomas (CLLS)
Laura Uberoi (Addleshaw Goddard LLP)
Journalist
Maroulla Paul
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7 “ALL OUR DREAMS CAN COME TRUE IF WE HAVE THE COURAGE TO PURSUE THEM.” Walt Disney
We dedicate this issue to extraordinary people who have been inspired to do great things and who, in turn, now inspire us to be better people.
8 CAN’T BUY MY SILENCE Commissioned by the Labour party to investigate how to make it easier for victims of harassment at work to expose their perpetrators, Marina Wheeler KC discusses her findings and Zelda Perkins tells us why NDAs must be banned.
12 BEING A PARTNER IS NOT THE ONLY MEASURE OF SUCCESS
Ben Amoah shares a journey which showed him there are many paths to success and that, not following the ones most trodden, may lead to a better place.
16 PAYING JUSTICE TO THE JUSTICE SYSTEM
A look at how we need to think of justice in the same way as we do healthcare; a resource each and every one of us has the right to access.
22 LESSONS FOR A LIFE IN (AND AFTER) LAW
34 HAD GREEK CIVIISATION NEVER EXISTED WE WOULD NOT HAVE BECOME FULL CONSCIOUS
We benefit from some words of wisdom from Howard Trust, the recently retired GC of Schroders.
24 REMEMBERING STEPHEN DENYER; A GIANT OF A MAN
We pay tribute to Stephen Denyer, not just a great lawyer but a great man who left a mark on every life he encountered.
26 BUBBLY, EFFERVESCENT, RAZOR SHARP, REFRESHING - WITH OOMPH AND A REAL PUNCH
Inspired by Greece and the sea, OMA, the new restaurant in Borough is making us fully conscious of how extraordinary fine food and wine can be. Transport yourself to a little Greek island while sitting in the heart of London Bridge.
38 SIP: THE ART OF FINE WINE
The attainment gap between Black and White students in exam results is down to a complex range of factors but we examine how a feeling of fitting in can go a long way towards narrowing the divide.
MAKING THE LEAP
Tunde Bonjoko OBE takes us on his journey from desiring a career in the City to a lifetime spent helping disadvantaged young people into employment. He made the leap so others can too.
We talk with Joanna Hughes who gave up her role as a highly successful practising lawyer to dedicate her work and life to being an advocate for apprenticeship schemes in the legal profession. narrowing the divide.
30 COMING OUT IS NOT A ONE TIME EVENT
Jacqui Rhule-Dagher recounts her journey from trying to
32 HOW A LOVE FOR THE PAST INSPIRED THE FUTURE
We visit a sleepy village in the
Mountains to taste a world class
Yartambellos, and to explore the art of Yorgos Papadopoulos.
42 LIVERY NEWS
45 CAR COLUMN
Formula One Olympic Gold: could it happen?
THE LAST WORD
foothills of the Troodos
Cinsault varietal,
Editor's Letter -
Autumn 2024
We focus on making the legal system more equitable and accessible to all, inspired by the tireless efforts of those like Marina Wheeler KC, who advocates for victims of workplace harassment, and Zelda Perkins, who challenges the misuse of NDAs that silence victims of sexual misconduct.
For those of you contemplating what comes after a career in law, we offer insights from Howard Trust, a recently retired General Counsel, who encourages us to embrace opportunities with a “let’s do it” attitude. Similarly, Ben Amoah shares his journey of pivoting away from the traditional partnership track, and redefining success on his own terms. Their stories are a reminder that it’s never too late to start fresh, to pivot for purpose, and to find fulfilment in new directions.
We also reflect on the importance of intersectionality in the legal profession, with Jacqui Rhule-Dagher sharing her experiences as a proud, visible Black lesbian. Her work in creating spaces for others in the profession is a powerful example of how visibility and community can drive meaningful change.
This issue would not be complete without paying tribute to a true giant in our field, Stephen Denyer. His commitment to social mobility within the legal profession and his incredible network were legendary. The last time I saw Stephen, we were speaking to 1,000 students about solicitor apprenticeships—a cause he championed with
WELCOME TO THE AUTUMN EDITION OF CITY SOLICITOR MAGAZINE. THIS SEASON, OUR THEME IS "INSPIRATION", AND WE EXPLORE THE PROFOUND IMPACT THAT ONE INDIVIDUAL CAN HAVE WITHIN OUR PROFESSION.
unwavering dedication. His legacy reminds us that success is not just about personal achievement but about the impact we have on others.
On a lighter note, our culinary journey takes us to OMA, a Greek-inspired gem in the heart of Borough Market. And in our regular "SIP" column, we explore a vineyard in Cyprus; and experience what happens when an artist – think stained glass intentionally smashed and reimagined into something majestic – inherits a vineyard.
We round up with a note from the new Master Solicitor, Edmund Parker about his plans for the year ahead, anchored around the theme ‘Gateways’.
I find inspiration in the stories of those who dare to take the path less trodden and in the shared commitment to making our profession and our world a better place. I hope this edition sparks a desire in you to succeed, share your knowledge, and inspire others.
Salome Coker Editor mail@citysolicitors.org.uk
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“ALL OUR DREAMS CAN COME TRUE IF WE HAVE THE COURAGE TO PURSUE THEM.”
Walt Disney
Inspiration is a powerful concept. It changes livesand it can change the world.
If only Netflix had included the words ‘inspired by’ at the start of the ‘Baby Reindeer’ series, they could have avoided the $170 million lawsuit against them.
In the following pages, we talk to and about people in our profession, or who are linked to it, all of whom are doing the most incredible work to help not themselves, but others - in so many different ways. People who have been inspired to make a difference - and who are, in turn, inspiring others to do the same.
Some have the learned wisdom of age and experience that they want to pass on.
Some are helping those from minority groups to have the necessary tools to enter and flourish in their careers.
We talk to those who are liaising with government and political parties to ensure that justice is a right accessible to all and to those who are working to make changes in the law to prevent the improper use of NDAs and to try and protect people in the workplace from being subjected to sexual harassment.
We follow up on our big feature on Black heritage lawyers in the Summer edition by looking at the differences in exam results between Black and White students and how we can encourage and inspire them to perform better and we talk to a Black lawyer who was so inspired by our Fifty Shades issue that he wanted to share his own hugely motivational and inspiring journey.
Interestingly, because like-minded people seem to be drawn to each other, you will notice some synchronistic connections between our featured people. Each and every one of them are inspirational and do wonderful work. All are equally worthy of our celebration of them.
Read, enjoy and be inspired to make a difference.
CAN’T BUY MY SILENCE
Marina Wheeler KC says she has no fixed political allegiances. For her it is about working on particular issues not about working with particular parties. She is committed to a rule of law agenda and also having done a combination of employment and public law she feels very strongly about misconduct in the workplace and professional ethics. She feels that part of our legal system has been allowed to deteriorate in recent years and that is tragic for such an impressive system that is so strong in so many ways such as having truly independent judges who are not afraid to rule against a government’s flagship policies.
Her beliefs and principles made her the perfect person for the Labour Party to commission, in October 2023, to examine how it can be made easier for employees to blow the whistle about sexual harassment in the workplace.
Currently, the law on whistleblowing is complex and poorly understood. It does not sufficiently protect employees who want to bring into the open unacceptable behaviours, such as sexual harassment, something which affects a worrying large number of women. This initiative was spearheaded by Emily Thornberry, as Shadow Attorney General, who said;
“For too long, a woman suffering sexual harassment in the workplace has faced a terrible choice: if she speaks out, the individual responsible may be investigated, but even then, she still risks losing her job and her other employment rights, while he gets a slap on the wrist.”
This is obviously not the first time attempts have been made to tackle this issue but with Labour now in Government, it could be that the time is finally right for the change that needs to happen.
We spoke to Marina about the challenge and the opportunity.
“The big picture is that there is a growing acceptance that current mechanisms for tackling sexual harassment at work put too much burden on individual complainants. The Equality Act gives those
who have suffered a right to bring a claim but years of experience show the burden is too great, the legal costs are huge and that falls disproportionately on the employees, the legal provisions are complex and people are vulnerable. There needs to be a shift to put pressure on institutions to address the problem. There has been some movement in that direction. The Workers Protection Act 2023 imposes a duty on employers to prevent sexual harassment. But much more needs to be done. There should be much closer alignment between whistleblowing provisions and anti sexual harassment provisions in the Equality Act. There are situations where women - and it is predominantly women and younger women, where there is a power imbalance - might have complaints about conduct in the workplace and it is in the public interest for these to be drawn attention to. This is where there is an intersection with whistleblowing; if the problem is deemed to be in the public interest, it can be reported more widely and, potentially, a contact with the media could be a protected disclosure.”
“Public confidence is a bit shaky and we need to buck up our ideas. Firms need to refresh their thinking on NDAs. We need to consider precisely what it means to advise a vulnerable client.
Marina recognises that a huge issue that needs to be tackled is the use of NDAs. For far too long, NDAs have been used to silence alleged victims of sexual harassment, in essence using legal instruments to protect alleged perpetrators. This is clearly unfair, unjust and simply wrong - yet this abuse of NDAs has been a major contributing factor in sexual harassment having licence to continue. As part of her work, Marina has met several times with Zelda Perkins who was the first person to breach her NDA, which was drawn up when Zelda made complaints about Harvey Weinstein. In this instance, the NDA was used to cover up wrongdoing and the impact of that on Zelda was huge. Marina is very aware that finding the right solution to handle NDAs so they don't conceal wrongdoing in a way that allows it to continue but still permits women who have suffered to choose confidentiality is a pretty tricky one.
“Zelda was badly let down by solicitors and barristers. Having spoken to many women who received inadequate service from their lawyers, Zelda became very vocal on the subject and, in response, both the
SRA and the LSB have issued warnings and remain focused on the issue. Law firms are going to have to pay serious attention to the trend against NDAs. Zelda advocates banning the “misuse” of NDAs in cases involving sexual misconduct and, indeed, this is what the Treasury Select Committee recommended in their Sexism in the City Report. The challenge is to find a legislative formula which achieves this while preserving a woman’s right to choose confidentiality, to receive a compensation payment and to move on. Meanwhile evidence shows there are still a lot of firms out there that adopt an approach to NDAs that is not aligned with their regulatory obligations. There is low awareness of the SRA’s warning notice (about a third of employment lawyers who were asked) and a lot of solicitors believe it didn't apply in certain situations, for example where the parties are legally represented - this shows there are solicitors who are not really alert to the risks of NDAs. Too many firms use templates - and ones that may have been around for a long time. They do not always recognise the whole spectrum of uses that need to be considered; confidentiality, nonderogatory clauses, clawbacks. There is a well founded anxiety that solicitors in this area are not sufficiently challenging the use of NDAs, not sufficiently advising clients about what the risks are and pushing back against employers dictating the terms. If NDAs are not going to be banned (and that is still an open question) the dial definitely has to be shifted from it being a routine thing to an exceptional circumstance.”
Marina believes that the reputation of the legal profession is under scrutiny currently and that we need to be more alert to our ethical obligations.
“Public confidence is a bit shaky and we need to buck up our ideas. Firms need to refresh their thinking on NDAs. We need to consider precisely what it means to advise a vulnerable client. A high flying career woman in the City may not appear vulnerable but if they have been on the receiving end of sexual harassment and are about to lose their job they need extra care. A woman might choose an NDA on exit, it may seem the right thing at the time but five years later things may be very different and she can feel eaten up by being gagged.”
No article on this subject could be complete without an interview with the aforementioned Zelda Perkins. The huge repercussions of not just the trauma at work that Zelda endured but of the consequences of her signing an NDA have shaped her entire life’s work, if not her entire life. Zelda now works full time with the organisation she set up almost three years ago; “Can’t Buy My Silence” which is committed to end the misuse of NDAs to gag victims. Zelda has liaised with both Emily and Marina to establish what kind of legislative changes can be made to ensure a fairer way forward. Zelda says both politicians and the legal profession are in a very different place now regarding NDAs than where they were five years ago when she first started openly campaigning against them; there is a growing realisation that change has to happen; there is no moral or ethical argument against that.
