Our Team

Mr. Rafid Un Nabi is a Barrister at Law of England and Wales, having been called as such at The Honourable Society of the Lincoln’s Inn.

Mr. Nabi is currently working as a Senior Associate at Shawn Novel & Associates, specialising in Corporate and Commercial Practice and with a keen interest in Civil Litigation. He boasts substantial experience relating to land related matters having undertaken large scale due diligence projects with several Multinational companies and Audit firms. He regularly advises international clients and startups and aims to create a governing structure for small scale and e-commerce businesses.

He also has substantial teaching experience under his belt as a Guest Lecturer at the London College of Legal Studies (South).

Ahmed Shafquat Hassan is currently working at the Centre for Peace and Justice as a Research Assistant. His primary focus is on constitutional law and human rights protection. He was called to the bar of England and Wales in 2018 by the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple and has spent a year as a pupil barrister, working with Probir Neogi and Associates. He is an accredited Civil and Commercial Mediator with ADR-ODR International.

Shafquat published a series of articles with national daily newspapers, critiquing various policies, including the national budget and opining on a myriad of social issues, such as minority rights and secularism. He has also published legal and political essays in reputed journals including the Oxford Political Review and his paper on the “Right to Silence and the Decline of the Presumption of Innocence” was featured at the Kent Law School annual conference in 2020. Shafquat has spent a majority of his academic career as a competitive debater having won national titles and competed at the World Universities Debating Championships. He has a strong record of adjudicated debates across Asia.

Shafquat has completed his LLM (International Law and Governance) at the Durham University in 2020.

Ameer Mukhtar is an independent advocate practicing in Karachi, Pakistan, and is a partner at Touqeer and Ali - Barristers & Legal Consultants. His expertise lies in criminal defense litigation, administrative and regulatory matters, commercial business litigation, corporate transactions, family law, property, rent, and taxation cases. He is the Lecturer of Law for Criminal Procedure at prestigious institutions in Karachi and regularly conducts training sessions for young lawyers to help them understand the intricacies of the justice system and procedural laws in Pakistan. His aim is to emphasize the importance of improving the justice system and finding faster methods for dispute resolution.

Mr. Mukhtar also assists in matters of constitutional violations, administrative law, taxation, animal abuse, civil suits, corporate transactions, and narcotics for and on behalf of various organizations. In 2020, he began pursuing human rights cases and public interest litigation, providing pro bono services and legal representation in child abduction, custody, and domestic violence cases. He has also been an Ambassador for the Justice Helpline since 2015.

Nicole Terry grew up in Vancouver, Canada. She obtained an LLB in law from Queen Mary University of London where she was a member of the Queen Mary Law Journal Editorial Board for two years. She went on to obtain an LLM in International Law and Governance from Durham University in 2020. She is a member of the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple and will begin the Bar Practice Course at the University of Law in September of 2021.

Nicole is passionate about human rights, legal advocacy, and public policy. During her undergraduate degree she participated in several street law projects through the Queen Mary Legal Advice Centre. These included educating secondary school pupils across London about the legalities and morality of Image Based Sexual Abuse, Cyberbullying, and consent through bespoke workshops. She was also a student advisor on the LAC’s pink law project, providing pro-bono legal advice to members of the LGBTQ+ community. She has interned with Lawyers Without Borders, a US based NGO which assists the governments of developing countries in implementing best practices relating to the rule of law. She also spent two months working for HELP for Domestic Workers, an NGO which provides assistance to domestic workers in Hong Kong, particularly with regard to employment disputes, and criminal and immigration matters.

Sena is currently a Yenching Scholar at Peking University (China) and the Chief Editor of Peking University's Africa Think Tank (PATT). He graduated from Middlebury College (U.S) as a Davis United World College Scholar and studied International Politics, Economics, and African Studies.

