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Professional Networking event for all Society members who are working in or are interested in any aspect of Law.
A panel of Cheltonian Society barristers and solicitors will provide a short overview of their career journey, followed by time for all guests to share insight, expertise and advice in small group and one-to-one settings.
Scroll down for details of panel speakers.
Venue in Central London (to be announced)
Bookings opening soon
Speakers
Saira Kabir Sheikh KC (current parent)
Saira is a barrister at Francis Taylor Building, Temple who practices in planning, environmental, local government and protest law. She was called to the Bar of England and Wales by the Inner Temple in 2000. She was appointed Queen’s Counsel (QC) in 2014 and is now King’s Counsel.
Saira acts for developers, local planning authorities and third parties in matters relating to all types of development including housing schemes, infrastructure, hotels, transport and planning enforcement.
She regularly appears at planning inquiries and in the High Court and Court of Appeal.
She is ranked in Chambers and Partners and Legal 500 and is one of the highest rated planning barristers by Planning Magazine. She has also been recognised as a Woman of Influence by the Planner in 2021 and 2023.
Luke Barnes (Leconfield, 1986)
Luke works as Deputy Head of Chambers in a leading family law chambers at 3 DJB in London, where he has worked since being called to the Bar in 1996. He was ranked for the quality of his work in the Legal 500 from 2019 to 2025.
After a Classics degree at New College, Oxford, he started his career in financial remedies work, where the court divides matrimonial assets between divorcing spouses according to their respective needs and resources.
He went on to specialise in cases of trusts and property law (often referred to as chancery or TOLATA work) within a family context: typically when unmarried cohabitants separate and dispute their assets, or when third parties, parents and siblings stake a claim to matrimonial assets seemingly owned by the spouses disputing them in the family court.
He has written and presented numerous articles and seminars on topics of interest arising in the TOLATA field and is widely regarded as a sought-after specialist in this area.
Paul Mourton (Southwood, 1996 & current parent)
Paul Mourton is an OC and former Head of Southwood who left College in 1996 and has been the Managing Partner of Lodders Solicitors since 2018.
At the time of his appointment, at 39, Paul was the youngest managing partner of a regional law firm in the country. Since then Lodders has more then doubled in size, employs over 200 people across four offices in the Midlands and is regarded as one of the premier regional private wealth law firms in the UK.
Paul continues to retain a close relationship with College as the parent of two current Cheltonians and is the Chair of CET (the Cheltonian Endowment Trust).
Fourth speaker (solicitor) to be announced shortly