“If you look at the increasing amount of companies and legislatures that have restrictions against NDAs, the sky has far from fallen in. Lawyers always voice fears that if you take away NDAs it will stop victims from coming forward and that there will be no incentive for businesses to settle. Data has proven the exact opposite to be the case. Twenty four states in America have legislated in various degrees against the use of NDAs, out of these, 9 have banned their use completely for sexual harassment and we can now see settlement rates have risen by 9%. Not only that but President Biden has legislated at federal level to outlaw pre hiring NDAs with regard to sexual harassment; this is not just a small campaign issue."
The increasing number of people like Zelda who are now choosing to break their NDAs is a result of the desperation these women are feeling. They can’t do it legally because it costs too much so they have no choice but to go public. This means the risk factor for companies and perpetrators is changing. The risk of someone signing an NDA but not staying quiet is much higher and then the perpetrator will be publicly exposed and look twice as bad because they will also be shown for trying to hide their misconduct.
Zelda feels hugely encouraged by how microscopically Marina is investigating the entire subject, exploring and questioning every facet. While NDAs are just one aspect of the work Marina is looking at, Zelda believes they are at the root of everything,
“If you remove that one tool, you are going a long way to protect workers against misconduct and abuse. If it were an offence for lawyers to create NDAs that hide misconduct, you would still have confidentiality for settlements but you would not be able to silence victims permanently. It is totally upside down that as things stand there is greater protection for an alleged perpetrator than there is for an alleged victim. We have been looking the wrong way down the lens for so long that it has become standard. Labour has the opportunity to turn that telescope round and make a really impactful change that gives faith to the working population.”
With people working to make the workplace a better place in terms of misconduct and abuse, we too can be inspired to play our part in the legal profession and ensure that NDAs are used for good rather than bad.
BEING A PARTNER IS NOT THE ONLY MEASURE OF SUCCESS
In 2019, life changed for Ben Amoah, then a specialist commercial litigator with Farrer & Co LLP. Seemingly out of nowhere, Ben developed vertigo; a horrifying condition for which he was prescribed medication. But, instead of his health improving, things got even worse when Ben ended up in hospital with an internal bleed caused by the medication. These horrendous physical problems seemed to knock his life way off course. With two small children to support, the situation was not only critical medically but from a personal perspective too. Five years on, Ben expresses an element of nervousness about telling his story, and “revealing his authentic self”, to a profession that has the reputation of being conservative.
Today, Ben is still at Farrers but is no longer a fee earner. He works as a knowledge lawyer in the dispute resolution team; a transition which came about after a lot of heartbreak and soul searching.
But let’s go back to the beginning. Ben started his training contract at Farrers 11 years ago. He was the first Black trainee in the firm. When he qualified, Ben joined the disputes team as the first Black male fee earner and “everything was going swimmingly”. As a Black British man from immigrant Ghanaian parents, Ben was on track in fulfilling his family’s dreams and ambitions for him.
As time passed, however, Ben began to feel that hard work was possibly not enough. He had always been encouraged by his family to do well and it was a stress and an anxiety that he took on board and which drove him to achieve. But once he qualified and had his place at Farrers, he wasn’t really sure what to do to take it to the next stage.
Ben says,
“I was always brought up to do a bit more; to work harder than the next person and when that stops working, you need new tricks and tactics - and I didn’t have a clue what they were. Suddenly I was in crisis. I didn’t know how to move forward or what to do next.”
Disproportionately, it is generally Black lawyers who don’t have those “tricks and tactics”. It’s one of the reasons why so few make it to the top and so many actually drop out of the profession.
“Black lawyers need to have a lot of confidence,” Ben continues, “If you look at law firms and look at who is at the top, generally they all look the same - so you are at a disadvantage to start with. You spend so much time trying to bridge the gap, you forget what it is that makes you unique. You need to believe in yourself and to recognise that others believe in you too, that you do have allies – as I certainly did at Farrers. But it starts from within.”
It was at this point when Ben - who on the outside seemed to be doing incredibly well; he was popular, well liked and doing great work - experienced his first, awful bout of vertigo. In the classic lawyer way, Ben investigated, saw consultants, underwent tests and latched onto the diagnosis that he had an inner ear infection; a condition called labyrinthitis. In a strange sort of way, he was comforted by the fact that his illness was physical and could, therefore, be treated. He was given medication and it was this that caused terrible side effects including a gastric bleed. Ben ended up in intensive care.
Ben subsequently spent two and a half years recovering from the physical issues he was dealing with. With time to reflect, Ben began to realise that his physical problems had probably been the result of the stress, anxiety and depression he’d been living with but not able to acknowledge at the time.
“I was so focussed on sorting out the physical problems that it was only when nothing appeared to be working that it dawned on me that the root of my issues was probably psychological and mental rather than physical.”
“I was always brought up to do a bit more; to work harder than the next person and when that stops working, you need new tricks and tactics - and I didn’t have a clue what they were. Suddenly I was in crisis. I didn’t know how to move forward or what to do next.”
When Ben started therapy and to open up with his colleagues, things began to shift. It was at this point that Ben realised the path he had been on to become a Senior Associate and, ultimately, a Partner was not necessarily right for him. Married with a three and a five year old, Ben’s priorities were changing. The prospect of going back into the world he’d been in before his illness didn’t seem in any way attractive; something that was not easy to admit.
Fortuitously for Ben an opening had come up for a knowledge lawyer in Disputes team at Farrers. Ben was already working closely with the senior knowledge lawyer and being British born Chinese herself, she completely identified with the issues Ben was facing: of being different, of having a young family. She taught Ben that you can still be intellectually challenged, still be of value and “keep sharp” without the stress he had previously experienced. Taking on the role and moving away from a client facing position was a valuable transition for Ben in his physical and mental recovery. Ben says this is the happiest he has ever been at work, that he has a clear sense of direction and there is no ceiling.
Throughout his journey, the support and understanding from colleagues at Farrers has been instrumental. Having been with the firm for over a decade, Ben reflects on the importance of working within an environment where he felt not only supported, but truly
valued - a key reason why his tenure at the firm has been so long. It is this sense of belonging and backing from Farrers that Ben believes has played a crucial role in his recovery and ongoing success.
Laurie Horwood, a Partner at Farrers had this to say;
“Supporting our colleagues throughout their careers at the firm is really key to creating a workplace for all that we can be proud of. Ben’s openness and bravery in sharing his story will, I am sure, be inspiring and encouraging to many. Our HR and ED+I teams - as well as many across the firm who look to encourage and mentor others - play a huge role in helping to create an environment which is supportive, rewarding and where partnership is not the only career objective. We have worked on various routes to diversify traditional career paths within the firm. Ben’s powerful words and his experience are testament to his own strength of character and we look forward to him continuing to thrive at the firm”.
Ben has learned that doing things differently is an option. He tells the story of a fellow Black lawyer who was an ex professional footballer and is like a big brother to him. From his time as a footballer, his friend had experienced racism and abuse in very real and aggressive ways and this gave him a true perspective. He taught Ben that the world is a big place and if you can’t fulfil your dreams in one place or direction, you can move on, change paths and do it elsewhere.
“There is more than one way to be successful. And having a sense of wellbeing is probably the greatest success any of us can ever achieve.”
Ben’s experience has relevance across our profession. There are lessons to be learned, and opportunities for law firms to accept a duty of care for their Black trainees. That way, they will be supported on their journey and guided to reaching the top.
Ben found peace the hard way. His illness forced him to rethink and he looks back on it with gratitude as it was the catalyst that enabled him to change things for the better, “I am also learning to be at peace with not becoming a partner, the classic way of measuring success in a law firm. But there are other routes to success; it is not a linear process of where one has to aim. Sometimes I question whether I backed off because I was afraid of the challenge, afraid of not being good enough. But, actually, I have come to realise that it is not what I really want. It has taken a lot to be able to admit that to myself. I can give value in so many other ways. And telling my story like this is one of them.”
During his time in therapy, Ben realised that he wanted to help others too, people experiencing similar issues. He spends a lot of time just talking to people like himself who are struggling with their mental
health and not really appreciating why they are feeling the way they are. He is championing wellbeing in his team and putting together a programme of external speakers. He spoke about his own journey at an event at Farrers during Black History Month and during Health Awareness week. Ben has also done a podcast where he says he reveals “a reasonable amount, but still kept some back.”
Inspired by the stories of Black lawyers in our ‘Fifty Shades’ edition, Ben found the courage to open up even more with us in the hope that others will be inspired. He hopes that they too can work towards what truly makes them happy rather than sacrifice their wellbeing by following an expected path.
Ben concludes,
“There is more than one way to be successful. And having a sense of wellbeing is probably the greatest success any of us can ever achieve.”
Ben encourages anyone identifying with anything mentioned in this article to get in touch. His email is ben.amoah@farrer.co.uk.
PAYING JUSTICE TO THE JUSTICE SYSTEM
Think about healthcare. In the UK, we all know that each and every one of us has the right and ability to access any healthcare we may need through the NHS - regardless of who we are or what our financial situation might be.
But when it comes to justice, few of us think of it in the same way. We don’t necessarily regard it as a right, a resource we are entitled to tap into.
JUSTICE, the law reform and human rights charity, exists with the purpose of bringing the justice system within everyone’s reach in the UK, including those who are the most vulnerable or marginalised within our society. In its lifetime of 67+ years (and showing no signs of reaching retirement age anytime soon) it has created a history of transforming the justice system in deep and fundamental ways - it describes itself as a ‘systems change charity’. It is not about giving advice to individual people but is about looking at the most pressing issues in the justice system and working out pragmatic solutions. In its early years, JUSTICE played a major part in creating the Parliamentary Ombudsman, the CPS, the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board and many other key legal bodies which we simply take for granted today.
More recently, its work has - amongst other things;
1. Safeguarded children by securing a government pilot to protect domestic abuse victims and children in family court processes, and supported people with mental health difficulties by having liaison and diversion professionals in Magistrates’ and Crown Courts to help identify people with mental health issues and other vulnerabilities when they first come into contact with the system.
2. Protected journalists by being instrumental in amending the Public Order Act 2023 to prevent people from being arrested while reporting on protests.
3. Ensured government accountability with a recent legal intervention which blocked attempts to routinely hide the names of junior civil servants - including external contractors and political special advisors - in judicial review (a key tool for holding the government to account).
4. Helped secure everyone’s human rights by playing a leading role in the Save our Human Rights Act Coalition, working with over a hundred other NGOs to defend our current human rights framework.
Again, in direct comparison with healthcare, just as the NHS covers everything from childbirth to knee replacements, from cancers to cataracts - JUSTICE encompasses the gamut of legally related matters; from criminal to family to housing to benefits. It is the only NGO that covers the whole of the UK justice system.
JUSTICE’s work is known for its independence and rigour. Its research is grounded in deep subject-matter expertise bringing together experts from within and beyond law – including people with lived experience of interacting with the justice system – to develop realistic solutions to key challenges.
It advises policymakers, judges, civil servants, lawyers, service providers, and others on how to build a better justice system. As well as producing reports, briefings, and consultation responses, it regularly meets with senior civil servants and politicians from across the political spectrum, sits on key advisory bodies, and works with the media to widen understanding of, and influence positive change to, the justice system.
JUSTICE is a cross-party membership organisation with members from students to senior judges. Its council is currently headed by Baroness Kennedy of the Shaws KC, with Vice-presidents Dominic Grieve KC and Baroness Sarah Ludford.
It is the UK section of the International Commission of Jurists – an organisation of eminent jurists working to defend human rights and the Rule of Law worldwide.
Fiona Rutherford joined JUSTICE as Chief Executive in February 2022. Previously Fiona’s work straddled both Law and Policy; she was a specialist criminal barrister instructed to defend and prosecute a wide range of crimes including homicide and complex fraud. She was also the Deputy Director for Legal Aid Policy at the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) and, prior to joining JUSTICE, was the MOJ’s Director of Access to Justice Policy - a role which made her eminently suitable to be JUSTICE’s CEO.
Fiona has been at the forefront of developing a new six year strategy for JUSTICE. This strategy has four primary goals;
1. To embed the Rule of Law and remedy the erosion that there is evidence of from the landmark report of September 2023 (‘The State We’re in: Addressing Threats & Challenges to the Rule of Law’). There is an important project currently underway to this end to induct new parliamentarians and ensure they (and current incumbents) fully understand what their role as legislators covers and how to apply the Rule of Law.
