Our Newest Joiners

Meet Excello Law’s Newest Lawyers

Nisha Bharadwa – Real Estate

Nisha qualified in 2007 and specialises in commercial real estate work.  She also regularly provides property support in corporate transactions. Her clients include landlords, tenants and businesses.

 

Wayne Cleghorn - Technology LawyerWayne Cleghorn – Senior Technology

Wayne is a senior technology lawyer specialising in data protection, global data privacy, cyber security, digital law, information governance and new technologies, including artificial intelligence. He is a data breach response and cyberattack specialist and an experienced DPO.

Libby Cooper – Commercial and Corporate

Libby combines extensive knowledge of commercial and corporate law with practical experience. Conversant in many national and international environments and sectors, she is a skilled problem solver who takes account of business needs and objectives to provide commercially astute legal advice and support.

Reina D’Costa – Commercial and Media

Reina D’Costa specialises in business and media Law. Her past In-house experience as Head of Legal gives her a practical and proactive perspective on the client need and her dual qualification in the UK and India has given her an international prospective helping cross border deals that she fully utilises to get the best results for her clients.

Seema Gill – Employment

Seema is a London Employment Lawyer with over 20 years’ experience. She trained at a niche London firm and has worked for well-established regional, Central London and Legal 500 firms. She is currently based in London and advises small to medium size businesses as well as senior employees on all aspects of employment law.

Duncan Gillespie – EU and Competition

Duncan Gillespie is an EU and Competition Lawyer with nearly twenty years’ experience in all aspects of EU law including competition, State aid, trade, public procurement, data protection and telecommunications and energy regulation. He was a Partner with the international law firm DLA Piper in the City of London for nearly 10 years.

 

Ashleigh Harold – Regulatory Law and Criminal Defence

Ashleigh has spent her career advising clients in relation to some of the most serious and high-profile health and safety prosecutions. She has been commended as a regulatory lawyer for her client focused advice and resolve to achieve the best possible outcome for her clients. Ashleigh advises both major corporations, directors and private individuals on contingency planning and protocols to manage and reduce the impact of an incident occurring through training and improved procedures.

Catherine Hyde – Commercial Dispute Resolution

Catherine Hyde is a Commercial Dispute Resolution Solicitor. She has experience of working with both private and commercial clients on a full range of legal requirements ranging from contract drafting and review right through to dispute resolution. Catherine’s passion lies with start-ups and small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and offering them affordable legal solutions.

Khadijah Khan – Commercial Litigation

Khadijah Khan is a qualified solicitor with over 15 years post qualification experience in company and commercial litigation law. Trained at a Top Tier Legal 500 commercial firm, Khadijah is a highly proficient litigation practitioner who brings a successful and reputable track record acting for clients in private and public sectors. Highly experienced in drafting legal documentation as well as a specialist in Alternative Dispute Resolution; Court Litigation and Advocacy.

Fotoulla Menikou – Family

Fotoulla is a specialist family law solicitor, advising on all aspects of private family law matters. She has significant pre-qualification experience, having worked in the legal profession for over twenty years and is the former family law partner of an Essex based firm where she headed up the firm’s family law department. She also has a strong background in the financial services sector, which aides her in dealing with the often complex financial aspects of divorce and separation.

Charlotte Mitchell – Commercial

Charlotte is an experienced Commercial lawyer who has worked for two leading regional law firms on the South Coast. She also has in-house experience working for British Telecoms Plc, an AIM listed national IT company and a global engineering company. She has a wealth of knowledge within IT, Supply of Goods and Services, General Terms of Business, Partnership Agreements, Intellectual Property, Engineering, Telecoms and Privacy/Data Protection and general Compliance.

Zameer Nazarali – Employment and HR

Zameer Nazarali is an Employment and HR lawyer with a twist! He has both technical knowhow and expertise of Employment law coupled with a unique insight of applying the correct HR processes. He enjoys creating an open and engaging relationship in order with his clients’ to understand their people approach and how Employment law works for them.

