Staff

Michael is the Senior Revenue Controller.

Michael joined Doughty Street Chambers in September 2012. Previously he worked as the Fees Clerk in a leading family law set for 7 years. Michael has been clerking in various areas of law since 1976.

Over the last 12 years Michael’s career has concentrated purely on fee collection. His experience in clerking has given him a great understanding of how matters progress and assists him in relation to when matters should be chased.

Terry is the Revenue Controller.

Terry joined Doughty Street in 2009.

Terry commenced his career in the legal sector working in the court department at Thompson Solicitors.  Prior to that he worked at Field Court Chambers as a criminal clerk and at Francis Taylor Buildings.

In his spare time Terry enjoys sports including boxing and playing golf and loves to travel.

Norman is a Revenue Controller.

Norman Joined Doughty Street in Jun 2013 having previously worked in chambers undertaking all aspects of common law. Norman has been clerking since 1972.  His previous role as a Senior Clerk is invaluable experience for his current role.

Matt Dudley joined chambers in November 2016 as is a Civil Revenue Controller. Matt is responsible for fee collection, monitoring civil age debts, processing payments, legal aid billing, settlement negotiations as well as other general fee/finance queries.

Outside of work, Matt enjoys watching a range of sports such as football, tennis & boxing.

What others say:

“Doughty Street have an employee named Matt Dudley, who is a pleasure to work with. He always responds quickly and professionally, and drafts bills in such a way that it makes payment and processing really easy for caseworkers. His approach with the LAA is always polite and friendly, and he never seems frustrated by document requests. He's a perfect example of how chambers clerks would be in an ideal world, just really easy to deal with, no matter the scenario” Civil Finance Senior Caseworker at the Legal Aid Agency

Ruth is a Costs Lawyer who joined Doughty Street Chambers in January 2020 having previously worked with TMC Legal Services Limited and previously worked as a Consultant within chambers.

Since her qualification in November 2014, Ruth has specialised in dealing with high value and complex Group Litigation in addition personal injury, clinical negligence and human rights claims.

Outside of work, Ruth is keen animal lover and enjoys taking her dog for walks with friends and family. She also enjoys spending time with her nieces and nephews.

Sarah joined chambers in September 2018 and is the Criminal Billing and Systems Clerk. Sarah is responsible for the billing of all criminal and extradition cases and also for ensuring the case and fees management systems are efficient and effective, enabling the teams to provide a high level and compliant service to our clients and members of Chambers. She is a member of the Institute of Barristers’ Clerks Management Committee.

Sarah began her clerking career in 2001 as a fees clerk in a common law set before moving on to roles as a Second Junior and then First Junior Clerk, specialising in Crime and Professional Discipline and Regulatory Law.

Outside of work Sarah enjoys gardening and spending time with family.

Melissa Neild joined Chambers in July 2019 having worked as a Civil Clerk at 1 Chancery Lane Chambers for 12 years. Melissa is responsible for providing billing and costs support to members and clerking teams in all areas of civil work including high costs cases and inter partes bills. Melissa assists with all aspects of costs negotiations including dealing with assessments on both legal aid and inter partes cases and advising counsel on appropriate next steps. Melissa assists with managing costs negotiations on behalf of counsel, including drafting replies to points of dispute and assisting with reduction negotiations.

Melissa has a BA (Hons) degree in Law and is currently studying for a Costs Lawyer qualification with the Association of Costs Lawyers.

Outside of work, Melissa enjoys socialising with family and friends.

Joe is a Junior Civil Billing Clerk. 

Joe joined Chambers in March 2022.

Andreas is the Head of Finance and has overall responsibility for Chambers' finance functions.

Andreas joined Chambers in September 2008.

He trained in a small accountancy practice becoming a Client Manager responsible for a range of clients ensuring that their financial affairs were handled correctly and in a timely fashion. Andreas then became the Finance Manager for a thriving Central London firm of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys. When they were taken over, he became  Regional Financial Controller for the London and Cambridge offices.

He is a qualified ACCA accountant and has a BA (Hons) in History.

Beverly is the Finance Assistant.

She is responsible for the day to day element of purchase ledger activities, together with various other financial administration duties.

Beverly joined Chambers in February 2009, having come from a finance background in various industry sectors.

Shahin is a Finance Assistant.

She joined Chambers in 2018.

Shahin is responsible for processing Supplier invoices, payments and various other tasks in the finance department.

Prior to joining Doughty Street Shahin has worked with Natwest Bank where she finished her full CeMap and moved on to become an Independent Mortgage Advisor. She then moved into the Finance field and became a Bookkeeper for manufacturing, service and property sector.

Rachel is the Management Accountant and joined Doughty Street Chambers in June 2022. She is responsible for producing the monthly management accounts for review by the Management Board in a timely and accurate manner, as well as any other ad hoc tasks required by the Finance Department.

She is an ICAEW Chartered Accountant and completed her ACA in audit before moving into industry.

Rachel grew up in Cornwall and is a keen open water swimmer.

Sheena Byrne joined Chambers in June 2019 as a Client Services & Engagement Senior Manager.

Sheena specialises in business planning and development, marketing analysis and positioning, and client relationship management. As an integral member of the original team at Chambers & Partners legal directories, she was instrumental in formulating the research methodology and developing the publication brand as an editor and assistant publisher. Since then she has worked with a wide variety of leading law firms, barristers’ chambers, representative bodies including the Law Society and the Inns of Court, advising senior decision makers of these organisations on critical aspects that impact on their business expansion. 