2. To increase equality and reduce discrimination. This is a huge and far reaching goal that covers so many different issues. JUSTICE has a number of projects already underway; one looking specifically at women and girls to more niche areas like Drill music and how it is used in trials against black defendants and the appropriateness of that.
3. As the modernisation of the system develops - HMCS have just completed their £1.6 billion reform programme - there is a need to ensure that people are at the heart of any modernisation, whether it be normal tech or AI, rather than it be driven largely by commercial interest. JUSTICE is scoping a UK first initiative to create a data and policy hub to identify and address the vast data gaps that exist about the people in and around our justice system.
4. To raise awareness of the value of the Justice system. Again, using the healthcare analogy, if the man on the street was asked what the NHS does, he would be able to articulate this in broad terms at the very least and what the benefits are but if the same question was posed regarding the justice system, beyond criminal justice there would be very little awareness.
Regarding the last point, Fiona feels most lawyers are not in a position to understand the entirety of the system and what it does and are likely to see the system from the perspective of their own areas of practice. She confesses she did the same when she was practising.
How would she describe it now with the hindsight of her more recent experience?
“The justice system is an ecosystem of people, services and institutions that advise, enforce and administer the law. It can be broken down into four parts; the administrative (largely tribunals), family, criminal and civil jurisdictions. The reality, though, is that is quite an historic way of looking at things and the public does not see things in the way they are jurisdictionally categorised. Say someone has a dispute with their neighbour about a garden fence; they would probably not be able to define it as a type of party wall issue and that they have certain rights. Or, if their child has certain needs in order to receive a full education that they can apply for Special Educational Needs assistance. Such examples - there are many, many more - are often not considered part of the justice system because they don’t necessarily involve a court. This lack of knowledge disempowers people - which is bad for the system. And it’s bad for society; if you know what your rights are, or where to go to find the right information, you avoid legal problems becoming legal issues; if you know your landlord is treating you unfairly and you can articulate your position according to your rights, the chances are you will resolve the issue sooner. The positive impact this would have on our busy courts system should not be underestimated.”
How can greater awareness be achieved?
Fiona believes it is important not to be too “legalistic” when talking to the public about their rights; not to put them off with jargon but to be more inclusive. Currently, the work JUSTICE does is very well received by policy makers and the legal profession but there is potential for it to travel much further and so JUSTICE is expanding its means of communication with more use of media, both mainstream and social - in short, to exercise its voice to do good.
JUSTICE is not just about researching complex problems and writing reports; it is also a major player in getting change implemented. To that end it works - in a completely apolitical way - with whichever party is in government. Government members are invited from the outset
to working parties (although they generally sit as observers) and their early engagement is helpful. Fiona stresses how pragmatic JUSTICE is - given the previous government’s determination not to increase legal aid spending, for example, JUSTICE has sought alternative routes to strengthening the system and worked to build broad coalitions around these proposals.
JUSTICE retains its completely independent position by not taking any government funding so it depends on grants from trusts and foundations, corporate sponsorships, and individual and firm memberships. Members are amongst one of JUSTICE’s greatest assets – their support and expertise enables and informs the organisation’s work. JUSTICE members are eligible to participate in the working parties, gain access to exclusive events, and receive discounts for paid-for events (including the annual conference). There are individual, student, and corporate membership options.
To find out more ; visit https://justice.org.uk/support-justice/join-justice/ . Follow: @JUSTICEhq / JUSTICE.org.uk / www.linkedin.com/company/ justicehq/ Donate: https://support.justice.org.uk/donation-new.
“The justice system is an ecosystem of people, services and institutions that advise, enforce and administer the law. It can be broken down into four parts; the administrative (largely tribunals), family, criminal and civil jurisdictions.”
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
Your name is a part of who you are, a part of your identity, one of the things that distinguishes you from everyone else. If someone cannot be bothered to remember that name - or if they don’t learn to pronounce it properly then you can feel disrespected, as though you are not important enough to be addressed correctly. Conversely, when someone does say your name in the right way and chooses to use it, then they are creating a connection between you and making you feel a part of something.
To feel ‘a part of’ rather than ‘apart from’ is something that is important for us all. A sense of belonging can give us confidence and help us flourish. To be on the outside can leave us isolated and doubting ourselves.
These concepts play out when we look at students; at Black and White students specifically, and how when Black students feel they are in a place where they are made to feel they do not really belong, they perform far less well than their White counterparts.
Charlotte Wanendeya is the Head of Law at BPP University and ViceChair of the City of London Law Society Training Committee. She is passionate about working to make Black students feel more included. This stems from her own personal story as Charlotte has two mixedrace daughters whose father is Ugandan. She has seen first hand the effects of being made to feel you do not belong. When Charlotte’s eldest daughter started school at the age of five, she came home on her first day and said to her mum “If someone won’t play with me because of the colour of my skin, I just ignore them right?” and this was the beginning of the journey that those girls would have no choice but to navigate. At their Secondary School, Charlotte recalls
going to open days and assemblies and seeing her daughters’ faces stand out amongst a sea of White pupils. Her youngest daughter struggled so much with it, at Sixth Form she chose to leave and go elsewhere. It continued through their university lives; in fact, through every step of their education.
One of the first pieces of research Charlotte became involved in after her move from being a practising solicitor at Clifford Chance LLP to a full time educational role was looking at the attainment gap between Black and White students. This was 25 years ago. Whilst we have managed to shift the dial in so many other areas during those 25 years, nothing has really shifted in this instance.
Research shows the problem begins from very early on, even from pre-school days. Problems can be caused when Black boys reach puberty and teachers - who may well be young, White and female, can feel intimidated and start to leave the boys out of things.
In 2018, BPP set up what was then called a BAME reverse mentor pilot scheme - BAME students were matched with White tutors and for five sessions roles were reversed and the White tutor became the mentee. The key highlight from that is that a sense of belonging is paramount and fundamental. This inspired Charlotte to use this as the basis for her post graduate thesis. She interviewed the tutors who had been a part of the pilot to try and drill down to what can be done to narrowing the attainment gap through inclusive teaching methods. Simple things like breaking up groups of tables and mixing the students up more can be highly effective. As can be saying a name correctly.
“At BPP, I launched a campaign called ‘Say My Name’. To break down the thinking - I need to feel I belong in order to feel motivated to engage. If I engage, I will do better.’ One very simple way to achieve that, with no cost involved, is to use names correctly, to not resort to shortening a name to a more English easier equivalent. Yes, it’s hard especially with East Asian Chinese names but the effort pays off. It shows respect. If a teacher doesn’t use a student’s name because they are embarrassed they may say it wrongly then that student starts to feel excluded - and that is where the motivation drops off. Bothering to learn how to use names correctly is a tiny thing to do but it has a massive positive effect.”
Whilst many factors are contributory to the attainment gap - socioeconomic, parenting - little is said about institutional culture which may be subtle or unconscious but, nonetheless is there.
“For law schools our tutors have to have been in practice so it’s a vicious circle. Our students need to have teachers in the classroom that look like them; role models. But they do not exist because there are not enough Black solicitors and barristers so that trickles down into a lack of teachers. It’s Catch 22.”
Interestingly, research also shows that Black students are the least likely to be predicted accurately on A-level outcomes and Charlotte thinks this has to be a consequence of unconscious bias. And, just as we live up to expectations, we can live down to them too so the prediction becomes a reality. If a Black student is predicted to
have poor results, they are then less likely to get a place at a good university and so their future is curtailed before it has even had a proper chance.
Charlotte thinks that all educational institutions from pre-school onwards need to take the sense of belonging factor seriously as that is the key to everything. Only if Black students are made to feel they do belong, that they are seen and understood can their potential be fulfilled.
Exeter University have just published a pierce of research (which can be found on the SRA website; sra.org.uk/sra/research-publications/ potential-causes-differential-outcomes-legal-professionalassessments/
This report highlights the significance that this sense of fitting in has on performance. Of course it is a complex and layered matter and socio-economic factors play their part but we really cannot overstate just how important a sense of belonging is.
It is the collective responsibility of educators, law schools and right the way through the entire educational journey from pre-school onwards, as well as of law firms, to take action to be truly inclusive. To simply take on someone on who is Black is not enough; with that comes a duty of responsibility to ensure they fit in. And we can all start with something as simple as saying a name correctly.
When Charlotte’s eldest daughter started school at the age of five, she came home on her first day and said to her Mum, “If someone won’t play with me because of the colour of my skin, I just ignore them right?”
MAKING THE LEAP
When we look at all the incredibly inspiring people who have been responsible for setting up charities and who are doing such amazing work to help others, it is not unusual to expect that they were born with a calling to change the world.
Tunde Banjoko OBE, the founder of Making The Leap (a charity that is changing young people’s lives), is the first to say he had no such aspirations when growing up. He wanted to be in Finance, (his first degree was in Economics) but circumstances dictated otherwise. In the early 1990s, Tunde found himself out of work, with two young children to support. He retrained to do an HNC in software engineering.
If he could not achieve his desire of getting into the City, then Tech was his second choice. He worked as a cabbie while doing his HNC to make ends meet. When he finished his HNC he saw an opportunity with the local authority to set up a project to help local unemployed people into work. Because cold calling was involved they wanted someone with a sales background, which Tunde had; they wanted someone who could set up a database which his HNC enabled him to do and they wanted someone who knew something about unemployment and Tunde had first hand experience, having been unemployed himself for two years.
Tunde applied and, being so perfectly qualified in every respect, got the job - which at the time, he genuinely believed he would only spend six months doing.
But the stars had aligned not just to change Tunde’s life but also the lives of so many others that he has subsequently helped.
Whilst the local authority had a clear vision of what they wanted to achieve, they had no clue how to go about it and so Tunde was left to his own devices to shape it as he saw fit. He managed to develop a service that was not simply working efficiently but genuinely helping people.
After six months, when it was time in Tunde’s grand scheme to move into one of his chosen fields, he began to realise something. His workplace was based in Harlesden High Street and on his way to and from the office he would bump into the people that the service had helped who would stop Tunde and tell him what they were now doing and that their reversed fortunes were all down to the work that he was doing. When he saw that he was genuinely changing lives, he knew he had to keep on doing it. Thirty one years later, Making The Leap exists as ‘an innovative grassroots societal change charity that aims to make a big difference. From direct delivery, to advocacy and leadership, we refuse to stay in our lane and believe passionately that those we exist to serve have the right to be anything they want to be.’
Tunde says that even though doing this work was not his initial plan, he always had two principles in life, principles he still upholds today and that he considers to be his north star when things go wrong.
“I wanted to be the employer I had always wanted to have but never had as a young Black man. I had some very bad experiences which painfully stuck with me so I was determined to be different, to be a good employer. Equally important, I promised myself that I would always do whatever I could to make sure we were doing the very best for those for whom we exist to serve and that I could look myself in the mirror and know that to be true.”
What does being a good employer look like to Tunde?
“Valuing the people that do the work, without whose labours we could achieve nothing. Recognising my colleagues, being supportive of them, being transparent. Helping their growth. This latter one comes from a personal experience where I wanted to do a Masters degree and I knew my employers at the time had a training budget so I asked them. Their response was ‘why would YOU want to do a Masters?’. That stayed with me.”
It seems it is a goal Tunde has achieved as some of his colleagues at Making the Leap have been there for 30 years, from day one; and for a small charity who cannot afford to pay the highest of salaries, that is no mean feat.
Making The Leap is about delivery to young people focussing primarily on soft skills. They work in schools that have large numbers of pupils from less advantaged socio-economic backgrounds providing interventions around orientating young people into opportunities that they may not be aware of. They take big corporates into schools, give them a first interview, take the pupils into the City for work experience and also try and help the most disengaged to transition successfully into the workplace.
They also work with older children providing simulated work environments and exercises which teach about teamwork, how to present yourself, how to deal with stressful situations in the workplaceagain businesses are brought in to give sessions and these also take place
in the businesses themselves. Making the Leap attempts to match young people with specific employers so enabling them to get jobs. One on one mentoring is a major part of the programme.
