School advisory board

Established in 2010, it meets twice a year to advise the School on future developments and to ensure that major initiatives are informed by its members’ range of perspectives and depth of expertise.

The Advisory Board's functions are to

• Guide the strategic direction, actions and initiatives of the School
• Provide advice and support in enhancing our international reputation and profile
• Serve as ambassadors and advocates to the School providing a connection to practitioners in the field and other external contacts
• Provide advice and support to the School about its teaching, research and contribution to society
• Share developments and discuss current issues within the legal and justice sectors and education

Board members

Kate Campbell-Pilling - Chair of the Board

Kate Campbell-Pilling, Director of Employability and Enrichment

Natalie Cosgrove - Ashtons Legal

Natalie is a Partner at Ashtons Legal heading up the Leeds Office. Natalie acts for families and individuals who have suffered baby loss and catastrophic injury as a consequence of substandard maternity and neonatal care. Natalie also has a specialist interest in mental health and the effect that grief, loss and trauma has following negligence.

Natalie has gained national attention for her work with many families in Nottingham and the surrounding area who have received substandard maternity care.

Natalie worked with The Independent Newspaper and Channel 4 News to bring the failures in care of many families whom she represented to national attention. She has since appeared on major news networks to discuss failures in maternity care in Nottingham and other areas in the UK. Natalie also worked with BBC Panorama in 2021 in relation to their investigation of maternity care in Doncaster and continues to do so.

As a consequence of this work, in 2021, Natalie was named Clinical Negligence Lawyer of the Year at the Personal Injury Awards and Clinical Negligence Lawyer of the Year at the Sheffield and District Law Society Awards in 2022.

Natalie regularly teaches for APIL and for MBL, as well as providing pro bono training for NHS England and other NHS bodies and rehabilitation units.

Natalie is recommended in the Legal 500, ‘particular mention to Natalie Cosgrove who is a rare beacon of hope in an otherwise dark and bleak period of our lives.’

She is accredited to the Law Society Clinical Negligence Panel, a Senior litigator with APIL and holds Higher Rights of Audience Civil and Criminal.

Steven Dawson - 
Partner and Head Private Client Department, MKB Solicitors LLP

Steven joined MKB when he qualified as a solicitor in September 2001 and became the Head of the Private Client Department in 2006. He became a Partner in 2008 specialising in all areas of Private Client work including the administration of estates, preparation of Wills, tax planning and trusts, Court of Protection, Public Guardianship Office matters and powers of attorney.

Steven prides himself on providing advice in a straight forward, ‘no-nonsense’ way, and is incredibly proud of the team he works within the Private Client Department. Planning for later life, or dealing with matters after the death of a family member is never nice – we aim to make it as simple and trouble-free as possible.

Steven aims to forge lasting relationships with families in the hope that we can assist with events at every stage of a person's life. Be it amending Wills following marriage or the birth a child, through advice with helping parents financially supporting grown-up children, right through to later life, and ultimately helping families who have just lost someone.

Steven believes the role of a good Private Client lawyer is to be here at every stage, to provide the best advice for whatever may occur.

Steven is past President of the Sheffield District Law Society (2014/15), a 150-year-old independent organization representing Solicitors firms across South Yorkshire.

Jerome Glass - 
Director General Policy, Courts and Access to Justice, Ministry of Justice - UK

Jerome first joined the MOJ in 2016, became acting Director General for the Ministry of Justice’s Policy and Strategy Group in November 2020 and was appointed to the post permanently in August 2021.

This role requires Jerome to be responsible for all the department’s policy work, supporting the Permanent Secretary in her role as principal policy advisor and working closely with MOJ’s agencies and other justice partners to deliver their outcomes. 

David Hollis - 
Director of Legal and Governance, Sheffield City Council

David is the Director of Legal and Governance and Statutory Monitoring Officer at Sheffield City Council.

John Clegg - Director at Howells

John is a Director and family law Solicitor in Howells’ Sheffield-based matrimonial team. He joined Howells' in 2006 and having previously specialised in criminal law, he trained with the firm and qualified as a family law Solicitor.

With extensive experience in supporting his clients through the resolution of difficulties in matrimonial dissolution, John specialises in all aspects of matrimonial law, such as divorce, civil partnership dissolution and cohabitation issues, alongside financial matters in separation and divorce, pre and post-nuptial agreements, and safeguarding against domestic abuse. He also has expertise in child-related disputes, including arrangements for children, and both domestic and international child abductions.

John is a comittee member of Resolution, a voluntary organisation which advocates for a constructive approach to family law matters, prioritising the needs of any children involved. John attained Resolution accreditation as a specialist family law practitioner in 2014.

Connor Johnston - 
Barrister, Garden Court Chambers

Connor is a barrister who practises primarily in housing, homelessness and community care. He is committed to legal aid work and representing the interests of those who are homeless or at risk of losing their home.

He is a member of the Young Legal Aid Lawyers (an organisation which he chaired jointly between 2011-2015) and a committee member of the Junior Housing Law Practitioners Association.

Connor is highlighted in both Chambers UK 2017 and the Legal 500 for his social housing work, where he is described as a 'recognised housing and homelessness specialist with a growing reputation for technically complex possession cases and judicial review' and as being ‘extremely committed to social welfare law as a whole'.

In July 2015 he was named Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year (Newcomer category). He is the co-author of Housing Allocation and Homelessness: Law and Practice (Jordan Publishing, 4th edition 2016) together with HHJ Luba QC and Liz Davies.