Post-graduation, he worked at Ashinaga Foundation in Tokyo providing entrepreneurship, leadership, and career development training to students from 49 African countries. As a proud African traditionalist, he founded ReVodution to digitally preserve and demystify the West African spiritual and herbal traditions of Ewe Vodu (Voodoo). In Japan, he co-founded Jaspora, a community of African and Japanese businessmen, diplomats, and change-makers that meet monthly to discuss issues related to African development and African Diasporan engagement with Africa. Sena also served as an adviser to the Ghanaian government for TICAD 7 (Tokyo International Conference on African Development) and aspires to economically and culturally bridge Asia and Africa.

Trishla Singh is currently researching representations of torture in fiction post 9/11 at the English Studies Department of Durham University. Her research interests include drawing links between issues of social justice and fiction with an emphasis on contribution to knowledge in the field of cultural studies. Her wider research interests include cultural representations of gender with a focus on consent. She has published articles in national newspapers on culture and lifestyle (The Hindu).

Ms. Vasantharajan was called to the English Bar and very recently to the Malaysian Bar. As a newly qualified Advocate and Solicitor she has been practicing in the realm of civil laws in Malaysia. Her main area of interest lies in International Trade laws and the workings of the World Trade Organization in the progression of developing nations.

Geetesh K. Gungah is a professional, working in the department of financial services, at the Economic Development Board (EDB) of Mauritius. His main areas of interests and practice within his employment are policy advocacy, legislative affairs and promotion.

Having previously held employment at the Ministry of Financial Services and Good Governance and then at the Financial Services Promotion Agency, Geetesh has assisted in the setting up and implementation of several Governmental projects and legal frameworks across the sector. His knowledge in international law has also been used on several occasions, mainly in negotiations of Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) with China, India and Kenya, amongst others.

Geetesh is also very enthusiastic about disruptive technologies, their regulatory aspects and the challenges it poses from a global perspective.

Manasbi is the co-founder of Aasvi Group, a business consulting firm based in Nepal specializing in market research, lead generation and content writing. She is also the vice-president at Society Of Nepali Women in Economics and board treasurer at Girls empowered by travel – Nepal and is very passionate about equality, freedom and justice. Manasbi is a Dean’s Listed student from Pokhara University and holds a Master’s Degree in Economics. She enjoys research work and is actively involved in such. She likes to call herself a shaper and a team player. She was also a part of the Women Leadership Summit, 2018 organized by the Ujyalo Foundation.

Angelique is currently setting up Seychelles’ first independent mediation firm with hopes of providing meditative services to the general population by establishing an online platform to resolve disputes. She believes that legal systems should adapt to the use of technology to provide quicker access to justice.

Ms Juliette is an accredited ADR ODR and SIMI international civil/commercial mediator and has judged various online mediation competitions in 2020. She is also an accredited forensic psychologist and currently is a legal consultant to the Seychelles Taxi Operators Association, advising on required amendments to their policies and governing structures.

Shaveen Bandaranayake is an entrepreneur, educator, filmmaker and political activist based in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Having completed his B.Sc (Computing) from the Staffordshire University, UK, Shaveen entered the advertising industry by establishing a boutique-digital and niche brand centric agency known as Asenshal.

His interim exposure to legal education stems from his Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of London, obtained in 2014. His passion for teaching led to the establishment of The Law Simplified, an online law school, facilitating academic support for law students worldwide. Established soon after his graduation from the University of London, The Law Simplified today provides teaching support for over 16,500 students in 171 countries with a further following of 45,000+ subscriptions for his weekly examination-centric online platform (YouTube and Website).

Shaveen is a passionate documentary filmmaker and has produced and directed works for corporates and movements alike. In 2015, in completing his M.A (Film) from Staffordshire University, UK (conducted by the Raindance Film Institute, UK), his PSA-based short film ‘It Can Wait’, became the first Sri Lankan film to be screened at the Raindance Film Festival.

Dara is a full-time PhD candidate at Durham Law School. She gained a first-class hons LLB from Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU), during the Covid-19 Pandemic Dara returned LJMU teaching online seminars. After her undergraduate degree in Liverpool Dara joined Durham law school’s LLM program in International Law and Governance for which she obtained a distinction for her efforts. During this time she was the Vice-President of her college debate society, an ambassador for the UK’s animal law charity at Durham, and an active member of the Jewish society. She has since continued her role as ambassador for this charity during her PhD studies and has also taken on the role of Vice-President of the Durham University Jewish Society. Dara’s key research interests include international law, International Human Rights Law, and culture.