Another strand to Making The Leap is their leadership and advocacy work which began in 2017. The charity works with about 10,000 young people a year - but obviously that barely touches the sides when you consider the scale of the social mobility challenge in the UK. Tunde realised that even if the charity were ten times its size it would still barely make a dent in the problem. But what if every single corporate, every single major employer was involved? Obviously that would make a difference. But what could Making The Leap do to enable this? Their reputation gained over the years gave them credibility, so they came up with a concept of giving businesses ‘bouquets’ to congratulate and encourage them for their work in social mobility - an act which would obviously trigger attention from the businesses’ competition and thereby prompt them to also participate. To this end, Tunde and Making the Leap launched the UK Social Mobility Awards - the Oscars for social mobility. This has turned into a year long calendar of events including the Social Mobility Business Seminar where businesses get together for a deep dive into the issues. There is a Social Mobility Podcast where CEOs talk about Diversity and Inclusion and three years ago a Social Mobility Day was introduced.
Tunde is determined to get the business world more involved because changing the lives of young people means, ultimately, changing the entire world for the better.
“The true wealth of our country is its population, particularly its young people. We need to get business to recognise that and to make sure we are not missing out on so much of the talent that exists simply because those young people happen to be born poor. It’s not because they are lazy or because they don’t have the ability - it is because by being poor their opportunities are curtailed. I am on a mission to get as many businesses as possible to see that helping these people is a great investment for future prosperity”.
Tunde is passionate about ensuring that Making The Leap is bigger than him; the work they do is massively important and needs to continue long after he leaves. He sees his timescale as five years to exit but judging by his initial six month plan, maybe he will still be helping young, unemployed people in another 28 years.
To find out more about Making The Leap and to contribute either by participating or donating visit https://makingtheleap.org.uk/
“I am on a mission to get as many businesses as possible to see that helping these people is a great investment for future prosperity”.
LESSONS FOR A LIFE IN (AND AFTER) LAW
When we spoke with Howard Trust, he had recently retired as General Counsel at Schroders (a position he had held for 20 years) and, indeed, from a long career in the legal profession and in the City. He admitted to having a slight phobia about ‘retirement’ - as a word and as a concept but that he was “getting over it”.
But let’s go back to the beginning. Howard went to a boys’ grammar school in Liverpool, the city where he was brought up. When he was around 16 or 17, he was asked by the Careers Master what he was thinking of doing. Primed by his mother, Howard replied that he wanted to be a solicitor, a response which was not met with the greatest enthusiasm. The Careers Master quizzed him about whether he had lawyers in his family - he did not. Given that and Howard’s family situation, the careers master strongly suggested that the Law was not the wisest choice he could make and suggested a career as a teacher. When Howard reported this exchange back to his parents, they were outraged and spurred him on even more to pursue a life in Law - although he freely admits he was not even sure about what that really meant or looked like. He was then given the opportunity to apply to Gonville and Caius College (known as Keys) Cambridge to read Law, on the advice of his Headmaster. He secured his place and began his degree in Law in 1973. He recalls enjoying it a lot, particularly the diversity of it not just covering Law per se, but the associated history and philosophy. In fact, so much did he love his time there, at the end of the degree, he stayed on to do research for another three years and Howard says this really helped him to see that there were other ways of thinking beyond the positivist approach prevalent with lawyers in the UK.
Circumstances then dictated that he could not continue; he had run out of money and was in debt, so he decided it was time to join a law firm. He applied to several and had a few offers, as a result of which he joined what was then Lovell, White & King, now Hogan Lovells LLP, in 1980 and began articles.
It was at this time that Howard realised he really disliked conveyancing so his childhood imaginings of a property lawyer went out of the window - but he did discover a real interest in corporate law and, once qualified, joined the modestly sized but very expert corporate team of his firm. Howard says he got a wide range of experience both from relatively straightforward to highly complex transactions: he was involved in capital raising, rights and debt issues, private and public M&A, working with merchant banks, share deals, asset deals - he remembers it as “a fascinating and extraordinary time where you very much learned on the job. I didn’t know how to do it until after I had started.”
Howard says that in some ways it was terrifying; partners would tell him to get going with a meeting and they would then join - but sometimes they were delayed on the way. As a result, he learned a lot and learned fast - including how to work with and deal with clients.
“One thing I learned was that the representatives of clients sometimes weren’t sure what they wanted to achieve and what the issues and challenges would be. There was some dialogue to work out what we were trying to do, but for the most part we just had to go off and work it out on the way.
I recall two specific incidents. In one, I was in a routine meeting for which my partner was not available. We were a long way down the road with negotiations and the partner on the other side asked whether I would be letting him have a draft of the disclosure letter soon. I must have looked very taken aback but muttered that of course, they would have it very soon. But I fooled nobody. At the end of the meeting, the partner came and quietly asked me if I knew what a disclosure letter was and I had to confess I did not. He explained and I spent the entire weekend in the offices of the client trying to work out exactly what needed to be in that letter. I never forgot that lesson. Not just the need for disclosure letters, which was obviously seared in my memory, but that there is a camaraderie between lawyers even on opposite sides - we are all trying to get the deal done. We need to be supportive of each other, not unnecessarily aggressive and to keep your eyes fixed on the ultimate goal.
The other incident that comes to mind was a completion board meeting immediately prior to which a novel fact emerged and I was asked by the client and the sponsor what to do. Common sense helped to provide the answer. This was a really important lesson for me; that even if one isn’t sure of the answer from a legal perspective, there is often a pragmatic approach to consider, without compromising the integrity of the transaction or the parties.”
As time passed, Howard found that he was much more interested in what the question might be - as in what the client really wanted and why - rather than the legal technology alone. And so he explored various ways of switching to in-house. While he was considering this, one of the partners of his firm suggested that if he were to go in-house he would need to be comfortable that ‘his judgement would not be clouded by the dust in the arena of conflict’. This was good advice, and clarity about conflict identification, avoidance and management are very important tools for the in-house lawyer. Of course, law firms need to be vigilant in this regard and are themselves commercial enterprises.
Howard then joined Morgan Grenfell, a merchant bank, and whilst there says he learned a lot about the “craft of working in-house”. He worked for a very able lawyer who had a very expanded view of the role; she was very much part of the management decision-making process and this took up quite a lot of time and energy. She saw her brief as being to address issues that were potentially harmful to the firm - and not just legal issues. In a way, she was a forerunner in changing the concept of simply being an in-house lawyer to a General Counsel.
Having, again, learned a lot on the job, including about managing corporate secretarial teams, Howard took his new found knowledge to BZW (the beginning of Barclays Capital) in 1989 and was, initially, the only lawyer dedicated to the firm. Another major learning curve. Howard’s approach was if an opportunity presented itself, take advantage of it rather than say someone else should do it. This ‘let’s do it’ philosophy made Howard realise the importance of having a good team around one so he was fast recruiting and building. It was a time when derivatives were really taking off. The in-house team needed to document these, to deal with global transactions, to go on the trading floor and speak on the phone to, say, an irate trader in Wall Street, to understand the regulatory framework and to provide good and immediate guide rails. And, beyond the in-house lawyers, Howard also recognised and valued the need for good external counsel to collaborate with. Eventually, Howard was asked to become the first General Counsel and the Company Secretary for Barclays, having drafted a hypothetical job description. He learned a lot about leadership; how to manage teams, the importance of trying to lead by example, and encouraging people to realise their potential. After a while, he wanted to go back to a smaller organisation and to return to what he most enjoyed, and so he went to Schroders and once more set
about developing and growing the legal and company secretarial team. On the 20th anniversary of his joining, he handed the reins over to his successor and stayed on for another 11 months as an advisor.
A totally full on career; one crammed with learning and achieving; hardly surprising that the prospect of retirement was somewhat daunting. Howard says little things like no longer having an email address and learning to decouple himself from the corporate after a lifetime of being married to it was not an easy thing to do. He is still “emotionally and intellectually getting used to that”.
What lies ahead? Wisely, he doesn’t want to rush into anything.
“I think it is important to give myself some space to really consider what to do. I have joined the board of an educational charity and the investment and finance committees of the Diocese of East Anglia. I would also like to mentor and to be more available than I have been to my family and friends, so it is important that I do not fill up my time too much. One thing I really want to do though is become more proficient in Greek and Latin and maybe Hebrew.”
Throughout his life, Howard has had a passion for learning. He sees every job, every situation as an opportunity to learn something new and valuable - and to then pass it on to others. Doubtless that will not change in his ‘retirement’.
REMEMBERING STEPHEN DENYER; A GIANT OF A MAN
Stephen Denyer was not a man you could forget.
His giant book of connections from all over the world was second to none. His giant beard had made him stand out from the crowd when he wore it at a time when facial hair was simply not de rigueur in City law firms. And his giant heart left an indelible mark on everyone he worked with.
When Stephen died in January this year, there was a giant hole in our profession.
Stephen was with Allen & Overy LLP, man and boy, having begun there as an articled clerk and then staying for 36 years. He was one of the forerunners of internationalisng not just his own law firm but the profession generally. He brought people together to discuss matters that are of the greatest significance to the legal world. He was someone who really made a difference.
Guy Beringer met Stephen at Allen & Overy in 1978; as Guy says “not yesterday”. They started as articled clerks six months apart, then worked together as young, qualified solicitors and their friendship continued right through their illustrious careers.
“Stephen was an unusual person whom people often underestimated. He had the best connected network of contacts in the legal world globally of anybody - bar none - that I know and he built this painstakingly from the mid 1980s onwards. He was a trailblazing pioneer in many Central and Eastern European jurisdictions where he was responsible for setting up many practices that are still there today. He knew the markets in places like Poland,
the Czech Republic and Russia better than anyone - and people there trusted him. He became the glue in the firm’s global offices, particularly Germany, Italy, Spain. He played a key role in bringing people together. He was a great listener - something that is not as common a quality as most people think. He was naturally collaborative and had an approach which brought people together. Increasingly he became involved in developing new markets and jurisdictions for the firm and much less involved in fee earning - so he was often overlooked by those who failed to realise that actually most partners are capable of doing transactions but rarely can you find ones with the qualities Stephen had. There was no obstacle he could not get around - irrespective of the amount of work he had to put in.”
Guy feels Stephen’s qualities and attributes really gained the recognition they so rightly deserved in Stephen’s “second career” with the Law Society; his knowledge of how different legal jurisdictions worked which had taken him 30 years to build up was not something you could buy and was priceless.
Another string to his bow was the work he did with international legal associations particularly the International Bar Association (the IBA) something he persuaded Guy to also join - and which proved to be invaluable to the firm as a route to the scores of independent jurisdictions where even today a lot of firms do not have offices but need to have trusted friends and partners. Stephen used the IBA as a platform to develop such relationships.
Despite being such a great internationalist, Guy recalls that Stephen’s language skills were terrible. He spent a lot of time working in Germany and his wife is German so his four children are bi-lingual but Stephen never strayed far from his native tongue.
As a friend as well as a colleague, we asked Guy what Stephen was like outside of the office; what were his passions?
“He adored being outdoors in nature. He was a very gregarious man who loved the company of people. And he greatly enjoyed discovering new places; there was nowhere he would not go. Even places that were not the most straightforward to be in, he nonetheless was more than happy to visit.”
This love of the unknown and desire for adventure extended into Stephen’s culinary experiences too. When Guy and Stephen would travel together to far flung locations, Stephen would be the one to try even the strangest dishes while Guy looked on at him as a barometer to gauge whether he should also venture to try. For Stephen, the more unusual the better, he had no fear.
Guy remembers that even as a 23 yearold, Stephen always had his trademark, signature beard. It was gently suggested to him when he was coming up for partnership that he might have more chance if he shaved it off but he point blank refused saying if they wanted him, they would have to take him as he was, beard and all. They wisely and obviously did want him.
Carly recalls how much Stephen always spoke of his family, telling Carly all about their achievements. He was incredibly proud of them; Carly says, outside of work, they were “his world”.
Mickael Laurans is the Head of International at the Law Society. His collaboration with Stephen precedes Stephen’s time at the Law Society; as a City lawyer Stephen always valued working with the organisation informally. Mickael began at the Law Society 21 years ago as adviser for Europe and the former Soviet Union; it was a time of expansion into Central and Eastern Europe and this covered jurisdictions where Stephen had been highly active and so had a wealth of knowledge which he was more than happy to share with Mickael. In 2005, the Polish Government of the time (the first Law and Justice Party Government) wanted to introduce legislation to cap legal fees at €60 per hour. Had they succeeded that would have been the end of international law firms, not to mention the prominent Polish law firms in Poland. Stephen and Mickael joined forces to prevent this and were aided by a number of organisations, firms and prominent individuals.
