Meet our judges

Peter Watson Lee spent his career as a family law solicitor and was senior partner of a high street practice in Christchurch, Dorset.

He is a Law Society Council member representing Dorset, chair of our Membership and Communications Committee and a Law Society Board member.

Peter was instrumental in setting up Legal Heroes.

Harry Clark is an associate in the video games, media and entertainment team at Reed Smith LLP.

He studied law at the University of York before qualifying as a solicitor in September 2022.

Harry is chair of our Junior Solicitors Network member advisory committee and the National Junior Lawyers Division.

He frequently volunteers for initiatives that aim to help broaden access to the legal profession irrespective of background, including through his own educational initiative and podcast, More from Law, which provides free resources for aspiring and junior lawyers to learn more about the ins-and-outs of the legal profession.

Mark Davies has been in professional practice for over 25 years, having qualified in 1999.

He is a criminal solicitor, specialising in serious crime and fraud. He has been a director at Goldstones Solicitors since 2004.

Mark is based in Swansea and is a Law Society Council member for Mid and West Wales.

He is chair of the National Board for Wales, which was established to better represent the views of the solicitor profession in Wales. This role gives him a position on the Law Society Board, where he sits as a non-executive director.

Josephine Duchenne is the Law Society Council member for Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire and a member of our Membership and Communications Committee.

Josephine specialises in family law and has concentrated on matrimonial matters for 20 years. As a member of Resolution, she works within its guidelines to try to reduce conflict.

Originally working in the corporate field, adding civil litigation and latterly matrimonial to her portfolio, she believes her extensive and valuable experience helps address the needs of clients who come from diverse backgrounds.

Josephine is a past president of Bedfordshire Law Society.

Mark Evans is the 181st president of the Law Society of England and Wales. As president, Mark is committed to making sure that the voices of members across England, Wales and abroad are heard and represented, while championing the values of inclusivity, innovation and resilience.

With over 28 years’ experience working in property and private client law and four years as a lecturer, Mark brings extensive experience of the legal profession.

Mark was a member of our Wales Committee for nine years and acted as chair for four years.

He’s been on our Council for more than nine years and was a former president and chair of the Cheshire and North Wales Law Society.

Amanda is a managing director at Deutsche Bank, co-heading the global finance and lending legal team.

The team advises various businesses across the investment banking division of the bank on the legal and regulatory implications of a wide range of cross-border products.

Amanda is chair of our In-house Network member advisory committee. She is also a school governor for the Bridge, Integrated Learning Space and chair of a local residents’ association.

Lizzie Hardy is a senior associate at Eversheds Sutherland, specialising in employment law and diversity and inclusion issues. She has a particular focus on reasonable adjustments compliance and best practice.

Lizzie is the chair of our Disabled Solicitors Network member advisory committee. She is passionate about recruiting and training disabled talent in the law and is regularly invited to speak at panel events.

Lizzie founded Project Rise, an initiative that seeks to introduce part-time training as standard practice across the legal profession.

She was shortlisted for Disability Champion of the Year 2024 at the Legal 500 ESG Awards.

Amandeep Khasriya is chair of our Women Solicitors Network member advisory committee.

She is a consultant solicitor in the major trauma team at Moore Barlow. She works exclusively for claimants in high-value, catastrophic personal injury and fatal accident cases.

Amandeep is a member of the Law Advisory Board at Roehampton University and Chairs Moore Barlow’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

She also plays a key role in supporting the Be The Ladder charity, supporting its social mobility initiatives, including leading on its awards programme and driving strategic partnerships.

Paul Maddock is a director at DWF, specialising in a range of commercial disputes including commercial contracts, shareholder matters, professional negligence claims and contentious trusts and probate.

Paul is chair of our LGBTQ+ Solicitors Network member advisory committee.

Paul Rogerson has been editor in chief of the Law Society Gazette, journal of record to solicitors in England and Wales, since 2007.

He formerly worked as a financial and professional services journalist for numerous magazines and newspapers, latterly as London-based city editor of the Herald (Scotland).

Lubna Shuja is the principal solicitor and founder of Legal Swan Solicitors, and a former Law Society president.

Lubna was the 178th person, first Asian, first Muslim and seventh female president of the Law Society of England and Wales.

Mark Stephens CBE is probably one of the more well-known solicitors appearing (as he does) on TV and radio.

He practises at Howard Kennedy specialising in “impact litigation” – litigation that has an impact beyond the instant case. He brought cases successfully decriminalising same-sex love in countries which still criminalise same-sex relationships.

He has also brought cases on other human rights issues such as the right to life, the right to a family life, for victims torture and freedom of expression and privacy.

Mark is on the Supreme Court User Group, chairs a number of bodies and is co-chair of the International Bar Association Human Rights Institute.

Rebecca Swinton-Bland is head of legal services for Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. She leads the legal team in undertaking a broad range of medical and healthcare-related legal matters on behalf of the trust.

Rebecca has previously been a member of the Association of Regulatory and Disciplinary Lawyers and the London Young Lawyers Group.

Rebecca has been a member of our Membership and Communications Committee since November 2022.

Martin Whitehorn is a residential property solicitor and a Law Society Council member for Junior Lawyers (0-6 years’ PQE).

He is a former projects and campaigns co-lead at the Legal Neurodiversity Network, a former chair of the Surrey Junior Lawyers Division and an active member of the European Young Bar Association.

Martin was named a Legal Hero in 2023 to recognise his efforts to support aspiring and junior solicitors, including helping Ukrainian lawyers with their CVs and job applications, championing neurodivergence in the legal profession and assisting junior lawyers in difficult situations.