Christie Nelson
Co-Chair
Christie is a Corporate Associate at Freeths LLP, specialising in Mergers and Acquisitions and corporate governance. She went to university in Manchester and came to Birmingham to train and qualify. Christie took an alternative route to qualification by doing the LPC, three months of a training contract, then the SQE2 and Qualifying Work Experience as a Paralegal. Christie was previously on the committee as Events Officer with Kristian Campbell-Drummond, who now shares the Chair role with Christie for the second year running. As Co-Chair, Christie leads the committee and will continue to help raise the profile of the organisation in the region. In 2023, Christie won the Insider Media ‘Young Lawyer of the Year’ award. She is passionate about guiding the next generation of young lawyers and mentors junior lawyers as part of the University of Law mentoring scheme and beyond.
Christie loves to try out new restaurants and bars and enjoys supporting local independent businesses in Birmingham. She also enjoys her morning spin classes and is a keen home cook.
Kristian Campbell-Drummond
Co-Chair
Kristian is an Associate specialising in Employment and HR law at Weightmans LLP, having qualified with the firm in 2022. After previously sitting on the committee as Co-Events Officer, Kristian now leads the committee alongside Christie, as they seek to take the organisation to new heights in the Midlands legal industry. Keen on encouraging and promoting diversity and inclusivity within the profession, in his spare time Kristian is enrolled as a mentor to students and legal juniors across various schemes in London and the Midlands. In 2024 Kristian was a finalist for Birmingham Black Lawyer’s Excellence Awards in the Junior Legal Professional of the Year category and a finalist for The Black Talent Awards, in the Professional Services, Legal & Accounting category.
Kristian played competitive rugby throughout his studies, representing Walsall RFC, Staffordshire County and Leicester EPDG. In addition to rugby, he enjoys watching Formula 1, boxing and football (only when Arsenal are winning). He also finds the energy to go to the gym at 5am to ‘beat the traffic’.
Eltayeb Bashar
Secretary
Eltayeb is an aspiring international human rights lawyer currently pursuing an LLM in International Human Rights Law at the University of Birmingham. In addition to his studies, he serves as his pathways course representative, a student enterprise ambassador, editor-in-chief of the Birmingham Tab, and secretary of the Sudanese society.
Eltayeb is the CEO of UK charity The Anti-Racism Initiative, collaborating with city institutions to promote racial harmony through educational and cultural programs. He has lectured hundreds of trainee teachers on the importance of creating inclusive classrooms at universities as a guest speaker and received an annual volunteer award from the mayor of Worcester for his efforts. He is also the first elected co-chair of the Worcestershire Black Cultural Association.
Eltayeb is the recipient of the 2024 HART Prize for human rights for his essay “Sudan’s Forgotten War: Addressing One of the Greatest Humanitarian Crises of Our Time.” He has published articles in the Oxford Human Rights Hub Journal and the London School of Economics human rights blog. His research explores the interrelationship between human rights and international law. He recently served as a model United Nations delegate in Paris.
In his spare time he fronts a rock band. He also plays piano; you might have seen him on the Channel 4 TV programme, The Piano..
Neamh Towers
CSR
Neamh is a newly qualified banking and finance solicitor at Mills and Reeve, having qualified in September 2024. Neamh studied law at Queen’s University, Belfast, and her LPC at the University of Law, Birmingham, before joining Mills & Reeve in September 2022. During her training contract, Neamh completed seats in real estate, corporate, insurance disputes, banking and finance and employment.
Neamh has actively participated in charity work in the past, including hiking Snowdon for NICE charity, volunteering at Myton Hospice in Coventry and Let’s Feed Brum and being the Birmingham trainee representative for Mills & Reeve’s annual Charity Challenge weekend in which we raised money for The Hygiene Bank.
Neamh held the role of CSR officer for the Birmingham Solicitors Group in 2024 and worked closely with the wider committee to raise over £1300 to be split evenly between our charities of the year – Birmingham Central Foodbank and Buddy Bag. This was a momentous achievement for the committee and marked the most successful year for the CSR role in the history of the committee. Neamh was very proud to be part of this achievement and will continue to work towards raising as much money as possible for our 2025 chosen charities.
In her spare time, Neamh loves travelling and will be flying to Australia in to explore the East Coast in February 2025 as part of her qualification leave. Neamh is also an avid fitness enthusiast and loves spin classes, running, reformer Pilates and trying new independent fitness classes. Neamh will be undertaking her first half marathon in 2025 and will use her experience on the committee to raise money for her charity of choice. Neamh hopes to combine her love for fitness with her role as CSR officer in organising a BSG run club with all donations going to our chosen charity – watch this space!
