Oxford Brookes Law School Advisory Board

Andrew Katz

Andrew is a solicitor practising at the London IP firm Bristows LLP, where he heads the firm’s Open Source team. He has a keen interest in technology. As a former a software developer, he became increasingly involved in the world of free and open source software, and for the last 10 years or so, he has been practising exclusively in this field (and other related open technologies such as open AI, open data and open hardware). He founded the open source consultancy Orcro Limited, where he is CEO.

He has a long-standing relationship with Oxford Brookes University where he recently led a successful industrial partnership through an Innovate UK-funded project to research the applicability of AI to contract management and drafting.

He is a visiting researcher at the Software Systems Research Group at the University of Skövde, Sweden, where he has co-authored papers covering open standards, open source software, and the effect of closed software ecosystems, and he is a visiting lecturer at Queen Mary, University of London, where he teaches open source law, policy and practice to postgraduates.

He hopes to start a PhD at Brookes in 2026 researching the factors which lead to the ubiquity of open source software and their applicability to related open technologies. His daughter studied the GDL at Brookes last year, and she is currently enrolled on the SQE/Masters course.

Chino Asiegbu

Chino graduated with an LLB from Oxford Brookes University in 2020 and completed the BCL at University of Oxford in 2021. Chino trained at Slaughter and May and is currently an Associate in the firm’s Financial Regulation team. He has experience working with a broad range of financial institutions, including banks, consumer credit firms and regulated and non-regulated financial services firms.

Danielle McCormick

Dani leads Nexis Solutions global product offering and is responsible for establishing the product and customer experience strategy, leading an agile development process and developing talent to continually enhance their product innovation and delivery.

Prior to this she ran LexisNexis UK’s new product development work stream, creating technology solutions to improve both the delivery and quality of legal services. As part of this work she and her team experimented using new and established technology to develop the next generation of tools for lawyers.

James Turner 

James specialises exclusively in child related matters and is known for his thorough and constructive approach in both public and private law cases.

Represents parents, extended family members, local authorities and children’s guardians. Regularly instructed in matters concerning neglect, mental health, substance misuse, non-accidental injury, sexual abuse and jurisdictional issues. Considerable experience of working with vulnerable clients, intermediaries and advocacy services.

Prior to becoming a barrister worked as a researcher in the House of Lords and within the Home Office.

Jemini Gova

Jemini is an experienced Agricultural Property Solicitor at Freeths, recognised for her expertise in rural land and property matters. She advises clients on a wide range of agricultural legal matters, from farm acquisitions and tenancies to rural sales, earning a reputation as a trusted sector specialist.

Her commitment to education extends beyond her professional work. As a former School Governor at Dr Triplett’s Church of England Primary School in Hayes, Jemini developed skills in governance, leadership and policy, strengthening her perspective for advisory roles in education. Jemini also plays an active part in mentoring Oxford Brookes University students, offering guidance and support to the next generation of legal professionals.  

Jeremy Long

Jeremy is a chartered accountant, who has had a management career in a range of sectors, and with a long-standing interest in skills, training, and education. Jeremy is former chair of the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (OxLEP), and is co-chair of the Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership (OIEP) – an initiative aimed at bringing together businesses, education institutions, the voluntary sector, and the Oxfordshire local authorities, to tackle some of the issues of inequality in the County. Jeremy has several non-executive director business roles, including for National Grid Electricity Transmission, and a Canadian infrastructure fund, and is an investor in a local energy efficiency installation company, Energy My Way

Lucy Davis

Lucy speaks and advises the private and public sector on AI/tech, ethics and society. She is currently completing a master's in Practical Ethics, specialising in the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, at Oxford University.

Until recently Lucy worked at Google in the UK for over a decade, in roles at the intersection of business, policy and society. Her most recent role was leading Responsible AI Marketing in EMEA, and previously she led social impact programmes for Google UK, including online child safety and data privacy initiatives and rolled out free digital skills training across the UK.