Over 20 years in higher education he is a passionate legal educator who thrives in both a classroom environment delivering research informed teaching, as much as he enjoy contributing to the knowledge that exists on financial crime through my published research and income generating partnerships.

With an international reputation for excellence in policy-oriented research in financial crime, Dr. Ryder has played advisory roles both nationally (Home Office, Law Commission, the Nationwide, Security Intelligence Services) and internationally (NATO, United Nations, CEPOL, EUROPOL, EUROMED Police, the Dutch Police, the France Telecom Group and the Law Reform Commission of Ireland). His research has attracted funding (£1.6m) from Innovate UK, Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), LexisNexis Risk Solutions, the City of London Police Force, the Royal United Services Limited, ICT Wilmington Risk & Compliance, the France Telecom Group and the European Social Fund. He has consistently produced quality research and created, and edit Routledge’s Financial Crime Series. Collectively, he have published four monographs, five edited books and over 50 articles in internationally recognised journals including Legal Studies, the Cambridge Law Journal, the Journal of Business Law, Studies in Conflict and Terrorism and Contemporary Issues in Law.

Dr. Ryder’s reputation as a leading authority on financial crime was illustrated in March 2021, when he received the Themis ‘Strides Against Money Laundering’ award in recognition of his “innovative research and commitment to encouraging collaboration between academic and professional policy-making arenas”. The quality of his research has contributed towards two REF Impact Case Studies (2014 and 2021) and am developing a third Impact Case Study (2028). The 2014 is Impact Case Study study was graded at 70% 3*: “the sub-panel also considered that the case studies provided evidence of … very considerable significance”.

As a leading authority on financial crime, he has been invited to act as an external examiner for 24 PhD viva voce and to consult by the media including Bloomberg News, the BBC, CNBC, the Sunday Times, the Independent, the Wall Street Journal, Albawaba News and South China Morning Post.

He is an enthusiastic teacher and thrive on delivering the highest quality research-led teaching, always using his research findings as the foundation of teaching at all levels; engaging students and developing their curiosity in the subject area has led to many moving from undergraduate through postgraduate to doctoral level. The curriculum design of his modules has been heavily influenced by his research and is constantly changing to reflect the contemporary nature of financial crime.

Jessica Olney serves as an advisor to The Asia Foundation's Conflict and Fragility Unit and as a Visiting Researcher with Centre for Peace and Justice, Brac University in Bangladesh, where she advises CPJ’s Refugee Studies Unit. She specializes in peace building, civil society support, and community engagement in challenging contexts, particularly Myanmar and its borderlands. An experienced practitioner, researcher and facilitator with 15 years of field experience, she has senior management-level experience at all stages of program design and implementation. She previously served as the Bangladesh country director of an organization focused on Rohingya issues and has worked as a consultant and researcher on the Rohingya crisis for DFAT (Australia), FCDO (UK), UNDP, World Food Programme, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, and Peace Research Institute Oslo. She designed CPJ’s USAID-funded projects on civic engagement and peace building, piloted in 2019 amongst host and refugee communities in Cox’s Bazar.

Nicole Terry grew up in Vancouver, Canada. She obtained an LLB in law from Queen Mary University of London where she was a member of the Queen Mary Law Journal Editorial Board for two years. She went on to obtain an LLM in International Law and Governance from Durham University in 2020. She is a member of the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple and will begin the Bar Practice Course at the University of Law in September of 2021.

Nicole is passionate about human rights, legal advocacy, and public policy. During her undergraduate degree she participated in several street law projects through the Queen Mary Legal Advice Centre. These included educating secondary school pupils across London about the legalities and morality of Image Based Sexual Abuse, Cyberbullying, and consent through bespoke workshops. She was also a student advisor on the LAC’s pink law project, providing pro-bono legal advice to members of the LGBTQ+ community. She has interned with Lawyers Without Borders, a US based NGO which assists the governments of developing countries in implementing best practices relating to the rule of law. She also spent two months working for HELP for Domestic Workers, an NGO which provides assistance to domestic workers in Hong Kong, particularly with regard to employment disputes, and criminal and immigration matters.