Carly Hollingsworth also worked with Stephen but at the Law Society where he was the Director of Strategic Relationships. Before she worked with him, Carly was with a legal recruitment agency as their Business Development Marketing Manager so she used LinkedIn a lot. It was on this platform that Carly came across Stephen’s profile - and was hugely impressed by his enormous connections and the work he was doing. She began to follow him and when he posted a job advert to work for him, she could not resist. She got the job and began in January 2020.
“My first impressions of Stephen were that he was intimidating. He was important, knowledgeable - and a big man! But actually the opposite was true. There were just the two of us in our immediate team. He was all about professionalism and high standards but also really laid back, warm and kind. We both had a ‘get on with it’ approach, no beating about the bush. Stephen did so much for my career and my confidence as a person. He always spoke about how ‘we’ had done x, how ‘we’ had achieved y. He never took the credit for himself but referred to us as the double act we were. He felt like a family member to me. He challenged me in such a way that he made me believe in myself; it was very empowering. He always championed me, giving praise and positive feedback which I thrived on.”
Stephen then joined the Law Society International Committee and became the Law Society representative on the UK delegation to the CCBE for three years at the same time that Mickael was its Information Officer so, again, the two worked very closely together.
Mickael says he was also fortunate that, as a result of a training request, he was allowed to shadow Stephen for two weeks while he was at Allen & Overy and found the time invaluable as Stephen was, as ever, so generous in sharing his time, experience and contacts with Mickael.
Mickael says it felt only natural that when Stephen decided to retire from Allen & Overy, a move to the Law Society would be his next role. When Stephen became Director of Strategic Relationships, and with Mickael becoming Head of International, the working partnership between the two continued and flourished.
When Mickael talks about Stephen the words “generous”, “superbly connected” and “sharing” are frequently used.
“When I think of Stephen, I remember how generous he was with his time, with offering advice - whether personal or career or delivery of the work as well as with sharing his enormous network. Do you know the saying about six degrees of separation - that you are only ever a half dozen handshakes from anyone else in the world? With Stephen, it was more like two or three!”.
Stephen Denyer did things in his own way. He followed his own independent course, but he was a team player too. He brought those opposites together in a unique way. He was a big man, in every sense. But he was a very gentle giant, a genuine man who liked helping people. He will always be remembered for his kindness as much as for his professional achievements.
Effervescent, with O oMph and a real punch B ubbly, razor s harp, refreshing-
Words to describe the delicious kiwi cocktail I recently had one (or two) of at Agora, the new - and very justifiably hyped - Greek restaurant in Borough Market, owned by David Carter of Manteca fame.
But also words that equally describe the person I was interviewing on the occasion in question - Joanna Hughes.
Most interviews these days happen over Zoom but when Jo and I were setting up our meeting, we both enthusiastically agreed to do it ‘IRL’. This summed Jo up for me - if she is going to do something then she is all in, 110%, no shortcuts.
Jo is every bit as bubbly and effervescent as the aforementioned cocktail. Her enthusiasm for everything she does is hard to contain and thoroughly infectious.
Jo originally studied Law and French Law at the University of Birmingham and when she and her fellow students were all applying for training contracts at law firms, it was during the 1992 recession and, therefore, not an easy task. But taking the easy way is not Jo’s style and, armed with her razor sharp brain and a First Class Honours degree, she had several offers to choose between and decided upon Allen & Overy LLP.
Had Law always been a vocational calling for Jo?
She smiles at that, answering that it really wasn’t. She went to a school where there was little if any career advice and her parents couldn’t really guide her .It was a case of if you were smart, you studied Medicine or Law. It was as simple as that.
But in her usual way of throwing herself totally into something, she can genuinely look back now and feel happy with that somewhat ill informed decision.
“Law is satisfying. Lawyers are interesting. You can do good with Law. I’ve had a really blessed career in the profession and I feel lucky I chose it - albeit somewhat randomly.”
The luck actually lies with our profession who have benefitted immeasurably from Jo’s contributions, not just as a practising solicitor (which she was with Allen & Overy for over 25 years) but with her current work in expanding entry in unparalleled ways. Jo stopped working as a solicitor in December 2021 and is now a full-time advocate for the apprenticeship route into the profession.
What triggered the shift for her?
“With lived experience of social mobility, I have always been very passionate about increasing as much as possible socio-economic diversity within the profession. Back in the day, in ‘Big Law’, that
meant outreach to schools, raising aspirations, mentoring - yes, these are valuable but I cared about more permanent roles and actual jobs for people from low income backgrounds. I did some research into the solicitor apprenticeship route and how to target high achievers from these backgrounds and spoke to Allen & Overy about whether they would be interested in being the first Magic Circle firm to introduce such apprenticeships.”
“Law is satisfying. Lawyers are interesting. You can do good with Law. I’ve had a really blessed career in the profession and I feel lucky I chose it - albeit somewhat randomly.”
Jo’s enthusiasm and refreshing way of looking at things meant it was a yes from the senior partners and she co-led the introduction of the Allen & Overy Solicitor Apprenticeship Programme. Jo was also working with the City of London Corporation’s Socio-Economic Diversity Taskforce and looking at how changes for the better could be made through collaboration. She decided to leave Allen & Overy and go and try and persuade those City law firms that didn’t already have solicitor apprentices to open up to apprenticeship schemes. It was at this point that Jo met Patrick McCann who is Chair of the City
of London Law Society (CLLS) Training Committee. It was to become a marriage every bit as potent as that kiwi cocktail. Again, Patrick loved Jo’s refreshing thinking and gave her a place on the Committee so that they could work together to increase the number of solicitor apprenticeships throughout City law firms. In December 2022 they carried out their first workshop which 50 law firms attended. And City Century was born - a scheme which has gone from strength to strength and which currently has over-achieved its original goal of taking on over 100 apprentices in the City each and every year.
While City Century, as a CLLS platformed collaboration, is all about roles in the City of London, Jo feels it is really important that her work involving legal apprenticeships should not just be focussed on London and so she has a number of nationwide advocacy roles. She is on the UCAS Apprenticeship Stakeholder Group and spoke at the UCAS Teacher and Advisor Conference in February to raise awareness of apprenticeships with teachers across the country. She has a role with The Sutton Trust Apprenticeship Stakeholder Group where, among lots of other things, Jo is helping them find solicitor apprentice mentors. She is a Founding Member of the 93%
Professionals, the professional arm of the 93% Club. Jo is a judge in the Multicultural Apprenticeship Awards and a Patron of the sister organisation, the Multicultural Apprenticeship Alliance. She is also a judge in the UK Social Mobility Awards - and she says it was this organisation that was one of the initial prompts for her to give up her day job in favour of apprenticeship advocacy; the work they were doing made Jo think perhaps she should dedicate more of her own life to improving socio-economic diversity in the City. The rest is history.
While Jo is doing amazing work at getting young people from lower income families into the Law, there is definitely an issue to consider about how out of place some of them may feel trying to make their way in a world that is inhabited with people very different from themselves. We asked Jo whether her work stops at helping in getting a foot in the door or does it go further?
“It is really important to me that both on a structural level and a one to one level, we remain very invested in the apprentices after they get their roles. They are going to need support and not be made to feel that they have to assimilate with the dominant culture of City Law.”
City Century has all sorts of schemes in place to make sure this support is there and, on a personal level, Jo is constantly meeting with the apprentices to help them however she can. For example, she is very closely associated with the Black Apprentice Network and working with them is another example of her ongoing connection and relationships with the apprentices. Jo recognises that because the number of apprentice cohorts is (currently) smaller than interns, the responsibility to introduce them to each other in order that they do not feel isolated lies with people like her. And it’s a responsibility she takes on fully.
Jo urges apprentices not to feel they should be like everyone else around them but rather to embrace and celebrate their differences even down to accent. She says there is much more awareness about accent bias now and says she herself lost her original Suffolk twang in order to fit in - albeit not consciously. She has faith this will not happen with Gen Z.
Jo is full of praise for the apprentices who are now qualified solicitors and cites them as some of the smartest lawyers around - maybe because of how hard they have had to work to get to where they are and so do not take anything for granted. Grateful for the opportunities they have been given that they did not expect, they seem determined to pay it back (and forward) in huge measures. Jo specifically mentions Holly Moore, the first ever in-house apprentice who qualified with ITV and is now a Brand Protection lawyer who has always been a huge advocate for the apprenticeship schemes and was one of the people who first inspired Jo herself to do the work she is now doing.
Jo says she still gets emotional thinking about the time she stepped on stage at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in Westminster in front of 1000 students at the first big City Century in-person event to talk to them about apprenticeships; mainly year 12 pupils, they were
a beautifully diverse crowd and were there with open minds and hearts about what was possible for them. To be a part of making those dreams real is what gets Jo out of bed every day. Looking forward, she says that she would love to one day see at least 50% of new intakes to be apprentices (it is currently typically around 10%). And with the positive reaction that firms and partners are having to apprentices, that seems a very doable goal. Indeed, one law firm have said they would actually like it to be 100%.
What is it about apprentices that seems to make them more attractive than graduates?
“They work unbelievably hard. To get through the process and achieve one of the ‘gold tickets’ they need to be incredibly high achieving not just in IQ but EQ and CQ. By the time they qualify they have so much experience. They are simply brilliant!”
On top of everything else, Jo was recently admitted as a Liveryman of the City of London Solicitors’ Company and she says she was made to feel very welcome by the then Master, Sarah de Gay, who stressed how unimportant Jo’s background was and what really matters is how valuable the work she is doing with apprentices is for the profession. Work that has been recognised by the Department for Education too with a Highly Commended Apprentice Champion of the Year Award in the 2023 National Apprenticeship Awards.
When Jo isn’t working or parenting her four sons she loves to read (especially non-fiction; she had ‘How To Argue With A Racist’ by Adam Rutherford with her when we met), go to the theatre (her most recent favourite play was ‘Harry Clarke’, the one man show with Billy Crudup) - and to exercise. Her latest go to work out is boxing - and, according to her trainer, she really does pack a mean punch. Boxing completely fits into her mindset of challenging gender bias.
What advice would she give apprentices starting out?
“Stay true to yourself. Never feel you need to change. Develop and grow but still be you always. And grab every single opportunity you are given; life is short.”
Lessons not just valid for apprentices, but for all of us.
“Stay true to yourself. Never feel you need to change. Develop and grow but still be you always. And grab every single opportunity you are given; life is short.”
COMING OUT IS NOT A ONE TIME EVENT
Jacqui Rhule-Dagher is a lawyer at Hogan Lovells International LLP in their complex commercial litigation team, working primarily on fraud, misrepresentation and breach of contract disputes. She initially trained at Clifford Chance LLP and, for a time, was seconded to their Dubai office.
Having a stint in Dubai may seem like a dream opportunity for many but, for Jacqui, this experience presented unique challenges. Jacqui is a lesbian so the prospect of working in a jurisdiction which classes her sexuality as illegal understandably induced some anxiety. Something which she would not want others to go through. Clifford Chance advised Jacqui to tell one other person about her sexuality in case something happened, which she did, but, unfortunately, she was ‘outed’. As it turned out, another LGBTQIA lawyer in Dubai took Jacqui under their wing so it all turned out to be fine. Jacqui is clear, however, that international secondments are not something anyone should feel they have to miss out on because of their sexuality. She believes that the benefits are great and, providing you take sensible precautions to stay safe, you should grab the opportunity if it’s offered.
Jacqui recalls that when she began her legal journey, as a paralegal, about a decade ago, she had not yet come out.
“My Monday morning routine on the tube journeying into the City was spent rehearsing answers to the dreaded question: ‘What did you do at the weekend?’ I was terrified of outing myself if I revealed too much.” Where did this fear stem from?
“I was hyper aware that I was the only Black person in my team and one of only a few Black people at the firm and I really didn’t want to draw even more attention to myself. Of course, nobody had said to me if I came out my career would be over, but there was certainly a view that I should keep my head down and assimilate. That was my approach then. Now, through developing an understanding of intersectionality, I have the confidence to speak about my Black and lesbian identities in the hope that the topic of intersectionality reverberates around the City. It is a journey that has been so long you could nickname me Crossrail - but it is a journey I am glad I experienced and would not change.”