Nicky Tattal
CSR
Nicky is a newly qualified solicitor at Irwin Mitchell LLP, specialising in employment law. She studied law at the University of Liverpool and completed the LPC LLM at the University of Law in Birmingham. After graduating, she secured a paralegal position in the Commercial Real Estate team at Eversheds Sutherland. She then successfully completed her training contract at Irwin Mitchell LLP in August 2024.
Starting her legal journey without any industry connections, Nicky aims to support other junior legal professionals and students. She mentors for Aspiring Solicitors and has served as a Junior Representative on the committee for two years. Now, she will take on the role of CSR Officer alongside Neamh Towers and Alice Jeavons, aspiring to raise as much money as possible for the BSG’s chosen charities.
Outside of work, Nicky enjoys yoga, travelling, going to the cinema and trying out new restaurants.
On a weekend, Ines likes getting out of the hustle and bustle of the city and attend yoga classes, going for long walks in the countryside and chasing after her two kittens (one of whom, thinks that he is an actual puppy!)
Alice Jeavons
CSR
Alice is a Trainee Solicitor at Irwin Mitchell LLP, where she started as a Paralegal in May 2021. She is currently undertaking her Training Contract with the Asbestos & Occupational Disease, Court of Protection, and Public Law teams, with the goal of qualifying as a Solicitor in 2026.
Now in her third year on the committee, Alice previously served as a Junior Representative, where she actively encouraged students and aspiring lawyers to participate in local networking events. This role helped them expand their professional networks and enhance their confidence and communication skills.
In her current role as CSR Officer, Alice is passionate about organising the BSG’s charitable initiatives following her experience as a Trainee, where she has assisted in coordinating fundraising events for her firm. She is keen to support and raise as much money as possible for the BSG’s chosen charities this year!
Outside of her professional life, Alice enjoys cooking and baking. You can follow her culinary creations and career updates on her Instagram, ‘bake.the.law’.
Oluwatobi (Tobi) Akinwande
PR
Tobi is a Supervising Solicitor specialising in Family and Childcare law at Duncan Lewis Solicitors. Tobi completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Liverpool and her LPC LLM at the University of Law in Liverpool. Tobi began her role at Duncan Lewis Solicitor as a Caseworker, she undertook her training contract within 18 months as she received ‘time to count’ and qualified in December 2022. Tobi was previously on the committee as a PR Officer with Kate Marrs and she continues in the same role with Kate this year.
Tobi is a part of a mentoring scheme where she provides advice and assistance to aspiring young lawyers. Tobi has also dedicated her legal page to creating insights into her life as a family and childcare solicitor.
During her spare time, Tobi enjoys going to the gym, reading legal novels (especially those written by John Grisham) and creating content for her legal page – ‘ xlegal_eaglex’. She is also currently learning how to play the keyboard.
Kate Marrs
PR
Kate is a Senior Associate Solicitor at Freeths LLP, specialising in intellectual property and litigation. She has extensive experience advising clients across various industries on IP rights, including trade marks, patents, copyright, designs, and passing off, as well as related matters. Kate has an LLB in Law from the University of Sheffield and an LPC MSc in Law, Business, and Management from the University of Law. She trained and qualified at Pinsent Masons LLP in Litigation and Regulatory, before moving to DLA Piper UK LLP where she worked on complex commercial and public law disputes, as well as gaining pro bono experience advising environmental charities and displaced persons. She then joined Potter Clarkson LLP in order to transition into IP before moving to Freeths.
Kate loves IP because of its creative nature, and combined with her recent completion of a PGCert in Digital Marketing from the University of Liverpool, this makes her a great fit for PR.
In her spare time, Kate enjoys fashion, live music and festivals, cooking, exploring independent bars and restaurants, travelling, pilates, and curling up in front of a good TV drama with her ragdoll cat, Martin.
Misbah Rahman
EDI
Misbah is a Paralegal with a history of working in commercial environments, and in-house regulatory organisations from Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and currently at the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) supporting nurses who work on the front-line.
