Meet Our Team

  • Appointed King’s Counsel in March 2022, Sultana is a highly experienced human rights, international law and criminal justice barrister, advising States, NGOs and individuals. She also advises large multi-national corporations on Diversity & Equality. She is Chair of the Bar Standard Board’s Taskforce on Religious & Belief. Sultana's unique expertise in high profile counter terrorism & national security cases spans across the Criminal Courts, Coronial Courts, Administrative and Family Divisions of the High Court and the Appellate Courts. She is part of the Organisation of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Roster of Criminal Justice Sector Experts dealing with Counter-Terrorism. She advises on international human rights, international criminal law and humanitarian law issues. She is currently on the Advisory Board, Influencing Corridors of Power (ICOP), School of Oriental & African Studies, University of London; Member of Legal Expert Advisory Panel for Fair Trials International (LEAP); Special Advisor on Human Rights for the Oxford Initiative for Global Ethics and Human Rights; and on the Advisory Council for JUSTICE. Sultana is an award-winning barrister, winning Barrister of the Year 2022 at the Inspirational Women in Law Awards; appearing in the HERoes Top 100 Women Future Leaders, 2021; Winner of the Professions Category, Asian Women of Achievement, 2021; Finalist in BSN Lawyer of the Year (Chambers), UK Legal Diversity Awards; and Finalist, in Outstanding Woman in Professional category sponsored by Baker McKenzie, Precious Awards 2021. She is also the Founder & Director of Modest Fashion Festival which attracted a global audience of 1.56 billion.

    A multi-award-winning King’s Counsel, Sultana Tafadar KC has an extensive, high-profile practice in human rights, international law and criminal justice. She advises and acts for individuals, States, NGOs, multinational corporations and other national and international bodies, appearing in courts at all levels.

    In 2022, she achieved international recognition for breaking historic barriers as the first hijab-wearing Silk at the Criminal Bar of England & Wales, a milestone that underscored her role as both a leading advocate and a pioneer for greater diversity within the legal profession. She has featured in leading media platforms including BBC, Al Jazeera, The Times, The Guardian, The Independent, and Harper’s Bazaar Arabia.

    Ranked in the Legal 500, her criminal justice practice encompasses defending in the most serious and complex criminal cases. She is considered one of the foremost experts in counter terrorism & national security cases. 

    Sultana provides advice and representation on international human rights, international criminal law and humanitarian law issues. She also advises large multi-national corporations on matters that intersect with criminal law & human rights and Equality, Diversity & Inclusion.

    Sultana offers an exceptional blend of dynamic, diverse, and versatile legal expertise. With a proven track record, a formidable skill set, and an unmatched proficiency across various practice areas, her legal services are delivered with precision & excellence.

    Appointments

    • King’s Counsel Selection Panel, KCA

    • Founder, Girls Human Rights Hub

    • Chair, Taskforce on Religion & Belief, Bar Standards Board

    • JUSTICE, Council Member

    • Advisory Board, Influencing Corridors of Power (ICOP), School of Oriental & African Studies, University of London

    • Legal Advisory Panel, The People’s Review of Prevent

    • Special Advisor on Human Rights, Oxford Initiative for Global Ethics & Human Rights

    • Member of Legal Expert Advisory Panel (LEAP), Fair Trial International

    • Roster for Criminal Justice Sector Experts dealing with Counter-Terrorism, Organisation for Security & Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)

    • Member of Detention Experience, Advocat Sans Frontieres (ASF)

    Awards

    • Winner of Barrister of the Year, Inspirational Women in Law Awards, 2022;

    • Winner of the Professions Category, Asian Women of Achievement, 2021;

    • Justicia Awards Nominee, 2023

    • HERoes Top 100 Women Future Leaders, 2021;

    • Finalist in BSN Lawyer of the Year (Chambers), UK Legal Diversity Awards, 2021;

    • Finalist in Outstanding Woman in Professional category sponsored by Baker McKenzie, Precious Awards 2021.

  • Safiyah is 13  years old and the Co-Founder of GHRH. Safiyah has always been driven by the desire to become a human rights lawyer. She came up with the idea of creating a Hub where girls could learn more about their rights and how to claim them.  She loves representing and advocating on behalf of her peers. She has represented her year group on the School Council for two years. She has been a Form Captain and was voted vice House Captain this year. She is a Digital Ambassador at her school and has recently taken on the role of Inclusivity Ambassador. She loves debating and is a Lamda scholar.

  • Ella Lawrence is Director Campaigns at GHRH, where she leads the Make February Girls’ Human Rights Month campaign—driving international awareness, public engagement, and advocacy around girls’ rights.

    Alongside her campaigning role, Ella works as a Paralegal at TMP on high-profile cases reaching up to the Supreme Court.

    Since joining TMP in 2022 with a background in Advertising, she has developed a dual communications and legal role—bridging strategic campaigning with frontline legal work.

    Ella is training to qualify as a solicitor and is currently studying SQE1. She holds an MSc in Politics and International Relations from Royal Holloway, University of London and a BA (Hons) in Advertising from Bournemouth University. Her master’s dissertation on sexism, racism, and labour rights within sex work was awarded high merit and praised for its originality and politically bold approach.

    Ella was a finalist for Paralegal of the Year 2024 with Next 100 Years: Women in Law. She is passionate about access to justice and building campaigns that actually move the needle.

    Outside work, she’s an avid traveller (25+ countries) and recently climbed Mount Kilimanjaro.

  • Alison is Partner Ambassador for Inclusion and former London Managing Partner at Irwin Mitchell LLP. After opening the London office in 1995, she went on to establish and lead the medical negligence team in London for many years, and is widely recognised as a leading medical negligence lawyer.

    She is a passionate advocate for patient safety and for safe, compassionate healthcare for women, and has been deeply committed to raising awareness of inequalities in healthcare—particularly within maternity services.

    Championing diversity, inclusion, and social mobility within the legal profession is central to her work. In 2008, she helped establish Irwin Mitchell’s Diversity & Inclusion Board and went on to lead the firm’s gender equality group for many years. Irwin Mitchell is currently the only Top 50 UK law firm with over 50% women partners, and she has widely shared the firm’s approach to addressing the structural barriers women face in progressing their legal careers. She is also an active mentor to emerging leaders across the profession.

    She co-leads the firm’s initiative, The Female Voice, which provides a platform for women across professional networks to connect, collaborate, and be empowered to share ideas and influence change.

    Beyond her work at Irwin Mitchell, she is a Trustee of Group B Strep Support and a Business Ambassador for Meningitis Now. She also serves as Global Chair of the G100 Diversity Inclusion and Representation Wing, creating international connections and advancing solutions to global inequalities.

  • Aliya is an English law qualified Associate in the Dubai office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and a member of the firm’s Financial Regulatory Practice Group. She has experience advising governments, regulators and a broad range of financial institutions in both the UAE and UK, including investment managers, commercial and investment banks, payment service providers, FinTechs and digital asset service providers on complex regulatory issues.

    She completed her bachelor’s degree in human, social, political science at the University of Cambridge in 2019 before completing her Graduate Diploma of Law and Legal Practice Course at BPP Law School in London. Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Aliya completed her training contract and qualified into the financial services regulatory team at an international law firm in London.

  • Hanisha is a child and family law practitioner, undertaking a range of both public and private law cases.

    Hanisha has significant experience dealing with cases involving allegations of serious physical and sexual abuse, often involving numerous medical experts.

    Hanisha has built a strong reputation in the area of forced marriage appearing regularly in the High Court and has also represented vulnerable clients in the Court of Protection.

    Hanisha is Chair of the Association of Asian Women Lawyers and her profile appears in the annual edition of ‘Black Letter Law’ acknowledging achievement in the law. She recently represented the AAWL at a panel event at the Palace of Westminster on “Inspirational Journeys of Women shaping careers, Business and society,” where she spoke about her work as a barrister and the support needed for victims of domestic abuse, especially in cases related to honour abuse within the Asian community.

Our Special Advisors

  • Katie is the Ambassador for the Caring Family Foundation and has responsibility for the foundation’s strategic and operational delivery, as well as financial oversight. She has over 15 years’ experience combatting Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking (MSHT), Domestic Abuse (DA and Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (CSAE).

