08/09/2008 - City Walk - Yankee Doodle Dandies
17/09/2008 - EGM
23/09/2008 - Raising your Profile
Fiona
Fitzgerald is a partner in Colemans-ctts, a national firm, where she is
the operational partner of the legal expenses division covering motor,
home, travel and business legal expenses. She is based in the Kingston-upon-Thames
office. She is also involved in many varied projects and has recently been
part of a team to launch the firm’s web-site. She has also been instrumental
in setting up one of the country’s few call centres based in a solicitors’ practice.
Fiona takes a keen interest in those entering the profession and works
closely with Kingston University on many initiatives.
Fiona was Chairwoman of the AWS (London Group) for the year 2002-2003. She has also been Treasurer and Deputy Vice-Chairwoman of the AWS National Association. Fiona takes a keen interest in working with the Law Society on initiatives.
Clare
is a partner at the City firm of Pinsent Masons. She
qualified as a solicitor in England in 1998 and in Scotland in 1994.
Clare has significant experience of advising private sector consortia and public sector organisations on PFI/PPP issues both internationally and in the UK. She has advised on a wide range of PFI projects in the health, education and transport sectors.
Clare also has an academic background in government policy. In 1995 she was awarded a PhD for her research into the effectiveness of advisory committees as conduits for advice to government.
Clare has been a member of the AWS since 1997. During this time she has had special responsibility for public relations and in developing the new AWS logo and brand. Currently she represents AWS on the Law Society's Council.
Clare is also a trustee and non-executive director of Regent's College, London.
vicechair@womensolicitors.org.uk
Sarah
Austin was admitted to the Roll as a solicitor in 1996. She obtained her Bachelors
in Business Administration in 1991 whilst working full time in the City of
London in the banking and investment management sector. Sarah studied law
at Guildhall University, London.
After heading up private client departments in the City, Sarah set up her own practice AUSTINS which is based in Chiswick. It is a dedicated private client firm specialising in tax planning, wills, trusts and elderly client care. Sarah chose this area of law as it as varied as each individual and emphasises a solution-based approach.
She is a qualified Trust and Estate Practitioner, both in onshore and offshore
jurisdictions.
Sarah is keen to promote women’s small business interests and is a member
of two business networks with similar goals. This is in addition to being
a member of the Law Society’s Probate section, Sole Practitioners Group,
Black Solicitors Network and a Solicitor for the Elderly. In particular she
is interested in how flexible working can benefit businesses whatever their
size.
In her spare time Sarah loves to travel to exotic and remote parts of the world, especially where laptops and mobile phones are not an everyday occurrence.
treasurer@womensolicitors.org.uk
Tilly Rubens is an assistant solicitor at Alan Edwards & Co Solicitors
in Notting Hill, London and specializes in housing and general litigation.
She undertakes both publicly funded and private work. She is a member of
the Housing Law Practicioners Group and Legal Action Group.
Tilly is Chair of the AWS Law Reform and Representation Group and has a particular
interest in the topics of women in the judiciary and the proposed reforms
to legal aid. She writes on a regular basis for the AWS magazine, Link, and
has also had a number of articles published in The Times on issues relevant
to women and the law.
Elizabeth Todd is a financial services lawyer holding the BA, LLB (first class) and LLM (EU Law (first class)) degrees, having been educated in South Africa, France and England. She is a solicitor of England and Wales, and an attorney of the Supreme Court of South Africa. After specializing in private practice in financial services, banking and securities law, she was Vice President & Senior Counsel at a multinational, spending 2 years in each of Paris, Brussels and New York. She acted for a US financial services multinational, representing it vis-à-vis the European Commission, MEP’s and EU27 Council attachés on matters concerning, inter alia, EU competition law and EU Financial Services Regulation and has served as Group Regulatory Counsel for a global financial services corporation based in London. She continues to practise financial services law and regulation.
Elizabeth has been on the national executive of the AWS since 2005, focusing principally and representing the AWS on law reform matters. She is currently PRO and Co-Chair the law reform subcommittee.
Katherine Southby is a practising solicitor and Head of Regulatory Law
at Gordons LLP in Leeds. She is based near Wetherby in West Yorkshire with
two children and spins plates as a mother, writer, solicitor and wife,
which wobble regularly, but only rarely topple off.
Katherine has written regularly for the local business press and for national trade journals, as well as editing internal publications and updates. She is an enthusiastic cyclist, having completed Land’s End to John O’Groats and Paris-Brest-Paris by tandem. In addition to running the local Beaver Scout colony and conducting the school choir, she has recently taken up the Bassoon, much to her neighbour’s early morning displeasure!
In addition to the office-holders shown above the Executive Committee consists of solicitors drawn from a wide variety of backgrounds, organisations and specialisms. The current Committee consists of partners and associates in City, West End and regional firms, a central government lawyer, a sole practitioner, in-house counsel, a legal recruitment consultant and a legal writer.
If you would like to join the Executive Committee, click here for the application form.