Sheena is a qualified solicitor and holds a BSc (Honours) Degree in Chemistry.

Richard is the Senior Marketing Operations Executive based out of the Manchester office.

Richard takes primary responsibility for our website and its content, as well as managing the relationship with our web designers; assisting barristers in the drafting of news updates and their website profiles; ensuring a fair and balanced presentation of the casework of all practice teams in line with our news policies.

He also develops all marketing collateral and content for client pitch documents, team brochures, and other marketing collateral, as well as regular subsequent review for potential improvements and updates.

Richard assists in co-ordinating processes for making submissions to industry awards and legal directories (under the direction of Chambers’ Senior Manager - Client Services) engaging with barrister team leaders as appropriate, managing the work of the Marketing and Events Co-ordinator, as well as managing relationships with external agencies tasked to provide assistance.

Richard joined Doughty Street Chambers in 2018.

Raimonda is a Creative Marketing Executive based out of the London office.

Raimonda joined Doughty Street Chambers in 2018.

Nerissa is the Marketing and Events Assistant, and joined Doughty Street Chambers in July 2022.

She helps manage a high number of in-person events, ranging from small meetings and seminars to award ceremonies. Her role includes designing and organising all aspects of promotional material, including event collateral, adverts, and invitations, and sees her working alongside the Front of House Supervisor to ensure all events work to budget, operate smoothly, and all visitors have a comfortable and enjoyable experience. 

Nerissa also helps to manage Chambers busy webinars schedule, offers website administrative support and collates both the monthly civil and crime newsletter and weekly internal newsletters. 

Outside of work Nerissa enjoys film photography and weightlifting, and has a keen interest in physical and mental wellbeing.

Julie Ahadi is the Director of Operations and Strategic Planning. The DOSP is responsible for the effective and efficient management of the strategic operations of Chambers, supporting the Management Board (MB) and Deputy Heads of Chambers (DHoCs) in strategic and operational planning and execution. A key member of the Senior Management Team, the DOSP is also a non-voting member of Chambers’ Management Board and has overall management/oversight of the People, IT and Marketing functions of Chambers.

Julie joined Chambers in September 2019.

Sonia Freestone is Chambers Chief People Officer (CPO) with overall accountability for the People Strategy, ensuring that we have the right people processes and systems in place to facilitate the successful implementation of Chambers Strategic objectives.

Working closely with the Management Board (MB), Deputy Heads of Chambers (DHoCs) and Senior Leadership Team to develop and shape our People and Organsational Developmental function, whilst focusing on embedding values and facilitating a positive organsational culture, and internal governance. With a firm commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, Sonia is committed to leadership development, succession planning, and talent management towards future proofing and continuous improvement where our people whether staff or Members, can thrive and grow.

Sonia Joined Chambers in August 2021 and is a key member of the Senior Management Team, and a non-voting member of Chambers’ Management Board.

She is a Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Personnel and Development and has an LLM in Employment Law. Sonia brings with her over 30 years’ experience of employment law, human resources, transformation and organsational development. She has extensive strategic and operational experience with a broad range of clients in different sectors including not for profit organisations such as Marie Curie, Dementia UK and Oxford University Press, elite sports such as Aston Villa Football Club, and a variety of private sector organisations including British Midland Airlines and Ericsson Telecoms.

Ricky is an IT Support Technician. 

Ricky joined Doughty Street Chambers in March 2020.

Peter is an IT Apprentice.

Peter joined Doughty Street Chambers at the end of January 2022.

Amendeep Callo joined Chambers in August 2022.

Terrance joined chambers in 2019 and is the Head of Facilities. The position is a non-voting member of the Management Board and a member of the Senior Management Team responsible for the building portfolio for chambers including five buildings in London and one regional office in Manchester. The position has a prominent part in formulating the property strategy for the board, as well as overseeing security, and the health and safety operations for chambers.

Terrance brings 16 years of management experience and has a Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Catering Management, a Diploma in Institutional Management, and is a member of the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM).

Cynthia joined Chambers in October 2005 as part of the reception team. Not long after she was promoted to; Front of House Supervisor, and responsible for two other members of staff. Cynthia’s role is based at the main reception, where she gets to meet and greet members and guests who have arrived for conferences and events. Cynthia is also our in-house events co-ordinator; her skill set allows Chambers to host the most wonderful events in our seminar hall or garden spaces.  

When Cynthia is not at Chambers she can be found at the local gym where she enjoys daily fitness sessions. She is also known for making some of the best cocktails at Chambers events and beyond.

Maria is a receptionist and joined Doughty Street Chambers in June 2022. She is a member of the front house team and responsible for greeting members and guests arriving for conferences and events. Maria also helps to organise chambers events.

Maria completed her BA in Events Management in 2021.

Maria grew up in Portugal, and she loves water sports and the beach.
 

Louise Joined Doughty Street in August 2015 and is the Senior Library Information and Research Officer.

Louise works in controlling and developing the operation of Chambers’ library and assisting with legal research.

Louise holds an MA in Library and Information Studies. She has a varied background in legal library management and information administration having worked at a range of large city law firms and within the financial services sector.

Jonathan Palma joined Chambers in August 2022.