Dara is a full-time PhD candidate at Durham Law School. She gained a first-class hons LLB from Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU), during the Covid-19 Pandemic Dara returned LJMU teaching online seminars. After her undergraduate degree in Liverpool Dara joined Durham law school’s LLM program in International Law and Governance for which she obtained a distinction for her efforts. During this time she was the Vice-President of her college debate society, an ambassador for the UK’s animal law charity at Durham, and an active member of the Jewish society. She has since continued her role as ambassador for this charity during her PhD studies and has also taken on the role of Vice-President of the Durham University Jewish Society. Dara’s key research interests include international law, International Human Rights Law, and culture.

Trishla Singh is currently researching representations of torture in fiction post 9/11 at the English Studies Department of Durham University. Her research interests include drawing links between issues of social justice and fiction with an emphasis on contribution to knowledge in the field of cultural studies. Her wider research interests include cultural representations of gender with a focus on consent. She has published articles in national newspapers on culture and lifestyle (The Hindu).

Ali Imtinan completed his LL.B. from the University of London (International Programme) and has experience of working in the commercial law sector in Pakistan. He advised private companies regarding compliance with State regulatory rules and provisions. In addition, Ali has represented clients as well as assisted senior counsel in cases pertaining to judicial review of administrative action. Human rights and constitutional law are two areas of particular interest for him, and he intends to explore these through the fellowship programme with MIJ - Innovation and Justice.

Batoul Al-Abdallat is a Trainee Associate at Andersen in Jordan in the Commercial Projects Department, her practice focuses on the areas of Projects, Commercial Law, Legal Compliance, Offshore Incorporations, Contracts and Agreements, and Labour Law Consultations. Prior to joining Andersen, she frequently participated in many international youth forums and programs including NESA UGRAD, YouthSpeak, AIESEC all of which aim to increase representation in the global arena of underrepresented regions and countries. She also has a special interest in Alternative Dispute Resolution and International Commercial Arbitration, she participated in the Willem C. Vis Moot, one of the most prominent International Commercial Arbitration moots and is now coaching the University of Jordan team. Ms. Abdallat was also part of the special projects called National Quality Infrastructure – Funded by the World Bank IFC, Jordan Rule of Law – Funded by UKAid executed by Palladium, Palestinian Refugees from Syria (PRS) – UNRWA.

Shahina is currently working as a research officer at International Centre for Climate Change and Development and is pursuing a Master’s of science in climate change and development.

She believes in learning by doing as an economist and an environmentalist, tries to find a perfect balance between the corporate and development sectors.

Will is a second year politics and philosophy student from the University of Sheffield.

Ramita is currently studying Bsc Management at LSE. Her interests include social and public policy and global economics which led to her to read widely around the welfare states and development economics.

Desiree is a student of International Relations in Madrid and is interested in developing Human Rights and International Law. She internered with a Nepali organization as a policy researcher to study how to improve the law and policies regarding natural disasters in the country. She loves to learn about new cultures and grow in the personal and professional sphere while immersed in different environments and societies.

Marian is currently studying an undergraduate law degree at the University of Nottingham UK Campus. She enjoys engaging in discourse about development issues affecting her motherland, Ghana and globally and driving positive changes towards them.

Suranjana Bhattacharyya, in the North East of India. She is currently pursuing a master's degree in Peace and Conflict Studies from Tata Institute of Social Sciences. She is interested in literature, history and philosophy and have learned much from it, academically and personally.

Joe is a politics graduate from Liverpool. He is currently engaged in a Masters in International Relations and Security. He is interested in global politics, with a focus on the politics of the Middle East. He is a firm believer in social justice, diversity and equality.

Ellen is a postgraduate law student and BA criminology graduate from the UK, currently based in the south west of England. She is interested in the fields of social justice, intersectional feminism, and alternative dispute resolution.

She is first-year law student at Brunel University in UK.