Our Board of Trustees is made up of solicitors from across the profession and other experts who oversee and target the work of our brilliant team. Together we work to ensure every solicitor, from any background, can access help and support when they need it most. We work in a highly personalised, non-judgemental way, taking time to understand each situation before making proactive and positive interventions, as well as life-long support.
Christl Hughes was the sixth woman in The Solicitors' Charity history to be appointed Chairman and second Chair to serve 3 Years. A former High Street solicitor specialising in contentious business she has twice been President of Leicestershire Law Society and is Secretary of Leicestershire Medico-Legal Society. She is a committee member and past Chair of Association of Women Solicitors, London, a former Secretary of the Gender Identity Research & Education Society and a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Solicitors of the City of London. In 2020 she was awarded the MBE for her services to Equality & Charity.
Tanya Dunbar joined The Solicitors' Charity in 2014. She qualified in 2008, having had a previous career as a Business Development Manager for an Internet Service Provider. Tanya practised as a solicitor at Ashfords LLP until early 2016 when she joined the Post Office as an in-house Commercial Lawyer.
Kirsty McEwen is a partner at leading Black Country law firm Higgs & Sons. Kirsty specialises in advising charities and not for profit organisations, including social enterprises, on all aspects of their operations.
Haroon Qayum is a Partner at LCF Law in Harrogate where he specialises in Private Client work. Haroon was President of the Cambridgeshire & District Law Society between March 2014 and October 2015. He was born and raised in Yorkshire.
Shams Rahman is a solicitor and partner at leading Lincoln’s Inn law firm Edwin Coe LLP, specialising in commercial and property related litigation. He is a member of the Law Society and a regular speaker at events promoting law career development and mentoring of law students and young professionals.
Eugene is a mental wellbeing specialist with more than 30 years of experience. He is the Mental Health Consultancy Lead at AXA Health, providing consultancy to corporate clients. A leader in workplace mental wellbeing, counselling and psychological therapy. He authors articles, provides training and speaks at conferences and roundtables, a regular media contributor and webinar producer. He has a keen interest in digital health solutions and testing mental health and wellbeing Apps. He is current Chairperson and Emeritus Member of UK Employee Assistance Professionals Association.
Ginny Cannon joined The Solicitors’ Charity and she is the current Chair. A retired in-house commercial solicitor, she is a steward of the City of London Solicitors’ Company. Chair of the Friends of Moorfields Eye Hospital until 2021, Ginny is also an independent trustee of the Investment Managers’ Charitable Trust.
Andrew is a Chartered Fellow of The Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment and has over 30 years of investment experience. He has held investment management roles at Quilter Goodison, Gerrard Vivian Grey and Laing & Cruickshank (later UBS), At UBS he was Head of Charities Investment. He performed a similar role at Psigma Investment Management, now Punter Southall Wealth. He has extensive experience as an investment committee chair and finance committee member with a number of charities. He is currently a member of the Court of the Worshipful Company of Ironmongers, a trustee of the Masonic Charitable Foundation, the Sir Halley Stewart Trust and the Accountants Charities as well as being the current chair of the Harrow Mission Trust.
Rebecca specialises in welfare benefits law and has significant experience of criminal and family law, as a practitioner and volunteer. Rebecca is delighted to join The Solicitors Charity and to support its sensitive work with vulnerable solicitors and their families.
Robert Banner retired at the beginning of 2022 after a long and highly successful legal career and has now joined The Solicitors' Charity's board. He was a recognised Legal 500 personal injury lawyer, and was awarded a lifetime achievement award by the local business community in 2019.
James Brennan has a 26 year career background in banking, investment management and business development and currently works with charities as Portfolio Director for Cazenove Capital. It is this specialist knowledge and experience that made the prospect of a new role as Trustee and Honorary Treasurer for The Solicitors’ Charity so appealing.
Simon is a retired senior solicitor (with over 35 years’ experience in professional regulation and healthcare law. He was a partner in a national law practice for 26 years, and for 11 years was Head of Legal Services and then General Counsel for the Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland, where he was a member of the Senior Management Team. He has experience as a Trustee of the Royal Medical Benevolent Fund (RMBF), a leading medical charity, and served as a member and Chair of its Grants and Awards Committee.
Hannah qualified in 2008, initially practising as an IT transactional solicitor in private practice, before being enticed to join AIG in 2012 following a successful secondment. As head of Cybersecurity and Privacy Legal, Hannah advises AIG globally on a full range of privacy and cybersecurity legal risks and issues, including cyber security incident response, digitalisation and AI, data entanglement and retention, as well as overseeing AIG’s global privacy governance and accountability framework.