    Katie previously worked in the charity sector as Head of Domestic Abuse and Modern Slavery for a leading charity provider, with a dedicated team of over 250, supporting over 2,500 vulnerable adults and 600 vulnerable children. Previously a Crown servant, she was appointed to two prime ministerial taskforces and has a Master’s degree in Health and International Development from the London School of Economics and Civil Service Leadership training.

  • International Pro Bono Partner: Litigation, Arbitration, and Employment

    Yasmin Waljee OBE, is responsible for shaping the International Pro bono Practice at Hogan Lovells. Her appointment in 1997 was the first of its kind in Europe and her appointment to the partnership was the first such appointment in the UK.

    Yasmin Waljee is an expert in the field of human rights with a focus on victims and reparations work.  She has practiced in this area at Hogan Lovells for 27 years, starting on Privy Council appeals against the death penalty and working on many ground breaking and law changing matters.  She has expertise in human trafficking and sexual violence, including formerly sitting on the Advisory Panel to the UK's Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner. She is also a Council of Europe member of the network of lawyers on anti-human trafficking (GRETA),  Trustee of the IBA Human Rights Institute, Director of the Global Board of Equality Now and Trustee of the Chancery Lane Project and Advisory Board member to the Patchwork Foundation.

  • Shreya Atrey is an Associate Professor in International Human Rights Law at the Faculty of Law, University of Oxford, and is based at the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights. She is an associate member of the Oxford Human Rights Hub, an Official Fellow and Racial Justice and Equality Fellow at Kellogg College, and a Senior Teaching Fellow at New College. Shreya is the Editor of the Human Rights Law Review (OUP). Previously, she was based at the University of Bristol Law School and has been a Max Weber Fellow at the European University Institute, Florence, and a Hauser Postdoctoral Global Fellow at the NYU School of Law, New York. She completed BCL with distinction and DPhil in Law on the Rhodes Scholarship from Magdalen College, University of Oxford.

    Shreya works on equality and human rights issues in comparative and international law. Her first monograph, Intersectional Discrimination (OUP 2019) won the runner-up Peter Birks Book Prize in 2020. The monograph presents an account of intersectionality theory in comparative discrimination law and has been cited by the South African Constitutional Court in their path-breaking decision: Mahlangu v Minister of Labour and Others [2020] ZACC 24 (19 November 2020), which recognised the right of Black female domestic workers to access compensation for workplace injury; and the Supreme Court of India which relied on her framework of ‘intersectional integrity’ for understanding and redressing sexual violence against women in their landmark decision: Patan Jamal Vali v State of Andhra Pradesh Criminal Appeal No 452 of 2021 (27 April 2021). 

  • Nadia (called 2004; took silk 2023) is Co-Head of the Employment Group at Old Square Chambers. Her practice spans employment, professional discipline, public law, and related commercial disputes, and she has been ranked as a leading barrister in the legal directories for over a decade. Nadia acts for both employers and employees, with particular expertise in whistleblowing, discrimination, equal pay, and regulatory matters across financial services, insurance, technology, healthcare, and the public sector, including the NHS. Her cases range from tribunals and lower courts to the Supreme Court.

    Nadia has significant experience in High Court injunctions and MHPS proceedings, judicial review and procurement (including PCR and TUPE), and professional discipline, bringing added insight as a former member of the Bar Tribunal. She also advises on and conducts mediations, complex investigations, and internal disciplinary and grievance processes.

    She read law at St John’s College, University of Oxford, winning the Lovells Prize, and was a Frank Knox Fellow at Harvard University, graduating with an LLM from Harvard Law School and the Dean’s Prize for Leadership. She trained at The College of Law and received Gray’s Inn’s pre-eminent scholarship and the Ede & Ravenscroft Student of the Year award. Nadia is an honorary fellow of St John’s College, Oxford, and serves on the Employment Law Bar Association committee, with roles in gender pay disparity and equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives.

  • Jill is an award-winning disputes and catastrophic injury lawyer, named Disputes Lawyer of the Year at the Women and Diversity in Law Awards 2023. She is one of a small number of UK lawyers recognised by Chambers and Partners as a Star Individual, and received the Lifetime Achievement in Law honour at Law UK’s Women, Influence & Power Awards (2021). Her accolades also include Catastrophic Injury Lawyer of the Year at the Personal Injury Awards 2020, inclusion in The Lawyer Hot 100 (2019), shortlisting for Woman Lawyer of the Year at the Law Society Excellence Awards 2018, and her team’s win as Personal Injury Team of the Year at Solicitors Journal Awards 2017.

    Her practice focuses on life-changing injury claims, including brain and spinal injuries, amputations, fatal accidents, and complex cases arising from road and workplace accidents, sexual assault, terrorist attacks, and E. coli O157 outbreaks. Known for fast, strategic intervention, she issues proceedings early and secures rehabilitation and interim funding at the outset to maximise recovery and long-term outcomes for clients.

    A committed campaigner for victims and vulnerable groups, she has represented survivors of terrorism and played a key role in securing legislation providing financial support for UK victims of terrorist attacks worldwide. She currently acts for victims of the Westminster Bridge, London Bridge, and Finsbury Park Mosque attacks. She also campaigns for women’s access to justice, including acting in UK civil claims arising from alleged historic sexual assaults involving Harvey Weinstein, and has successfully taken a civil rape case to trial without a prior criminal conviction—one of very few such cases to reach trial.

    She regularly acts for children and has driven safety reforms following fatal and serious incidents, contributing to stronger regulation around bedside sleeper cots and public-health protections after E. coli O157 outbreaks, now a notifiable disease. Known for her relentless pursuit of insurers and institutions, she and her team are proud of the outcomes they secure for clients.

    In 2018, she was elected Treasurer of Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL), the not-for-profit body campaigning to protect people with serious, life-changing injuries.

Our Brazilian Team

  • A senior corporate lawyer with over 24 years of experience in national and international business environments, specializing in commercial litigation and debt recovery. Currently a Counselor at WFaria Advogados, she provides strategic legal support to multinational giants and maintains a strong institutional presence within the National Congress and the Ministry of Justice.

    Beyond her corporate practice, she is a dedicated Board Advisor for international organizations such as The Caring Family Foundation (UK) and Casa Patris (Netherlands). A landmark achievement in her career is her role as co-author of the law that established the International Day of the Girl Child in Brazil, reflecting her profound commitment to gender equity and the legal protection of girls and women.

  • Vanessa Cavalieri is a Judge at the Child and Youth Court of Rio de Janeiro. A specialist in her field, she is a Professor of Child and Adolescent Rights at both EMERJ (Rio de Janeiro State School of the Judiciary) and ENFAM (National School for the Formation and Improvement of Judges).

    She serves as the Coordinator of the Restorative Justice Center (CEJUSC) at the Rio de Janeiro Court of Justice (TJRJ) and is a member of the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitors Leadership Program (Protecting Women and Children). She is also the author of the "Eu Te Vejo" (I See You) Protocol, a prominent initiative focused on preventing school violence.

  • Juliana Nogueira Galvão Martins has been a member of the Judiciary since 2009. She is currently the Presiding Judge of the 2nd Special Court for Domestic and Family Violence against Women in Aracaju and serves as the Coordinator for Women’s Affairs at TJSE (2025-2027). Throughout her career, she has received official recognition for judicial efficiency and the reduction of case backlogs.

    At the national level, she holds leadership positions as the 2nd Secretary of the Executive Commission of COCEVID and 1st Secretary of the National Forum for Protective Justice (FONAJUP) for the 2024-2026 term. Additionally, she is the Vice President of the State Forum for Children and Youth (FOEJI-SE). She is a prominent advocate for gender equity and professional training within the judicial system.

  • With over 22 years of legal experience, Gabriela Lusquiños has dedicated the last 15 years to defending the rights of children, adolescents, and women. She holds advanced legal training from EMERJ, specializing in Civil Liability, Children’s Rights, Juvenile Justice, Mediation, and Restorative Justice.

    She created and implemented the "Bem-Me-Quer" Program, a benchmark for humane care and the prevention of revictimization for sexual violence survivors. Currently, she serves in the 7th Children and Youth Prosecutor's Office of the Capital, where she coordinates protection networks and public policies for child advocacy. She is also a member of the DEGASE/MPRJ Task Force, investigating and addressing institutional violence.

  • Partner at WFaria Advogados – Attorneys at Law