Toyin Oluwakiyesi – Personal Injury and Family

Toyin Oluwakiyesi is a skilled personal injury lawyer with extensive experience in personal injury litigation. She has represented both claimants and defendants in high value claims.Toyin trained in a regional firm where she represented clients injured in road traffic accidents, accidents at work and accidents overseas. She also gained immeasurable experience in acting for clients in matrimonial matters including divorce, non-molestation, applications for financial orders and the resolution of disputes concerning child arrangements and Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPA).

Carolyn Osbourne – Education

Carolyn Osbourne is a specialist Education Law lawyer with extensive experience handling education cases on behalf of children and families including:- Admissions Appeals, School Exclusions, Special Educational Needs, Transport Appeals challenging local authorities regarding children out of school or in alternative provisions. Carolyn acts for children and young people who are out of school and challenges Local Authorities in relation to their duty to educate sick, vulnerable children unable to gain school access to a school place by way of Judicial Review where necessary.

Katharine Ryder-Richardson – Employment

Katharine Ryder-Richardson qualified as an employment lawyer in 2009 with a top London law firm, specialising in corporate and commercial clients. Post-qualification Katharine has worked in private practice and as an in-house employment lawyer and has worked across a range of sectors. Katharine is based in London and provides advice to businesses and charities on all of their employment law needs, with particular focus on the employment lifecycle and employee relations issues.

Silvia Schmidt – Entertainment and Media Finance

Having trained in finance Silvia transitioned to entertainment law and media finance and has worked in all areas of film and tv since 2014. She gained experienced by working first in a boutique media law firm and then in-house for a big film financing company in the UK. Since becoming a freelance consultant in 2019 she has represented tv and film production companies, individual producers, equity investors, collection houses and financiers.

Amit Sharma – Commercial Real Estate

Amit was originally a science graduate and since having re-qualified in law in 2005, has been a partner in a London practice as well as a consultant in regional and legal 500 firms. He has specialised as a commercial real estate solicitor but has had a very broad practice, which leads to an understanding of most unusual day to day business issues.

Adam Shute – Probate and Wills and Trusts

Adam specialises in the drafting of Wills, Inheritance Tax advice, Probate and the Administration of Estates, work relating to the setting up and administration of Trusts, the preparation and registration of Lasting Powers of Attorney in relation to both Property and Financial Affairs and Health and Welfare and Court of Protection applications for deputyship and statutory wills.

 

karen sidhuKaren Sidhu – Family

Karen brings with her 12 years of experience in all areas of Family Law in particular, divorce, complex financial relief matters (including international property, TOLATA matters, and issues of Intestacy), engaging in intense negotiations with other parties and communicate at all levels with external institutions, private children law, international and national child abduction, prenuptial and post nuptial agreements, injunction proceedings, conveyancing issues, drafting Trust Deeds to protect a client’s interest.

Emma-Jane Taylor-Moran – Employment

Emma-Jane Taylor-Moran is a highly experienced Employment Lawyer dealing with all areas of HR and contentious/non-contentious Employment law. Emma-Jane has considerable expertise in conducting high-profile and complex litigation in the Employment Tribunal and Courts for both employers and employees. Emma-Jane is noted for high value cases involving the financial services industry and City employees. She has extensive experience of working with public sector organisations, including NHS, Local Authorities, Regulatory Bodies, charities and voluntary organisations.

Jas Uppal – International Human Rights

Jas Uppal has substantial experience in the area of international law and in cases with an international dimension. Jas has extensive experience in handling and progressing cases of modern slavery, exploitation and abuse of migrant workers, abandoned seafarers, including victims of enslavement, victims of unfair trials and victims of miscarriages of justice and those sentenced to death following dubious convictions abroad including enforced disappearances and historical cases. Enforcing the protective rights of indigenous communities, women and children’s rights.