Graduated from UOB and passionate about EDI she has worked as a Project Manager at the Chambers of Commerce delivering the diversity and equality pledge. She has mentored students and also delivered exciting initiatives to support the next generation of professionals from co-founding an initiative at UoB that also expanded to Manchester, to now sitting on various boards and volunteer positions. She loves the diversity of the city and often gets involved in local initiatives. Misbah has joined Birmingham Solicitors Group (BSG) to be an advocate for mentoring, collaboration, accessibility and support for the profession. Taking an alternative career path herself she wants to celebrate and provide a platform for the different journeys legal professionals have taken.
She is also a professional photographer and enjoys all things fitness, and grass-root community projects. Her favourite music is anything that gets her up and dancing, especially Zumba. You can often find Misbah enjoying the simple things in life.
Kim Strachan
EDI
Kim is a Solicitor specialising in Corporate law at Gateley Plc. Born and raised in Birmingham, Kim’s career was shaped by her 2-year accelerated law degree, followed by her LPC MSc in Law, Business and Management at the University of Law, Birmingham. Kim went on to complete her training contract at a regional corporate firm before joining Gateley plc in January 2023. Kim is one of our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion officers. As EDI officer, Kim is particularly passionate about accessibility to the legal profession for individuals from all backgrounds. Alongside her co-EDI officer, Kim is excited about the opportunities to champion inclusivity within our events, socials and schemes throughout the year.
Outside of work, Kim is somewhat of a “dog whisperer”, spending weekends as a trusted dog walker and sitter around the West Midlands. Kim is rarely without the company of her pups, and you can catch glimpses of her delightful adventures with her cherished “puppy pack” on social media.
Aaliyah Simms
EDI
Aaliyah currently works as a Thematic Engagement Officer at the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). She is also a consultant panelist for the Anti-Racism Council for charity Student Minds.
Having graduated from UOB, Aaliyah is currently studying her LPC LLM at the University of Law, thanks to being awarded the Birmingham Law Society 2024 Diversity & Inclusion Scholarship. With previous experience as Welfare & Community Officer for the University of Birmingham Guild of Students and a proud Sutton Trust and Change100 Alumni, she has a passion for widening participation in all aspects.
Her diverse personal, educational and professional experiences allow her to support individuals from various underrepresented backgrounds and champion “squiggly” careers into law. As an EDI Officer for the Birmingham Solicitors Group, Aaliyah is committed to mentoring, collaboration, accessibility, and professional support. In her spare time, she loves to create and can be found doodling while watching her favourite TV shows.
Viney Jalley
Events
Viney is an Associate in the Commercial Team (health specialism) at Browne Jacobson and has a particular focus on commercial contracts, projects and procurement. Viney completed his training contract at Weightmans and qualified in 2022.
Viney is passionate about diversity and inclusion and currently sits on the Steering Group for REACH at Browne Jacobson. This involves assisting with D&I Strategy for the organisation and arranging events nationally. Having grown up in Birmingham, he is keen on giving back to the community and encouraging the talented individuals within the legal profession.
During his spare time, Viney enjoys watching and playing football. However, most of his weekends are spent running around his 4-year-old son!
Liberty Green
Events
Liberty is a Paralegal specialising in Employment and HR law at Weightmans LLP having joined the firm in 2019. In 2023, Liberty was awarded Paralegal of the year by Birmingham Law society. Liberty is passionate about supporting local charities in Birmingham having previously chaired Weightmans’ Birmingham CSR committee and is keen to raise their profiles in the legal sector of our region.
Liberty was also BSG events officer in 2024, and having a background in hospitality Liberty is looking forward to organising some more exciting events and creating memorable networking experiences.
Tom Reeves
Events
Tom is a 4th year Solicitor Apprentice having joined Weightmans in 2021 straight from college. He is in the Casualty Local Government Team having completed seats previously in Court of Protection and Employment, as well as an external secondment to one of Weightmans’ Employment Clients for a year. Tom is also passionate about the charitable work that his firm undertakes, having been Treasurer of the CSR committee for 3 years, organising several events such as an external quiz night at The Distillery.
Tom has been nominated for Apprentice of the Year at the Birmingham Law Society Awards in both 2022 and 2023.
Outside of work, Tom is a long-time suffering supporter of Shrewsbury Town FC attending home and away games across the country. Tom also enjoys hiking and spending time with friends and family.
Ellie Atkins
Events
Ellie is a Paralegal at Irwin Mitchell LLP in the medical negligence department. She studied law at Cardiff University and after graduating, went on a gap year where she solo travelled Canada, southeast Asia and completed a charity climb up Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania raising money for Amnesty International. Upon returning from her gap year, she started her first legal role at Irwin Mitchell LLP in January 2024.
