Speakers: Juliet Oliver (General Counsel, Solicitors Regulation Authority), Gideon Habel (Partner, Leigh Day) and Sally Brett (Head of Diversity and Inclusion, The Law Society)
Chair: Shannett Thompson (Partner, Kingsley Napley)
Date: Monday 18 January 2021
Seminar Start Time: 18:00
This seminar, will take place remotely on an appropriate platform. Those signing up will be provided with a link in advance of the seminar. Please note that the seminar is open to members only and you are asked to confirm that you are a member before joining the event.
The ARDL membership page is https://www.ardl.org.uk/sign-up/
Overview:
Join us for this remote seminar where we’ll be exploring:
Is SRA enforcement action against BAME practitioners proportionate?
Following the recent publication of the SRA’s report on professional standards, which included new data on this issue, the Speakers will discuss this important topic of great current interest across the regulatory sector.
Speakers:
Juliet Oliver (General Counsel, Solicitors Regulation Authority). Juliet Oliver joined the SRA as General Counsel in 2015. Juliet is responsible for legal support on regulatory reform, governance and compliance, as well as leading the legal and enforcement function and dedicated anti money laundering directorate.
Her previous experience includes roles as a partner at Fieldfisher acting for regulatory bodies across sectors including healthcare and law, and in house at the General Medical Council. She is Chair of the Investigation Committee of the General Optical Council, and sits on the Professional Standards Committee of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and the Law Society’s Mental Health and Disability Committee.
Gideon Habel (Partner, Leigh Day). Gideon Habel is a partner in Leigh Day’s Regulatory & Disciplinary team. He specialises in defending and advising solicitors and firms responding to SRA investigations and before the SDT. He was the lead solicitor in Leigh Day’s in-house team that successfully defended the SRA’s investigation, prosecution and appeal relating to the Al Sweady Inquiry between 2015 and 2018. He has a particular interest in making the regulatory process fairer, with current work in this regard focusing on supporting junior solicitors and solicitors from BAME backgrounds. After only two years serving external clients, he is ranked as an “Up and Coming” individual in Chambers & Partners 2021.
Sally Brett (Head of Diversity and Inclusion, The Law Society). Sally is Head of Diversity and Inclusion at the Law Society. She joined the Law Society in August 2020 and leads a team whose primary focus is on furthering diversity, inclusion and social mobility in the solicitors’ profession. This includes recent research on race inclusion in the profession and supporting the work of the Law Society’s Ethnic Minority Lawyers’ Division.
Sally previously worked as Head of Equality, Inclusion and Culture at the BMA. While there she led policy work on creating a just and learning culture in the medical profession and reducing the disproportionate referrals, investigations, and sanctions of Black, Asian and minority ethnic doctors.
Chair:
Shannett Thompson (Partner, Kingsley Napley). Shannett Thompson is a Partner and Chair of Kingsley Napley’s BAME & Allies Network. She specialises in fitness to practise and disciplinary matters involving regulated individuals and students. She has a growing practice in advising healthcare start-ups and services regulated by the CQC. Aside from her professional work, Shannett is an advocate for diversity and inclusion issues. She most recently shared her perspectives in The Law Society’s Managing for Success magazine and The Lawyer about how law firms have been working to improve diversity and inclusion, and the impact of the Black Lives Matter movement. Her quote in Legal 500 UK 2021 highlighted her as a diversity champion.