In a slip-up in Jacqui’s rehearsed answers of her weekend activities, she accidentally admitted to a colleague she had been to the Dalston Superstore, a well-known LGBTQIA club. Imagine her relief when her colleague thought it was a hardware store and that she was a DIY enthusiast.
From that point of trying to hide her authentic self, to where she is now, confident to be very visible and out, are polar opposites. The turning point for Jacqui was being introduced to another lesbian lawyer, from another firm. She advised Jacqui that most people would not care about her sexuality and that, frankly, people were too busy to worry about such things. She told Jacqui that the important thing is that she was known as the lawyer who happened to be a lesbian and not “the lesbian lawyer”.
This gave Jacqui the confidence to come out at Clifford Chance, where she later became the firm’s LGBTQIA trainee representative; and she was heavily involved with the firm’s LGBTQIA network, Arcus. Jacqui also credits working with other lesbian lawyers for helping her to feel more comfortable being visibly out.
“If you don’t see people who are like you, you can start to think there is something wrong with you. Although there are some junior out lesbian lawyers now, I am yet to meet a senior Black out lesbian lawyer. If I become a senior associate, I will be one of the City’s first (if not the first) Black out lesbian senior lawyers.”
Developing an understanding of intersectionality added to Jacqui’s confidence. The term intersectionality was coined by the American academic, Kimberlé Crenshaw, in 1989. Crenshaw was looking into legal cases where women were required to choose between bringing a claim under the grounds of ‘racism’ or ‘sexism’, but couldn’t argue that they had been discriminated against due to the combined impact of racism and sexism. In fact, in one of the cases the judge said that if women were able to bring claims on the basis of both sexism and racism they would have “two swings of the bat”. This completely misses the point. Intersectionality, therefore, describes how characteristics such as class, gender, race and other personal characteristics combine, overlap and ‘intersect’ with one another. When organisations fail to take an intersectional approach, but rather a characteristic by characteristic approach, what they’re effectively asking people to do is to leave parts of themselves behind. This erasure is likely to exacerbate the feelings of isolation and marginalisation experienced by individuals with multiple intersecting identities.
“I may experience lesbophobia differently from a white woman by virtue of my race; and I may experience racial discrimination differently from a Black man by virtue of my gender. Once I really grasped this, and once I met other lesbian lawyers, I saw the unique position I was in and I saw it as an opportunity to help other people.”
Helping other lesbians in the legal profession is now a huge part of Jacqui’s work and life. She says she does this by being visible – although this only came about a year or so ago. Before that, Jacqui was hesitant about being active and vocal on platforms like LinkedIn, for example. She considers that there is still a view in the legal industry that social media and lawyers are uneasy bedfellows. Nevertheless, Jacqui had never seen anyone in the legal
industry post about intersectionality and hoped that by doing so, rather than cause harm, she could inspire others.
Jacqui says that “coming out is not a onetime event. It requires constantly having to make a judgement call as to whether it is safe and sensible to do so”. After Clifford Chance, Jacqui went to an American firm, which will remain nameless for the purposes of this article. She made the decision not to come out there because, in her words, “it did not feel like a psychologically safe space”. Jacqui felt sad that she was forced to go back in the closet after having had such a positive experience at Clifford Chance, but recognises that, unfortunately, sometimes the LGBTQIA journey can feel as though you’re moving one step forward only to move ten steps back. On joining Hogan Lovells, she decided to be visible again and Jacqui is very grateful for the fact that the firm has two out lesbian partners.
In April 2023, Jacqui took a further step and founded ‘Legally Lesbians’. Legally Lesbians is an initiative which involves lesbians in the legal industry/in-house lawyers writing about their careers and reflecting on the importance of lesbian visibility. It has attracted prominent support and acclaim; in 2023 (it is a yearly publication in DIVA Magazine), Baroness Helena Kennedy KC wrote the foreword to the article; and in 2024, Baroness Brenda Hale, the former President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, wrote the foreword to the article.
The individuals who have taken part in Legally Lesbians are also incredibly inspiring. Barrister, Aderonke Apata, was facing deportation back to Nigeria and felt that as a Black lesbian woman it was simply not safe for her to return there; and at the 11th hour she was allowed to stay in the UK. She took part in Legally Lesbians in 2023. Also in 2023, Dr Keina Yoshida, a barrister at Doughty Street Chambers took part in Legally Lesbians. She was one of the lawyers who successfully litigated the Rosanna Flamer-Caldera v Sri Lanka case before the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), which held that criminalising lesbian relationships is a human rights violation.
Legally Lesbians has received a lot of positive feedback for the way in which it has inspired so many people. Jacqui says her favourite message came from an 18-year-old, living in Leeds, who said that she now had the confidence to pursue a career in law and that she felt less isolated after reading the Legally Lesbians 2023 article.
It is stuff like this that inspires Jacqui herself to carry on doing the work that she is doing. She also praises her firm for fostering an environment where a Black lesbian can bring their authentic self to the workplace. She recognises that not all organisations are like this and that despite there being some progress being made, the legal industry remains a conservative, homogenous and traditional one.
What words of advice would Jacqui give a young lesbian joining the legal profession today?
“Make sure you utilise the networking opportunities available to you because it is important to build a community and there are some really amazing people out there who can help and encourage you. Also get a mentorsomeone you can connect with on a human level. This person does not have to be from a similar background to you or even have to look like you. The important thing is having a sounding board. Finally, I would also say, while being a lesbian is an important part of who you are, it is not the only thing that you have to offer the City - you are so much more than your sexuality, so focus on those other things too.”
“Coming out is not a one-time event. It requires constantly having to make a judgement call as to whether it is safe and sensible to do so”.
HOW A LOVE FOR THE PAST INSPIRED A GATEWAY TO THE FUTURE
The Master, Edmund Parker with his wife, Panthea, the Mistress Solicitor.
On the 26th June 2024, Edmund Parker, a derivatives partner at Mayer Brown LLP, was elected as the new Master of the City of London Solicitors' Company (the Company) heralding a new and exciting era for the Livery Company that he has been a part of since 2011.
Edmund has many plans for the year ahead; from grass roots stuff to more blue sky thinking. He will be driving into place new infrastructure to serve the Company for years to come. Part of the charm and attraction of Livery Companies is their ability to safeguard and continue traditions from history and to make them part of the world we live in today. Edmund has a passion for the past - and, indeed, his love of history was one of the many reasons he joined the Company initially - but equally he recognises that for the Company to thrive in the future it requires a a futuristic approach. As well as moving into new premises, the Company will also be enhancing its IT and management systems and structures in a highly forensic way that is a part of Edmund’s DNA.
Regarding the bigger picture, Edmund’s theme for his year is ‘Gateways’. Edmund’s mission is to get more City lawyers (both private practice and in-house) to join the Company and to become active engaged members, quickly progressing from Freemen to Liverymen. He also wants there to be a gateway to the much bigger Livery movement. This has always been there, but relatively few have explored it before, and the potential for greater participation and enjoyment is huge.
Before the pandemic, most Livery events were focused on dinners and invitations to individual Livery Masters but now there are so many interesting and varied lectures and events that are open to members and Edmund’s aim is to encourage Liverymen and Freemen to access broader City livery life.
Edmund also feels that, currently, the membership of the Company primarily comes from private practice law firms and he would like to see that extended to bring in more in-house lawyers. A new Livery Management system is currently being put in place which will give a much clearer, more precise picture of the make-up of the Company. Getting on top of the data and using that to get more engagement is very much on Edmund’s agenda. As is finding ways to attract a next generation of younger and more diverse lawyers.
“For me if we can in the next year, get a whole stream of new people joining, inspire them and those who have not been particularly active members to become active members and provide opportunities to access the broader Livery movement, I think that will be a great achievement.”
Most City law firms have a CSR policy and there are many lawyers who are passionate about doing charitable work. The Company has an active Charities Committee. Edmund intends to spread the word about the work the Company is doing and inspire lawyers who would like to get involved.
What else does he think will attract new members?
“Currently there are about 35,000 private practice and in-house Solicitors' in the City so there is a big audience but currently only a small percentage are engaged with us. The Company’s values are collegiality, fellowship and charity. People are drawn to these principles. They will also be drawn to the programme of events if we make it interesting and attractive enough - and they know about it.“
Edmund himself was inspired to join partially because he loves the history and traditions of the City and also because he felt that, because of the intensity of being immersed in private practice, lawyers often don’t see the broader City for what it is. The Company was established in 1908 and can tap into the City’s glorious history and having a gateway into that he considers a privilege.
“I have been so fortunate to do some wonderful things over the years as a Liveryman that otherwise would not have been open to me, like taking my children to the sheep drive over London Bridge. Also to dine at some of the great halls in the City that I might never have been able to visit in any other way. There have been wonderful trips including wine tastings in Bordeaux and Burgundy, trips to the Normandy beaches and the museums of Madrid. I want others to have these opportunities too, as they are extraordinary experiences that are simply not open to everyone.”
Edmund paints a very inviting picture. No doubt those gateways will soon be flooded with solicitors eager to be a part of such a glorious organisation and the Livery movement
HAD GREEK CIVILISATION NEVER EXISTED WE WOULD NOT HAVE BECOME FULLY CONSCIOUS.
So said WH Auden - and now we can replace the word
civilisation with food and wine.
There was a time way back when Borough Market was a foodie’s paradise. Then it became an over commercialised tourist trap and anyone with culinary credibility steered well clear.
But life is cyclical and today it is, once again, the hottest spot for anyone in the know.
Let’s be clear here though, this time around it’s not Borough Market itself that is attracting the masses but the amazing restaurants around it that seem to be openly weekly and getting rave reviews even from critics who are usually impossible to please.
There is Camille, sister restaurant to the wonderful Duck Soup in Soho that is French and so delicious that my mouth is drooling as I write.
Then there is Kolae - super spicy Thai in very chic surroundings.
Akara is the baby of Michelin starred Akoko and a much more affordable option so you can get your fix of the wonderful African treats on offer without breaking the bank.
Rambutan is Sri Lankan and is sharing food that you will be fork fighting with your companions over.
And then…… there are AGORA and OMA. You cannot help but notice that Greek is the new trend in cuisine this season and David Carter, the man with the Midas touch when it comes to opening restaurants (SMOKESTAK and manteca) has, as you would expect of this superstar, got both the location and theme right with this double launch.
But this is all about OMA today. In its first month of opening, I went four times and, honestly, I would take up residency if I could.
What was David’s philosophy in setting up this dualled gem?
“The site was completely unique in that the infrastructure completely warranted and demanded two concepts. While OMA holds the warmth and romance of the Greek
isles, AGORA balances it with the grit and bold flavours found in the lively streets and markets of Athens, with our 2 metre souvla rotisserie being the focal point.”
AGORA (mentioned for its Kiwi Sour in the interview with Joanna Hughes) is on the ground floor and is walk-ins only, no reservations.
Queues are round the block (one Instagram post said 250!) as people happily wait armed with their frozen margaritas that are sold from an open window adjacent to the restaurant - a clever touch.
But this is all about OMA today.
In its first month of opening, I went four times and, honestly, I would take up residency if I could.
OMA is on the upper floor of the site and is very, very chic. The interior is a piece of art in itself - a signature of Carter’s restaurants. Both industrial and warm - an almost impossible combination to perfect. As well as a spacious stylish dining room, it has a wonderful terrace that is both covered and heated. You can literally hear the trains from London Bridge - which may sound unattractive but is actually wonderfully
atmospheric and somehow makes you feel you are in a far-flung, glamorous destination a million miles away from London.
The staff are stunningly friendly, and you walk out feeling you’ve made a whole bunch of new friends.
One of the senior team members is Andrew Michael - a Greek Cypriot - who on my first visit greeted me with a warm hug, having remembered me from when he was at Kol and I visited two years ago. Impressive.
As well as Kol, the impossible to get into Mexican gem, Andrew was also at Alex Dilling at the Cafe Royale. A pretty Michelin star-studded CV. Now, he lends his charm to OMA as their restaurant manager.
Andrew is warm and welcoming. He explains the menu to us as we sip a delicious glass of Greek sparkling wine, honestly every bit as delicious as the finest French champagne.
As a Greek Cypriot myself I must confess to being generally vastly underwhelmed by the quality of Greek cuisine in London (Daphnes in Camden totally excluded from that), so my expectations were set at a relatively low bar.
The menu tells us the food is ‘Greek inspired’ and the head chef is Jorge Paredes who was the executive chef at Sabor. It begins - as you would expect from any Greek place - with breads and dips. But please dismiss any thoughts of fluorescent pink taramasalata from your mind. These dips were refined, sophisticated, delicious. Think peppers and nuts (ajvar, mizithra, hazelnuts). Salt cod XO sauce with labneh. Hummus that was unlike
“The wine list is a beautifully written book; it talks about the wines being ‘inspired by the sea’ and divides them into three sections; influence of the sea, surrounded by the sea and further inland.”
any I have ever tasted. And the bread! Not a boring pita in sight. The wildfarmed laffa was like a cloud. The açma verde was a Turkish style bagel that would leave all those Brick Lane bakeries begging for the recipe. And the hot potato crisps…. I have no words. Is it dramatically sad to rave about bread? I think when you try them you will understand.
Next comes the crudo section. Or the omaas, in Greek, ‘oma’ means raw. There were four fish ceviche-style dishes to choose from and having tried all four now I would just say stick a pin in and enjoy. They are all divine. A gilt head bream, seabass, chalkstream trout and yellowfin tuna. All super fresh they were almost like palate cleansers for the next courses.
Small plates next. Honestly the lobster bisque borek was the closest thing to paradise I have experienced. Super thin flaky filo pastry encrusting, yes you read correctly, lobster bisque and all covered with scrumptious cheese. I did want to lick the plate and I did not want to share. My other small plate fave is the mussels saganaki. Spicy with that fab Greek cheese and, at the bottom of the pot, chunks of bread that have been soaking in the sauce.
The next course comprises skewers and grills. I can so recommend the octopus that is served with lamb sausage. Not a likely pairing but one definitely made in heaven. Add the asparagus which is in tonnato - again what a mindblowing combo. Add to those a Greek salad which has carob rusks and instead of feta, galomizithra and your mouth
will be in bliss. But don’t stop there. The clay pots are next. They are baked with orzo and both options offered were completely different but just yum. The wild red prawn giouvetsi was served with deepfried prawn butter and, the star of the entire show, the oxtail version came with bone marrow and beef fat pangrattato.
However full you are feeling at this stage, find room for dessert. My personal faves are the cold rice pudding with hot grilled strawberries and the olive oil ice cream which plays with your head but is nothing short of sublime.
Now let’s talk about the drinks. While downstairs at AGORA, freshly mixed cocktails are their thing, at OMA it is batched cocktails that are available. Try the clementine gimlet. Homemade (as is everything), it is addictively moreish. Cleverly served in a small as well as normal size, so you can indulge and still be able to sample the wines - and sample them you must.
The wine list is a beautifully written book; it talks about the wines being ‘inspired by the sea’ and divides them into three sections; influence of the sea, surrounded by the sea and further inland. Whilst there are wines from France, Spain, Italy, Austria, Slovenia, Portugal and South Africa, it is the ones from Greece that you should pay attention to.
Greece has moved beyond the days of fuel-like retsinas to now being considered a true player. The sparkling I mentioned was brut cuvée spéciale xinomavro, domaine karanika. OMA has four outstanding sommeliers, Luisa Fleur, Lars, Alessandra and Sam, and they really know their stuff, so be sure to pick their brains and choose some Greek wines you may not otherwise know. You will be more than pleasantly surprised; of that I have no doubt.
And before you leave make sure you do two things: firstly, have a glass of Greek dessert wine (move over Hungary, there is a new contender for your throne) and secondly book your next visit as this place is fast becoming the hottest ticket in town.
OMA is available for private hires and group bookings in their wine annex or bakery dining room from 1 September onwards. Email hello@oma.london to arrange your bespoke event and view the sharing or feasting menu.
art THE OF FINEWine SiP
Welcome To SIP, our new regular column devoted to every delicious thing we can sip; wines, cocktails and non alocoholic delights. Written by our journlist Maroulla Paul who is a self confessed nerd when it comes to wines and spirits. Maroulla has WSET Wines and Spirits Level 3, WSET Sake Level 1 and Capstone Level 1 (so far!)
It’s a balmy Saturday evening in Kedares, a sleepy village in Cyprus, at the foothills of the Troodos mountains; a place where you rarely see a car, a person or - truth be told - anything. But tonight there are traffic jams worthy of London or LA; people buzzing in greater abundance than the mosquitoes and instead of the usual air of peace there is an energy of excitement and anticipation.
The occasion is the launch party of the 5th vintage of Yartambellos wine - a totally exquisite Cinsault varietal which is the most perfect drink for the hot climate. Yes, it’s a red (unlike the usual rosés made from this grape) but it’s light, best served chilled and just utterly quaffable. But be warned, this wine is deceptive, coming in at 13.5% ABV.
Yartambellos is the baby of glass artist and native Cypriot, Yorgos Papadopoulos and his partner in crime (business and life) Arjen De Neve. Yorgos inherited a home in Kedares from his grandfather and this came together with an orange orchard and a vineyard. Sadly, the vines had been neglected and villagers encouraged the pair to dig them up and replace them with more lucrative fruit trees. But no, why take the easy road? Yorgos and Arjen worked long and hard to bring the vines back to healthy, fruit bearing life and collaborated with Marinos Ioannou, the winemaker from the well known Nelion winery to create Yartambellos. The name is an amalgamation of the Greek word yerambellos; meaning old vineyard and art which is Yorgos’s day job (his life, in reality)and something he is obsessively passionate about. As with everything Yorgos
creates, Yartambellos is an art form in itself, a truly fine wine in a bottle where the label is a piece of art he specially designed.
Marinos’s own wines - under the Nelion label - are all masterpieces. He is winning awards left, right and centre for them and deservedly so. He has three expressions of the indigenous xinisteri which showcase the skill of the man as each is completely different and equally delicious. He also makes a pet nat, a rose, reds and dessert wines including an aged chardonnay which will leave your tastebuds dancing with joy.
Over the five year journey with Yartambellos, Marinos, together with Yorgos and Arjen have worked to make as perfect a Cinsault varietal as is humanly possible. This is in keeping with Marinos’s philosophywhile the world has swung from an era of maximum intervention and doing huge amounts to force a wine to be something specific to minimum intervention and natural where you could end up with vinegar, Marinos believes in working with not against the grape to make it the best it can possibly be; no more no less.
Yartambellos is fresh fruit; strawberries sing out. Maybe some cherry, and berries. There is a backdrop of pepper and spice. It is smooth; very. No obvious tannins and no hit of alcohol; a perfectly balanced wine that has been achieved with just the right amount of wine making.
In addition to the original version, there is a casked version which adds another dimension and moves this wine from a light summer drink (perfect for the Cyprus climate) to a more conventional red. The richness is magnified and the spices highlighted. But the fruit is still there - both fresh and also dried. It is delicious. On Saturday, 18th May 2024, 150 people gathered to taste the 2023 vintage in the most spectacular setting of the vineyard which was adorned with stratified jewels (as Yorgos describes his glass artworks) hanging amidst the vines and glistening in the setting sun. The entire scene was magical; a saxophonist played; dancers (including Yorgos) performed the tango, food was abundant and the Yartambellos flowed.
Yorgos even gave a demonstration of his glass making process; watching how he shatters the glass to in essence destroy it
from one form and then recreate it into something more beautiful than before is akin to watching a magician at work.
The art is defined by themed collections where Yorgos’s Greek roots shine through. There is a range of ‘icons’ - some which combine different religions, bringing together the Orthodox church with Hinduism as one example; a powerful message in today’s fragmented world. Another collection is based on the ‘mati’; a Greek superstition whereby people keep a symbol of an eye on their bodies or in their homes to ward off evil spirits. Yorgos’s take is eyes to attract good things rather than deflect bad; think eye of confidence, eye of acumen, eye of patience…… These stunningly exquisite pieces literally soak up light and they glisten like jewels. Breathtaking.
While sipping wine in the idyllic setting of the vineyard at the launch party, I was surprised to stumble upon someone from the legal world amidst the guests; the eminent Constantine Partasides KC. For anyone who may not know Constantine, he is an arbitration guru. He began his career at Freshfields LLP where he trained and remained for 20 years. In 2004 he became a partner and led the arbitration team. He left in 2017 to launch Three Crowns LLP with five others. Three Crowns was the world’s first global arbitration firm, one that does nothing bar arbitration. They have five offices around the world with over 80 lawyers. They are counsel, so they both represent and do the advocacy for clients in high value, high stakes arbitration around the globe. They work for multinationals against states, against other multinationals, and vice versa.
What brought Constantine to Kedares to taste wine and look at art? Apart from being two Greek Cypriots, it seems initially Yorgos and Constantine are in two very distinct worlds. It transpires that they met around 15 years ago when Yorgos collaborated with Constantine’s father, who is a renowned photographer, in an exhibition in London.
Constantine immediately fell in love with Yorgos’s art which he thought was “just unique, I have never seen anything like it, before or since.”
The two became friends and this was sealed for life when at his silk party Yorgos took his fedora off his head and put it on Constantine’s daughter’s - she had been eyeing it longingly all evening!
Constantine is a collector of Yorgos’s art and they are displayed in his homes in London and Paros. One has a quote about natural law from Aristotle which sits in Constantine’s office at home; perfect subject matter. There is also a piece of Yorgos’s art in Three Crowns’ reception and about this Constantine says;
“It is a striking antidote to the interchangeable and anonymous corporate art that confronts clients at too many law firms.”
As well as being a firm fan of the art, Constantine is quite partial to a glass or two of Yartambellos too. Having worked in Paris for almost a decade he confesses to have become a wine snob.
“I went from thinking that wine was just something sour you drink too much of at parties as a student to appreciating what an extraordinary and living drink it is. I know French wine in particular so am familiar with Cinsault - the grape Yorgos has given life to in the Paphos hills - it is a really refreshing summer red, perfect with good company which is how I have always tasted it at Yorgos’s vineyard.”
If Yorgos has any fault, it is that he is a perfectionist, quite obsessive about every little detail. This is exemplified in both his art and in the wine; both are faultless. But his fault is our gain; and we get to experience perfect wine and artwhat a combination.
“After moving back to Cyprus I have been searching my roots deeper. I wanted to express the huge wealth the ancient Greek philosophers brought to Western civilisation. To this purpose I used the decadence of gold leaf. In “Throughout the wide-ruling sky” I quote from Aristotle’s Rhetoric where he touches on the subject of the natural origins of law. Being a free spirit, the quote seemed appropriate. But it really came about because of the endless discussions with my lawyer husband. That the work was rented by a City law firm shows how nature makes its wonders.” Yorgos Papadolopoulos
For more information about Yartambellos wines or Yogos’s artworks, contact Yorgos +35799352560 www.yartambellos.com www.yorgos.studio
For more information about Nelion wines visit nelionwinery.com
Marinos’s own wines - under the Nelion label - are all masterpieces. He is winning awards left, right and centre for them and deservedly so.
LIVERY NEWS –
What’s been happening and what is coming up
THE CITY OF LONDON SOLICITORS’ COMPANY PRIZE 2024
We are delighted to announce that for the first time, the 2024 Company Prize has been awarded jointly to two worthy winners, Emily Louise from Hogan Lovells International LLP and Oliver Jones from Mayer Brown International LLP.
The Company Prize is usually awarded each year to an aspiring solicitor at a City firm who has gained a distinction on the Legal Practice Course and who, based on an essay competition and an interview with the Master and the Chair of the CLLS Training Committee, shows the most promise as a future City Solicitor. Emily and Oliver were both judged to be outstanding winners this year - their essays (reprinted below) answer this year’s competition question, “How would you describe to a non-lawyer what the Rule of Law is, why it’s important and what part City solicitors play in upholding it?
