The Executive Committee

With the exception of matters reserved to the Council, responsibility for running the Association is vested, under the Constitution, in the Executive Committee.

The first Executive Committee members are:

• David Patient, Council Member and Chair of the Association's Executive Committee; former managing partner of Travers Smith LLP
• Professor Volker Roeben, Dean of Durham Law School.
• Rachel Avery, Deputy Dean, Education, Durham Law School, Commercial Law module leader and a practising barrister.
• Gary Assim, first Council Selected Committee Member, Durham alumnus and the senior partner in the national Retail and Intellectual Property and Creative Industry Groups of Shoosmiths LLP.
• Jessica Banks, the Law School’s Business Development Manager.
• Philip Bennett, Professor in Practice, Durham Law School, Durham alumnus and former Slaughter and May partner.

The first Secretary to the Executive Committee is Vicky Mortlock.

The Council

Role

The Constitution provides, in summary, for the Council:

• to provide such advice and support as the Executive Committee may request of it and the Council may agree,
• to choose one of its Selected Members (see below) to be on the Executive Committee,
• to provide, with the Executive Committee, a joint report on the activities of the Association to the annual meeting of the Association,
• to amend the Constitution of the Association with the consent of the Dean of the Law School (the “Dean”), and
• to dissolve, with the consent of the Dean, the Association.

Composition

The Council is made up of an equal number of members appointed by the Dean (Appointed Members)  and an equal number of members selected from alumni by a Selection Committee established as provided for in the Constitution (Selected Members) with a maximum of 10 in each category. It is envisaged that the Council will include upto 2 student (or very recently graduated) members.

The Constitution provides for a President (or joint Presidents) to preside over meetings of the Council and of the Association.

It also provides for the Appointed Members to be appointed by the Dean or to be ex officio.

The ex-officio members are the Chair of the Executive Committee and the Dean or his or her representative.

Transitional arrangements

The starting size of the Council is 10, comprising 5 Appointed Members and 5 (deemed) Selected Members drawn from alumni and selected by the Dean.

Future Selected Members are to be selected by a Selection Committee of the Council from those members of the Association who put themselves forward for selection.

Our current plan is for the Council to move to its maximum size in stages with 6 more members (3 Appointed Members and 3 Selected Members) joining in 2025/26 and 4 more members (2 Appointed Members and 2 Selected Members) joining in 2027/28.

The first Council members

The first Council members are:

• Lady Black of Derwent, first joint President of the Association, Durham alumna and former UK Supreme Court judge*.
• Lord Hughes of Ombersley, first joint President of the Association, Durham alumnus and former UK Supreme Court judge*.
• Professor Volker Roeben, Dean of Durham Law School**.
• Gary Assim, Durham alumnus and Shoosmiths LLP partner***.
• Hugh Ford, Durham alumnus, and a former FTSE 100 General Counsel***.
• Alison Gowman CBE, Durham alumna and Alderman of Dowgate Ward in the City of London Corporation
• Suzanne Kingston, Durham alumna and consultant at Mills & Reeve LLP***.
• Anna Metz, 3^rd year Law undergraduate, Durham Law School*.
• David Patient, Council Member and Chair of the Association's Executive Committee; former managing partner of Travers Smith LLP** .
• Smriti Sriram, Durham alumna and Slaughter and May partner***.

* Appointed Member

** Appointed Member – ex officio

*** first deemed Selected Member

The first Secretary to the Council is Vicky Mortlock.

Contact us

Contact us via email at: law.alumni.association@durham.ac.uk 

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