In her free time, Ellie likes to socialise with family and friends, walk her dog Archie and travel, with her dream travel destinations being India and the Philippines. Ellie is currently training for a marathon and triathlon, so spends a lot of time outside of work training for both events.
Tamsin Sandiford
Barrister Representative
Tamsin is an employment and personal injury barrister at St Philips Chambers. She studied History at Cambridge before returning home to the Midlands to complete her law conversion and the Bar course. Tamsin started pupillage in 2022 and accepted tenancy in 2023.
Tamsin has a busy court and paper practice covering a wide range of employment and personal injury issues.
In her free time, she enjoys going to the gym, watching football, and spending time with friends and family.
Kyran Kanda
Barrister Representative
Kyran is a pupil barrister at St Philips Chambers, specialising in employment law, personal injury and clinical negligence. Born and raised in Birmingham, Kyran studied Law and Spanish at the University of Nottingham, followed by an LLM at UCL and the Bar Practice Course at University of Law in Birmingham. Kyran has worked in a variety of legal and non-legal roles across the charity sector, private sector, public sector and education sector. He has also lived and worked in Spain and France.
Kyran joined the BSG to create strong links between the Bar and the wider legal profession. He is keen to help junior lawyers and students to grow their professional network. He is passionate about supporting people from under-represented backgrounds to enter the profession. Kyran is currently a Pod Leader with Bridging the Bar and a mentor on three different outreach schemes.
In his spare time, Kyran is an avid theatre-goer, self-confessed film buff and keen home cook. He also enjoys playing piano and acting, having performed in open mic nights and various amateur theatre productions.
Natalie Corcoran
Junior Representative
Natalie is currently a corporate paralegal at Wilkes LLP and is due to begin her trainee rotations in March 2025. She is set to qualify as a solicitor in September 2026.
Alongside work, Natalie is currently preparing for the SQE exams, with her SQE 1 exam scheduled for January 2025.
Natalie graduated with a first class honours in Law from the University of Birmingham and gained valuable experience in legal recruitment at Venn Group before joining Wilkes.
Outside of work, Natalie enjoys socialising with friends and family, travelling, trying new restaurants, and enjoys an interest in fashion.
Kate Woodhouse
Junior Representative
Kate is a Trainee Solicitor at Higgs LLP. After graduating with a first class honours in Law from the University of Birmingham, Kate went on to achieve a distinction in her LPC at the University of Law (Bristol). Throughout University, Kate held various voluntary positions including acting as a mental health crisis support worker for Shout UK, a child contact volunteer for Birmingham Child Contact Centre and as a women’s refuge caseworker for Anawim. Kate is delighted to have joined the BSG and looks forward to engaging with junior lawyers in and around Birmingham!
Outside of work, Kate enjoys cooking, traveling and socialising with friends/family!
Sharla Peters
Junior Representative
Sharla is a Masters student at the University of Warwick, specialising in Data Visualisation, after earning her LLB in International Law and Globalisation from the University of Birmingham and Keio University. She recently completed the STRIVE LegalTech shift (Bootcamp) Programme and Hackathon at Freshfields which prepared her for her current role as an Academic Board Member for ELSA Ireland X UK’s Legal Technology Research Group. Her ambition is to become an internationally competent lawyer with the technical proficiency and hands-on experience to advance legal technology.
As Junior Rep, Sharla aims to build on the strong foundations set by previous committees by fostering connections between legal professionals across the Midlands and students in education. She is passionate about combining education and technology to organise workshops and events that bridge the gap between law and technology, equipping the next generation of legal professionals with cutting-edge skills and insights.
In her spare time, Sharla is an active member of the University of Warwick’s Thai Boxing and Warwick Devils Cheerleading sports clubs. She is also training for the TCS London Marathon 2025, currently raising funds for Sistah Space. Outside of her academic and athletic pursuits, she enjoys mixology and videography.
Gurpreet Chaggar
Junior Representative
Gurpreet is a Future Trainee Solicitor at Wilkes. He studied at Aston University and, after graduating in July 2024, was a recipient of the Birmingham Law Society ‘Diversity and Inclusion Scholarship.’ Gurpreet is a Junior Rep, continuing on from his work with the BSG in 2024. He is actively involved in mentoring schemes aimed at supporting students from underrepresented backgrounds pursue careers in law.
In his spare time, Gurpreet can usually be found tackling one of his many unfinished DIY projects. He also enjoys watching football, reading and catching up with family and friends.”
Birmingham Solicitors' Group 