Lucy is trustee for KAA, an ‘outstanding’ academy in West London where she is defining the school’s approach to AI. She is also an involved supporter of the global social entrepreneurship NGO Ashoka, with a particular interest in the ‘Tech & Humanity’ initiative.

Lucy has an MBA from London Business School and an undergraduate degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University.

Matthew Weait

Matthew is Emeritus Professor of Law and Society at the University of Oxford, where he served as Director of the Department for Continuing Education (OUDCE) from 2022 to 2025. Previously, he was Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Hertfordshire (2020–22), Executive Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Portsmouth (2015–20), and Pro-Vice-Master (Partnerships) at Birkbeck, University of London (2011–15). Earlier in his career, he held academic posts at Keele University, The Open University, and Birkbeck.

Matthew is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, the Royal Society for Public Health, and the Higher Education Academy, and is a Bencher of the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple.

Beyond academia, he is Chair and Trustee of the National AIDS Trust. His research focuses on law and public health, and the intersections between law, ethics, and social justice. He is currently working on rights of nature and pandemic prevention.

Nikki Vitiello-Dean

Nikki is the Head of Legal Operations for the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team. Nikki provides strategic guidance, negotiates complex contracts and manages a team of juniors to support the commercial and competitive goals of one of the most successful teams in motorsport history. She is also responsible for shaping how the Legal function continuously improves via technology and smart processes to embed legal thinking early, drive efficiency and add genuine value - ultimately enabling stakeholders to move at F1 pace with clarity and confidence.

Patrick Mulcare

Patrick was appointed Managing Director of SE-Solicitors in Summer 2024, having originally joined the firm in March 2006. Since becoming MD, he has overseen the opening of a new office in Oxford, marking a significant step in the firm’s strategy for considered and sustainable growth.

As Head of SE-Solicitors’ Family Law Practice, Patrick has worked exclusively in Family Law since qualifying as a Solicitor in 2008. Under his leadership, the department has more than doubled in size and earned a Tier 2 ranking in the Legal 500. His team recently launched two innovative services, Divorce Together and Separate Together, with Divorce Together recognised in the Innovation Award category at the British Family Awards 2024.

Patrick trained as a Mediator in 2011 and has been a Resolution Accredited Family Law Specialist since 2016. He has written regularly on Family Law for legal websites and other publications, contributing thought leadership to the wider legal community. In 2018, he was admitted to the roll of solicitors in Ireland.

Prior to joining SE-Solicitors, Patrick had a career in Sales and Marketing in London from 1994, followed by a role in Language Training and Development in Oxford from 1997.

Tania Bedi

Tania is a practicing solicitor who is a partner at a US law firm, working in London. She grew up in India, where she studied at a boarding school at the foothills of the Himalayas. She went on to study Psychology at Delhi University, India – where she was a Delhi University topper, and followed that with an additional undergraduate degree in law at Downing College, Cambridge. Since graduating in 2000, she has worked at City law firms leading across a broad spectrum of finance transactions advising sponsors, companies, and borrowers on complex financing arrangements. Tania is recommended in Legal 500 UK 2025 for Acquisition Finance, where it states that she “is noted for her debtor and creditor expertise.” Tania was also named to The Lawyer Hot 100 in 2012, which recognizes “the most daring, innovative, and creative lawyers.”

Ursula Rice

I am a Solicitor and Solicitor – Advocate, practising in the field of family law. I am a director of Family First Solicitors Limited, a firm specialising in family work.

I am very interested in domestic abuse and particularly coercive control. I deal with parental alienation and have wide experience of acting for both mothers and fathers where alienation is alleged. I am experienced in fact find/ final hearings as well as the interim hearings that can sometimes bring matters to an end by agreement.

I have significant family law financial experience at all levels, but I actually prefer dealing with cases where there is not quite enough to house everybody. I am familiar with the financial coercion dynamics (where the economically more powerful party uses access to cash and confusion as a means of pressure). I am not scared of limited companies, profit and loss accounts balance sheets or liars.