 

Siobhan Kelly - HHJ Siobhan Kelly, Specialist Civil Circuit Judge, Business and Property Court, Leeds

Called to the bar in 1995, Siobhan Kelly is a civil specialist whose principal areas of expertise are in clinical negligence and personal injury law. Siobhan acts for Claimant’s in Clinical Negligence cases and has experience of cases involving negligent birth and CP claims, delayed treatment, ophthalmology, surgery and drug overdose.

She frequently acts for both Claimants and Defendants in all types of personal injury claim including road traffic accidents, accidents at work, occupational disease cases, trippers and slippers. Her practice also encompasses property law, insolvency, and public interest immunity.

Ooi Suan Kim - 
Principal, O S Kim & Associates

Ms Ooi Suan Kim (Kim) graduated with LLB (Hons.) from The University of Sheffield and thereafter was Called to the Bar of England & Wales by The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn, before qualifying as Advocate & Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya in Malaysia.

Kim practices law in Malaysia and is Principal of O S Kim & Associates, a boutique corporate, commercial and real estate legal practice.

Kim is a member of The Bar Council of United Kingdom and is elected member of the Executive Committee of The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn Alumni Association, Malaysia since 2009.

Throughout her career, Kim has undergone corporate and management training by Harvard Business School, Stanford Graduate School of Business and the National University of Singapore.

Kim holds directorships on board of several companies, one of which is Builders Biomass, an integrated bioenergy solutions provider and manufacturer of biomass products, in which she currently chairs.

In the corporate realm, Kim’s achievements in innovative green technologies and sustainable development gained recognition when Kim was honoured as Top 10 Women Entrepreneurs of Malaysia by HRH Queen of Malaysia, awarded with the Prime Minister's Best Innovation Award in Green Technology, ASEAN Excellence Award in Innovation, Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water Industry Award, Malaysia Greentech Award and the Frost & Sullivan Malaysia Technology Leadership Award.

With Kim’s legal expertise in corporate & commercial areas as well as in advanced manufacturing, Kim serves on the Executive Council of Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers.

Michelle Smith - 
District Judge (Magistrate’s Court)

Smith was admitted to the Roll of Solicitors in 2006. She was appointed as a Deputy District Judge (Magistrates’ courts) in 2019 and as a Fee-paid Judge of the First-tier Tribunal, assigned to the Health, Education and Social Care Chamber, in 2019. The Lord Chief Justice has deployed her to the Midland Circuit, based at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court with effect from 1 November 2021.

She is a Judicial College tutor, a Diversity and Community Relations Judge and an Appropriate Judge authorised to deal with Extradition cases in Westminster.  She is also currently the Gender Section Representative for the Atlantic and Mediterranean for the Commonwealth Judges and Magistrates Association and a Committee member of the UK Association of Women Judges. 

Gareth Miles - 
Partner, Slaughter and May

Gareth joined prestigious Law firm Slaughter and May in 1997 and was made a partner in 2007. 

Gareth’s practice covers all direct taxes, stamp duties and value-added tax with a strong focus on corporation tax. He has extensive experience of corporate transactions, including, in particular, mergers and acquisitions (public, private, domestic and cross-border) and group reconstructions.

Gareth is listed as a leading individual in the Tax section of Chambers UK, 2017. He is also in Who's Who Legal, 2016 and is recommended for Corporate Tax in The Legal 500, 2016.

Gareth writes regularly for tax publications, is a member of the Tax Committee of the British Private Equity & Venture Capital Association and is on the consultation board for LexisNexis Tax PSL.

Sam Gokarn-Millington - 
Associate in the Litigation and Arbitration group, DLA Piper UK LLP

Sam Gokarn-Millington is a Senior Associate in the Litigation and Regulatory team,  and specialises in the resolution of complex, cross-border and high value commercial disputes, advising international clients principally in the Technology, Industrials, and Media, Sport and Entertainment sectors.

He has a breadth of experience in High Court litigation and International Arbitration, with substantial experience of defending group claims. Sam previously worked in the Litigation, Arbitration, and Investigations group in Dubai, UAE, where he acted on several international arbitration mandates.

Sam works closely with his regulatory colleagues on a number of business-critical matters and is currently working on a series of high-profile investigations, class actions and a significant claim for first party losses arising from a product liability issue for a major international manufacturer. He also has significant expertise advising on contentious cyber security claims, sports and media disputes, and litigation involving digital assets.

Robert Moore - 
Partner, Herbert Smith Freehills LLP

Bob is a corporate partner at Herbert Smith Freehills who specialises in cross-border Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) as well as advising boards of listed companies on governance issues.

Bob's clients operate primarily in the pharmaceuticals, infrastructure and transport sectors and his experience includes recommended and hostile public company takeovers, private company acquisitions and disposals and joint ventures, distressed M&A, demergers, innovative returns of value to shareholders and listed company regulation and compliance.

He studied Law at the University of Sheffield, graduating in 1999.

Stephen Williams - 
Wilford Smith Solicitors

A past president of the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and strong advocate of the Sheffield City Region, Steve joined Banner Jones Solicitors Sheffield office; following a period of six years working as a consultant for Lupton Fawcett LLP.

Having qualified as a solicitor in 1973, Steve has practised his entire career in Sheffield – proudly taking on the role of Chamber of Commerce President in 2013.

He is a highly experienced property lawyer, with specialised knowledge of relocation, residential sales and residential purchases. He also has expertise in the commercial property arena – managing transfer of equity and mortgages.