Mexico Development Visit 2024

Gavin Dingley

Gavin is a dual-qualified English Barrister and Scottish Advocate, holding chambers in London with Five Paper and in Edinburgh with Arnot Manderson. His practice encompasses international commercial litigation, sports and public law.

Gavin’s commercial practice has a focus on international commercial arbitration, cross border litigation and related court applications. He advises international corporations and often acts as part of large multi-jurisdictional legal teams as led or sole counsel in complex commercial disputes involving parties from Africa, Asia and the Middle East. He represents clients in disputes administered by the DIFC, GAFTA or under the LCIA, SCC, ICC, SIAC and UNCITRAL rules, and also has experience handling a range of court applications related to arbitration, including anti-suit injunctions, freezing orders or interim relief in support of arbitration and enforcement of arbitral awards.

As part of his regulatory practice Gavin represents institutions and individuals before various disciplinary tribunals and regulators with a particular focus on sports and is ranked as a leading junior by the Legal 500. He is often instructed by international clients requiring specialist advocacy skills before domestic and international arbitral tribunals such as the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Fédération Equestre Internationale and the Basketball Arbitral Tribunal. To date, Gavin has advised on contractual disputes, immigration, compensation, selection, doping, eligibility, safeguarding, integrity and disciplinary issues affecting athletes, management, clubs and leagues from a range of different sports and jurisdictions.

Sarah Gaunt

A barrister at 2 Harcourt Buildings, Temple, London, Sarah is an experienced criminal defence and prosecution advocate. Specialisations include serious economic and organised international and cybercrime. Sarah has also been engaged in a UK national policing inquiry since 2019. Sarah tutors UK barristers in ethics and advocacy (including vulnerable witness advocacy). Sarah has delivered seminars, both in the UK and internationally, covering topics concerning cybercrime, crypto assets, internal corporate compliance and in corporate financial regulation. Sarah sits on several UK Bar Council committees. Sarah holds judicial or quasi-judicial posts in civil and police regulatory law.

Amrit Kaur Dhanoa 

Amrit has a diverse practice with a particular focus on commercial litigation and public law. Amrit’s previous commercial experience includes working at UBS in both New York and London and in Dubai at Al Tamimi & Co, the largest commercial law firm in the MENA region, and at the DIFC Courts.

Amrit is appointed as junior counsel to the UK’s COVID-19 inquiry and is currently considering the economic interventions taken by the UK Government in response to the pandemic. Alongside her practice, Amrit is a civil and commercial mediator and is growing her international arbitration practice. Amrit is also currently the Chair of the Bar Council of England and Wales’ Young Barristers’ Committee and an appointed member of the ADR Panel.

Sophia Kerridge

Sophia Kerridge is a criminal and extradition barrister in England and Wales who prosecutes and defends before a variety of courts, including on appeal. Her cases have ranged from violent and sexual offences to international money laundering and organised crime. 

Before qualifying as a lawyer, Sophia lived in Venezuela, Mexico and most recently Colombia, where she worked as a human rights observer for three years. She completed her MPhil in Latin American Studies at Oxford University and her LLM at City University with a thesis on corporate criminal liability for violent human rights abuses in foreign jurisdictions. 

Sophia is bilingual in English and Spanish.  

Ian McDougall

Ian McDougall is the Executive Vice President and General Counsel for the LexisNexis, Legal & Professional division of RELX Group PLC and President of the LexisNexis Rule of Law Foundation, which he founded in 2019. He is also an Adjunct Professor at IE University Law School, Madrid.

Ian joined LexisNexis in 2004 as General Counsel since 2012 oversees the legal function for the global LexisNexis organisation. In addition to his role as General Counsel, Ian has stepped into various roles, including Interim CEO of Asia Pacific.

Ian was a founder member of the United Nations Rule of Law Steering Committee and sat on the UN General Counsel Advisory Board. In 2023 he was appointed a Trustee at the National Council for Civil Liberties in the UK. He has previously been a judge in the Barrister’s Disciplinary Tribunal and a broadcast cricket commentator in association with the Royal National Institute for the Blind.

Michael Polak

Michael Polak is a barrister specialising in public international law, international crime, human rights, private prosecutions, strategic litigation, and serious criminal offences. He is known for his work before international courts, United Nations bodies, human rights-related arbitrations, and proceedings worldwide.

He was part of the team pushing for the release of Mir Ahmad Bin Quasem who was subject to enforced disappearance in 2016 and release in early August 2024.

Michael Polak also serves as the Director of Justice Abroad, where he has represented families and individuals in various cases, including those detained arbitrarily or involved in suspicious death circumstances. His international work extends to managing cases in numerous countries and engaging with United Nations bodies on behalf of clients. Polak's contributions to the legal field also include authoring articles on legal topics, such as INTERPOL Notices, and participating in legal research and advocacy at the international level.

Nicola Shannon KC

Appointed as King’s Counsel in 2023, Nicola practices in serious and complex crime as well as fraud, regulatory offences and sports law, both prosecuting and defending. Nicola also sits as a Recorder (part-time Judge).

Her recent instructions include homicide, organised crime, fraud, modern slavery and serious sexual offences. She has particular expertise in intelligence-led investigations involving international mutual assistance and those involving vulnerable witnesses. She has pioneered creative approaches to the presentation of evidence by both defendants and witnesses with learning and communication difficulties and has appeared in cases of the utmost cultural sensitivity. She regularly appears in cases attracting considerable media interest.

In 2024 she was appointed by the Secretary of State as a Board Member of UK Anti-Doping (UKAD), the body responsible for protecting and promoting clean sport in the UK. She is also a member of the Safeguarding Case Management Panel for Sports Resolutions.

Nicola is a champion of diversity and wellbeing at the Bar, having chaired the Bar Council’s Wellbeing at the Bar Working Group from 2023 to 2024. Nicola co-founded ‘Kindness at the Bar’, researching and promoting positive working practices in the legal profession, and is also a member of a Mentoring Circle for Women in Criminal Law.

Frederico Singarajah

Frederico qualified in England, where he works as a barrister. He is an experienced international arbitrator, having worked in over 250 international arbitrations as a barrister or arbitrator in various institutions.

He is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb). A dual Brazilian and British national, he speaks native English and Portuguese, and conversational Spanish. 

Frederico is recognised by the International Arbitration Powerlist from Legal 500, Legal 500 UK Bar and Who's Who Legal, and is among the most experienced and distinguished barristers in international arbitration. He is the author of several academic works, articles and book chapters on arbitration, in both Portuguese and in English.

In addition to teaching arbitration for the CIArb and the Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, he is also a lecturer at the University of Westminster in commercial dispute resolution, and at University College London in procurement of construction and engineering.

Nancy Williams

Nancy has a wide ranging practice that includes Court of Protection, children law (public and private), inquests and international human rights.

Nancy has extensive international experience. She worked at the International Court of Arbitration (ICC) in Paris in the common law team, the UNDP Access to Justice Programme in Sierra Leone, Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law and the international and group claims department of the leading UK firm Leigh Day.

Nancy regularly provides training relating to her practice areas, particularly practice and procedure in the Court of Protection and inquests.