Oliver Jones – Mayer Brown International LLP
What the rule of law is
The rule of law is a constitutional principle which lacks a single, agreed upon definition. Indeed, the current Attorney General, Victoria Prentis KC MP, has described it as "one of the most elusive constitutional principles." However, there are four core elements which appear to be uncontroversial: equality, certainty, legality and access to justice. The law applies equally to everyone and no person, institution, entity or government is above the law; laws should be clear, predictable and accessible so that rights and obligations are understood; the state must act within its powers; and all must have access to independent courts which resolve disputes through a fair process. Some definitions argue that the scope of the principle is wider than this, for example, requiring that the state comply with its obligations under international law. The broadest definitions even encompass the content of the law, namely, ensuring the protection of fundamental individual rights, such as freedom of speech.
Why it's important
The rule of law is of fundamental importance to maintaining law and order, healthy democratic governance and a stable economy. People are much more likely to take the law into their own hands without access to adequate criminal and civil justice systems. A society which upholds the rule of law can therefore better guarantee the safety of its citizens. The principle does not stop people from breaking the law, but it means they must face the consequences, regardless of societal status. The abuse of state power is also prevented through the ability of independent judges to determine whether public bodies have acted fairly and within the remit
of their powers, ensuring they are not given a 'blank cheque' of unlimited authority. In turn, the courts uphold lawful decisions, enabling effective democratic governance. The principle is also conducive to a prosperous economy. Individuals and businesses are more inclined to enter into contracts if they are confident that those contracts will be honoured, or know that effective compensation options exist should they be broken. The economic argument similarly holds true for international agreements, such as trade agreements.
Left to right, Charlotte Wanendeya, Vice-Chair of the CLLS Training Committee, Emily Louise, Oliver Jones and Immediate Past Master Sarah de Gay.
What part City solicitors play in upholding it
All parts of society play a role in upholding the rule of law, but this is especially the case for City solicitors who advise some of the largest businesses on navigating the law. As such, this advice can meaningfully impact upon people's lives, the stability of financial markets, and the integrity of the justice system. Counselling these organisations towards legality therefore advances the rule of law. Adhering to the ethical guidelines which regulate the profession, such as acting with honesty, integrity and independence, even in the face of possible commercial or social pressure to do otherwise, is key to this. These values prevent activity which would undermine the principle, for instance, misleading the court. Finally, City solicitors are also able to uphold the rule of law through pro bono work, which enables the most vulnerable members of society to assert their legal rights.
Emily Louise - Hogan Lovells International LLP
Given the universal discussion on what the rule of law is and where it truly applies, it is perhaps best defined by what it is not. It is not a society in which the rules and rights of citizens are uncertain. It is not a society where the system you must follow is dictated by rank or status. It is not a society where justice is suppressed or concealed, through lack of independence or otherwise, nor where the state can exceed its powers without being adequately restricted. Society without the rule of law is inherently unjust, in a way that cannot be appropriately challenged.
It follows that the rule of law is a framework or frameworks which ensure fairness, including through mechanisms that allow for transparency, equality, and democratic freedom in society. Understanding the importance of the rule of law is rooted in the consideration of how society would, or does, manifest without it.
Considering what the rule of law is not leads to an understanding that it is not assured, and the extent to which it exists can be called into question in any state, especially when policy or decisions signal change. In the UK itself, there have been accusations of democratic backsliding, the process in which the curbs on state power gradually erode. Attention has been called to the Elections Act 2022 which altered the independence of electoral bodies, the Public Order Act 2023 which increased state power to prevent protest and the ongoing legal aid cuts reducing access for low-income citizens to legal advice. The Windrush Scandal, the Post Office Scandal and the Partygate Scandal have also spotlighted the question as to whether everyone is equal before the law, not just as relates to individuals but organisations too. Considering these instances, the importance of both the principle and safeguarding of the rule of law is evident.
City solicitors work often with big business, but this is not a contradiction to upholding the rule of law. Indeed, the fair administration of justice relies on legal representatives driving those clients towards legality, whether that be by legally supporting challenges to legislation as imposed or interpreting how to best follow procedures to ensure that all companies are transparent in their dealings.
Yet, more widely, each City solicitor and the firm they represent is part of something bigger — teaching, promoting, and sustaining the rule of law at large. This is done by ensuring that we in the City represent the society we form part of, whether that be by promoting diversity, access and inclusion, community funding, knowledge sharing or pro bono initiatives; the role of City solicitors is not complete at billable work. We should confidently be able to say that without City solicitors, the upholding of the rule of law in our society would weaken; if this is not the case, we fail to be stewards of justice. The City is increasingly recognising this, and it should be reflected upon in every action and inaction that we consider.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY 2024/25
Formula One Olympic Gold: could it happen?
Once again the Olympics have showcased the superhuman drive that propels an elite few to achieve sporting greatness. It's a quality shared with F1 drivers, who have been known to cross the divide in search of the ultimate medal. But what prevents F1 being formally woven into the Olympic tapestry?
Top of the menu on Rolls Royce’s website during my research into inspirational individuals in motorsport was a tab denoted ‘inspiring greatness’, which took me to a series of videos spotlighting exceptional people who have distinguished themselves in their chosen craft. The automaker has always been synonymous with excellence, but the message was that commitment, persistence and a desire to challenge the impossible are critical in all walks of life, including motor manufacturing, the arts, charity and sport.
Developing this line of thought there can be few sportspeople more inspirational than Italian motor racing driver Alex Zanardi, whose career skyrocketed in the 1990s, culminating in fifteen wins and two titles in the Champ Car World Series and more than forty Formula One appearances for the Jordan, Minardi, Lotus and Williams teams.
By the 2000 season Zanardi had made a comeback in Champ, only for tragedy to strike at the American Memorial race at The Lausitzring, when his car was blindsided by another driver at 200mph as he left the pits, ripping it in two. He lost of both legs and almost three quarters of his entire blood volume.
Not only did Zanardi survive the accident, in 2003 he made a remarkable return first to motor racing, and later the European Touring Car championship, in a car adapted with hand operated brake and accelerator controls, before retiring from racing in 2009.
Not content to rest on his laurels, however, he took up handcycling, achieving fourth place in its division at the New York City marathon that same year. By 2011 he was first across the line in the Big Apple, a feat later mirrored at both the Rome and Venice
equivalents. He went on to take four gold and two silver Paralympic medals at the London 2012 and Rio 2016 games, across cycling road time trials, individual races and mixed team relays, in addition to being named the outstanding male athlete at the former. His final transition was to triathlon, where he obliterated the world record in the Ironman disabled category in 2018.
Whilst Zanardi retains the distinction of being F1's only Paralympic gold medal winner, there have been other notable F1 Olympians. A good example is Divina Galica MBE, who having taken up motor sport as a second career after captaining the British Women’s Olympic Ski team in 1968 and 1972, resurfaced in the 1992 Winter Olympics to represent GB in the alpine speed skiing event. The following year she joined a select group of women to have broken the 200 km/h barrier.
There have long been whispers around whether F1 might be added to the programme for the 2028 games in Los Angeles, given the obvious desire to grow the sport in the USA, but despite making the long list that went before the International Olympic Committee and five new sports being given the green light - namely baseball/softball, cricket, squash, flag football and lacrosse – F1 failed to make the cut.
The principal reason for this appears to be the difficulty of achieving a level playing field for competitors in the Olympic setting, largely due to the current championship set up, but also the politics which surrounds it.
For those not familiar with the sport, in a Formula One season, two world championships effectively run side by side, the first a competition between the
drivers and the second a competition between the racing car constructors.
In the Drivers’ Championship, which best captures the imagination of the public and consumes most of the media attention, the individual F1 driver with the most championship points at the end of the season becomes the world champion.
The title that F1 teams such as McLaren and Red Bull fight over is the FIA Formula One World Championship for Constructors – a battle between the corporate entities who design key elements of F1 cars – the winner being the team with the most championship points at the end of the season.
For F1 to be admitted as an Olympic sport, focus would need to shift away from constructors and team resources, which are notoriously uneven, including the work undertaken by their army of engineers and mechanics, in favour of driver skill, the standardisation of racing cars and more inclusive representation for drivers from the other Formulas. Unsurprisingly many in the industry are not in favour of such an approach.
Suffice it to say and sadly, the only cars you're likely to see in the City of Angels during the 2028 Olympics are the ones stuck nose to tail on the freeway, in the infamous LA traffic, but this takes nothing away from the Herculean accomplishments of Zanardi, Galica and those others who have firmly planted a foot in both sporting camps.
Joel Leigh is the motoring correspondent of City Solicitor and a Partner at Howard Kennedy LLP
THE LAST WORD –DID YOU KNOW?
WHEN INSPIRATION SAVED THE DAY
In the hallowed halls of academia, minds wrestle with the abstract and the profound. Sometimes, a moment of inspiration can lead to a profound shift in how we view the world. In 1936, a young mathematician, Alan Turing, published a paper that changed everything.
On 27 May 1936, Turing submitted his piece to the London Mathematical Society. 'On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem'. His paper came out in the Proceedings of the London Mathematical Society in two parts, in 1936 and 1937. It tackled an esoteric problem: the Entscheidungsproblem, or "decision problem." This problem, posed by the renowned mathematician David Hilbert, sought a definitive method to determine the truth or falsity of any mathematical statement within a formal system. Turing's genius lay in his novel approach to this problem. He envisioned a hypothetical machine capable of performing any computation. The computation had to be capable of being described by a set of instructions. This hypothetical machine has since become known as the Turing machine. Thus the abstract begot further inspiration and practical inventions. The Turing machine became the foundation of modern computer science. It was a blueprint for the digital engines that now permeate our lives.
Turing's paper was not merely a theoretical exercise. It also had profound implications for the foundations of mathematics. He demonstrated that there are problems that no algorithmic process can solve. Problems that no computer, no matter how powerful, can provide a definitive answer. This result became known as the undecidability of
the halting problem. It shattered hopes of finding a universal method to solve all mathematical problems. A mix of admiration and scepticism greeted the publication of Turing's paper. Some mathematicians recognized its brilliance and far-reaching consequences. Others struggled to grasp its abstract concepts. Turing's ideas were ahead of their time. With them, a glimpse into the future and the importance of computing and computers.
Turing's work on computability laid the groundwork for the development of electronic computers. His abstract machine, once a figment of his imagination, became a reality. Necessity is the mother of invention. Few times have seen such a need for invention as Britain during the Second World War. Wartime necessity would produce an incredible brood of innovations.
At Bletchley Park, Britain's codebreakers worked to decipher German military codes. Turing and his colleagues worked on cracking the Wehrmacht's Enigma Code. The Enigma Code was itself an inspired invention - what seemed like an unbreakable cipher.
The Enigma machine was a complex electromechanical device designed to encrypt messages. It consisted of a keyboard, a set of rotating rotors, and a plugboard. Each key press would turn rotors. This created a unique electrical pathway scrambling the letter into a different one. The settings of the rotors and the plugboard determined the encryption key. The encryption key changed daily, making the code very difficult to break.
Turing's key contribution was the design and development of the Bombe. This was an electromechanical device that systematically tested different Enigma settings to find the correct one. The Bombe built on a Polish design, enhanced by Turing and his colleagues. With it, the Allies gained
invaluable intelligence on German military operations. Some have credited it with shaving years from the duration of the conflict.
The Bombe's success was a testament to Turing's ability to turn inspiration into practical applications. He applied complex theoretical concepts to almost impossible real-world problems. His deep understanding of mathematics and logic combined with engineering skills to create a machine that could outsmart the Enigma. The Bombe was a technological marvel of its time, a precursor to the modern computer.
After his wartime triumphs, Turing's life took a tragic turn. In 1952, he faced prosecution for homosexual acts, which were then illegal in Britain. Convicted of "gross indecency", he had to choose between imprisonment and chemical castration. He chose the latter, suffering hormone therapy with devastating physical and psychological effects. Two years later, in 1954, Turing died from self-inflicted cyanide poisoning.
In 2009, the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, issued an official government apology. In 2013, Turing received a posthumous royal pardon. His portrait now graces the £50 note. This acknowledges his importance and confronts his post-war treatment. But his suffering and early death can not be undone.
Today, Turing's legacy lives on in every computer, smartphone, and digital device. His ideas transformed our world, enabling us to communicate, create, and explore in ways that were once unimaginable.
This article was provided courtesy of Ian ChapmanCurry, Legal Director in the pensions team at Gowling WLG.and host of the Almost History podcast. www.almosthistorypodcast.com
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