About

Year of call

Called to the Bar in 1999

Groups and associations

Member of:

• Bar European Group
• Constitutional and Administrative Law Bar Association (ALBA)
• United Kingdom Environmental Law Association (UKELA)

University qualifications

Inns of Court School of Law, London (1998–99)
Bar Vocational Course:  Very Competent

City University, London (1997–98)
Diploma in Law:  Commendation

University of Newcastle upon Tyne (1988–89)
Master of Science degree in Tropical Coastal Management

Brasenose College, University of Oxford (1985–88)
Bachelor of Arts degree in Zoology:  1^st class, with honours

Languages

Good working knowledge of French and Spanish.

Broadcasting

Contributions to radio programmes for BBC Radio 4 and/or BBC World Service:

Clive Anderson’s ‘Unreliable Evidence’, 2011 (on law of the sea)
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00x9xb2#programme-broadcasts

‘From Our Own Correspondent’, 2013 (on fish markets in Yemen)
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01rft3x

‘From Our Own Correspondent’, 2013 (on leopards in Yemen)
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01ctxn1

‘From Our Own Correspondent’, 2015 (on mangroves in Senegal)
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06gw3k5

Prior career details

International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation, London (1990–94)
Technical Adviser:  Primary role was to attend oil spills from tankers in order to advise on pollution response and undertake damage assessment.  Attendance at 14 spills worldwide, liaising with local authorities, the oil industry and insurers.  Some advisory work, including oil spill contingency training for the Indian Coast Guard, attendance in Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War spill on behalf of the European Commission and contingency planning work and fact-finding visits in the Middle East.  Office work in London involved assessment of compensation claims on behalf of insurers and the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund.

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Sandy, UK (1994–97)
Marine Policy Officer: Role involved preparing and promoting policy on the protection of the marine environment.  Policy preparation focused on marine protected areas, shipping and oil/gas exploration and production; advocacy was directed at UK government officials and parliamentarians, European Commission officials and representatives of other governments in the region.  International work included representing BirdLife International at the preparatory meetings for the 1995 North Sea Conference and at working group meetings drafting Annex V to the 1992 OSPAR Convention.

Other relevant positions held

1999:  One month at sea as an International Observer on board a toothfish longliner off South Georgia, contracted to the Marine Resources Assessment Group as a consultant.  The work was carried out on behalf of the UK government, in the framework of the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR).  It involved making biological and other observations during fishing operations.

2000:  Five months as a ‘stagiaire’ (intern) at the European Commission in Brussels, based in the legal unit of what was then called DG Fisheries (now DG Mare).  Work areas included:  third country fisheries agreements; illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing; flags of convenience; and the integration of environment and fisheries.  In May 2000, participation at the Expert Consultation on IUU Fishing, held in Sydney and organised by the Australian government in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization.