Meet our team
The people behind the UK Centre for Animal Law (A-LAW), the UK’s leading animal law charity
We are proud to be a volunteer-led charity. We are supported by a small part-time staff team and the remainder of our work is carried out by our team of dedicated volunteers.
For many years, A-LAW was led by Paula Sparks, an incredible barrister, animal advocate and friend. Sadly, Paula passed away on 31 May 2025. Read our tribute to Paula here, who continues to inspire the A-LAW team and its members.
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Frances AllenCo-founder of A-LAW
MoreFrances Allen
Frances Allen has a long-standing interest in animal rights and studied Zoology at University. On gaining tenancy in 1997, Frances co-founded A-LAW with Jeremy Chipperfield. In December 2020 Frances established the first specialist animal rights team at the Bar.
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Libby AndersonScottish Steering Committee Chair
MoreLibby Anderson
Libby is a retired animal welfare policy advisor, most recently for the campaigning charity OneKind (formerly Advocates for Animals) based in Edinburgh. Libby has worked on policy aspects of legislation such as the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006, Marine (Scotland) Act, Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2011, Wild Animals in Travelling Circuses (Scotland) Act 2018, Animal Welfare (Penalties, Protections and Powers) (Scotland) Act 2020 and Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Act 2023. She was involved in founding the Cross-Party Group on Animal Welfare in the Scottish Parliament and acted as Secretary for several years. Currently, she is the Secretary of the Wild Animal Welfare Committee and a Member of the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission.
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Sonul Badiani-HammentChair of trustees
MoreSonul Badiani-Hamment
Sonul Badiani-Hamment is Chair of the UK Centre for Animal Law. With an extensive background spanning law, politics, and charity leadership, she has dedicated over a decade to advancing animal welfare and strengthening legal protections for companion, wild and farmed animals. Sonul has played a pivotal role in securing major legislative progress in the UK, including contributing to the passage of the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act and the Animal Welfare (Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Act. Her impact for animals extends internationally, where she has worked to strengthen the recognition of animal welfare within the United Nations system, supporting efforts to embed animal protection considerations into global policy frameworks and discussions.
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Scott BlairScottish Steering Committee
MoreScott Blair
Scott Blair is a Scottish Advocate who has an interest in and experience of animal protection law. He is acknowledged as an expert in licensing law and administrative law and aims to bring that expertise into play in animal protection issues.
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Alison BurnsPodcast Host & Scottish Steering Committee
MoreAlison Burns
Alison Burns is a solicitor, speaker, actor and award-winning jazz singer. As a practising solicitor specialising in intellectual property, she has worked in legal firms and universities in the UK and is currently the in-house solicitor within her own company. Meanwhile as an actor and jazz singer she joined Hilary Clinton, Aretha Franklin and Steve Jobs in being a recipient of the prestigious Brand Laureate Award. Alison is dedicated to improving animal protection and the recognition of non-human animals’ legal rights and believes that all animals deserve to live a life worth living free from cages, exploitation and cruelty.
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Jeremy ChipperfieldTrustee & Co-founder of A-LAW
MoreJeremy Chipperfield
Jeremy is Co-founder of A-LAW. He is a barrister with an interest in non-human and human rights.
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Charlotte EdgarScottish Steering Committee
MoreCharlotte Edgar
Charlotte is a commercial litigation solicitor qualified in Scots and English law. She has a strong interest in animal protection legislation, animal legal philosophy, and strategic litigation involving animal welfare issues. She recently studied for an online Masters degree (LLM) in Animal Law at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon. Charlotte shares her life with two horses and in her spare time, enjoys exploring the beautiful Scottish countryside.
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Natalie HarneyTrustee & Volunteer
MoreNatalie Harney
Natalie holds a degree in English from the University of Birmingham and completed the GDL with Distinction in 2018. Natalie has a long-standing interest in animal law, particularly enforcement and the accountability of public authorities and private bodies responsible for animal welfare. She has volunteered for A-LAW for over a decade and became a trustee in 2021. Outside of A-LAW, she works full-time for a campaigning animal welfare charity.
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Blanche KoenigTrustee (Treasurer) & Volunteer
MoreBlanche Koenig
Blanche is a dual-qualified lawyer (UK & New York) with a background working in-house for various technology companies. Her experience has encompassed a range of topics including commercial contracts, marketing/advertising, privacy, ecommerce & consumer law, company secretarial, competition and disputes and she particularly enjoys supporting corporate ESG programs. Blanche has a long-standing interest in animal protection and volunteers with A-LAW on various projects.
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Judith-Anne MacKenzieSenior Policy Advisor
MoreJudith-Anne MacKenzie
Judith-Anne is now retired after a career: (1) as an academic lawyer; (2) in the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel (who draft primary legislation and advise the government on parliamentary procedure); and (3) in the Government Legal Service, in a range of government departments (Energy, Trade and Industry, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Transport). She is a specialist in public and administrative law, and in land law.
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Randi MilgramCompanion Animals Working Group Chair
MoreRandi Milgram
Randi is a US-qualified lawyer and is in the process of requalifying in the UK. She spent several years practicing in intellectual property and public law in America. Her recent practice has focused on various aspects of English companion animal law, primarily comparative analyses of UK-USA breed specific legislation, agricultural protection laws, and puppy mills. A main interest is in connecting modern animal legal advocacy with intersectional socio-political awareness and support.
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Mike Radford OBETrustee & Member of Scottish Steering Committee
MoreMike Radford OBE
Mike Radford is Reader in Law at the University of Aberdeen. He has taught and lectured on animal law widely, in addition to working extensively on the development of animal welfare law and policy with politicians, officials, veterinarians, NGOs, and other interested parties. Mike is presently a member of the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission (SAWC), a trustee of the UK Centre for Animal Law (A-LAW), the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW) and the Humane Slaughter Association (HSA), and is a long-standing visiting lecturer at both Edinburgh and Glasgow Vet Schools. Mike was appointed OBE in 2008 for services to animal welfare law.
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Lotta TealeProject Manager
MoreLotta Teale
Lotta qualified as a barrister in family law and worked for 15 years in international development on basic legal services and access to justice for women in a range of low and middle income countries. Becoming a vegetarian at the age of five, she has long been committed to improving the lives of animals, and was thrilled to join team at alaw as project manager in 2023.
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Dr Iyan OfforAcademic Consultant
MoreDr Iyan Offor
Dr Iyan Offor is an assistant professor in environmental law at the University of Birmingham and founding leader of the Multispecies Collective (which researches change toward futures of flourishing for animals, nature and society). Iyan is a critical socio-legal theorist conducting interdisciplinary research on multispecies legalities. His active research projects are: Solarpunk Narrative and Multispecies (Legal) Worlding; and Transqueer Ecological Justice. Iyan’s monograph Global Animal Law from the Margins was published by Routledge in 2023. Iyan is co-editor in chief for the Journal of International Wildlife Law & Policy and academic consultant for the UK Centre for Animal Law (A-LAW).
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Hannah MoneagleScottish Steering Committee
MoreHannah Moneagle
Hannah is a practising Court Solicitor based in the Highlands of Scotland and specialising in the areas of social and child welfare. Hannah is the former Director and Principal Solicitor of the Grampian Community Law Centre, a former Law Lecturer, and a former Associate of the Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland. Hannah was a Trustee and the Legal Director for the conservation charity Scotland: The Big Picture for two years and was a member of Police Scotland’s North East Wildlife and Rural Crime Working Groups, and a former Crime and Advocacy Advisor to the Trustees at the charity, Scottish Badgers. Hannah has been academically published on the subject of wildlife management in Scotland – https://www.mdpi.com/2328032 – and her particular area of interest is wildlife law. Hannah has hands-on experience in animal rescue and advocacy, and was previously the appointed Animal Ambassador for Willows Animal Sanctuary and Animal-Assisted Therapy Unit, and a volunteer Care Worker at the North East Wildlife and Animal Rescue Centre, both in Aberdeenshire. Hannah is a qualified River Guardian working with the Riverfly Partnership, and is also the proprietor of Wildlife First Response; a not for profit organisation designed to educate road users as to how they can best assist wildlife casualties found on UK roads.
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Konnie WillettLegal Support Assistant
MoreKonnie Willett
Konnie studied International Relations at King’s College London before going on to qualify as a solicitor, specialising in corporate law. She has long held an interest in animal law, which was a key motivation for pursuing a legal career. Before joining A-LAW, she volunteered with the organisation and remains passionate about strengthening legal protections for animals and supporting the continued development of animal law. Konnie lives by the seaside with her young son and their rescue dog, and loves travelling with her son whenever she can.
Meet the Legal Advisory Group on Extreme Conformation in Dogs (LAGECDogs)
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Dr Helena Howe LAGECDogs Chair and Senior Lecturer in Law
MoreDr Helena Howe
Dr Helena Howe is a Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Exeter. She researches animal law as it applies to companion animals and farmed animals, with a particular interest in the law on dog breeding.
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Mike Radford OBE Reader in Law at the University of Aberdeen and A-LAW Trustee
MoreMike Radford OBE
Mike Radford is Reader in Law at the University of Aberdeen. He has taught and lectured on animal law widely, in addition to working extensively on the development of animal welfare law and policy with politicians, officials, veterinarians, NGOs, and other interested parties. Mike is presently a member of the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission, a trustee of the UK Centre for Animal Law (A-LAW), the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare and the Humane Slaughter Association, and is a long-standing visiting lecturer at both Edinburgh and Glasgow Vet Schools. Mike was appointed OBE in 2008 for services to animal welfare law.
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Vanessa BarnesSolicitor (non-practising), Animal Welfarist (PG Dip. Animal Welfare Science), Legal Advisor at APGAW
MoreVanessa Barnes
Vanessa Barnes is a qualified solicitor (non-practising) and Legal Advisor to the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare (APGAW). She holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Animal Welfare, Policy and Legislation from Hartpury University and is co-developer of the Innate Health Assessment (IHA), a conformation-based health tool for dogs that was launched in 2025 and is now in active use by local authorities across the UK. Appointed by the DAERA Minister to the Expert Advisory Panel on the Review of Dog Breeding Regulations in Northern Ireland, she provides specialist legal and policy advice on animal welfare law in the UK.
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Dr Dan O’NeillProfessor in Companion Animal Epidemiology at RVC
MoreDr Dan O’Neill
Dan has extensive primary-care veterinary experience as well as academic knowledge around the welfare harms from extreme conformation in dogs. Dan co-leads the RVC VetCompass Programme, chairs the UK Brachycephalic Working Group and is a board member of the International Collaborative on Extreme Conformation in Dogs. Dan has co-authored the books ‘Breed Predispositions to Disease in Dogs and Cats’ and ‘Health and Welfare of Brachycephalic (Flat-faced) Companion Animals’.
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Kay ChandSolicitor
MoreKay Chand
Kay Chand is a practising solicitor with over 20 years post qualification experience in advising clients on commercial transactions. Kay is also passionate about improving animal welfare and improving biodiversity and regularly works in her personal capacity, with charities furthering those aims. Kay is a member of the UK Centre for Animal Law. Kay is also ranked in the leading legal directories.
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Dr Rowena Packer Senior Lecturer in Companion Animal Behaviour and Welfare Science, RVC
MoreDr Rowena Packer
Rowena is a companion animal behaviour and welfare scientist who leads a research group exploring diverse topics, including the impact of breed-related disorders on canine welfare. She has received >£2 million of research funding and co-authored >100 peer reviewed papers on canine and feline welfare. With Prof Dan O’Neill, she co-edited the textbook ‘Health and Welfare of Brachycephalic (Flat-faced) Companion Animals’ (Taylor & Francis Group 2021). Rowena holds a PhD from the Royal Veterinary College (2013) which explored the impact of extreme conformation on canine health, results of which have gone on to influence international animal welfare legislation.
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Hannah MolloyAnimal Behaviourist at Amplified Behaviour and Dog Behaviour Consultant at APDAWG
MoreHannah Molloy
Hannah is a qualified dog behaviour specialist in the UK with a degree in Animal Behaviour and a specialism in dog body language and pet dog behaviour. She’s trained over 10,000 pet dogs in the last 10 years and written an illustrated guide to dog behaviour called ‘Whats my dog thinking: Understand your dog to give them a happy life’. She featured as one of 3 experts on the prime time Channel 4 television series ‘Puppy School’ and has written the UK’s 1st ofqual regulated qualification in dog body language. She currently teaches body language and handling courses to vets, groomers and pet shops to reduce bite incidents and increase the handling and observation skills of these often overlooked, fields of pet care. She also works as a behavioural expert for Agria Pet Insurance and leads the umbrella campaign for responsible dog ownership with the All Party Parliamentary Dog Advisory Welfare Group (APDAWG) in Westminster.
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Dr Fiona CookeAssociate Director of Policy and Impact at Woodgreen Pets Charity
MoreDr Fiona Cooke
Fiona completed her PhD thesis on companion animal welfare. She is a member of the Dog Breeding Reform Group (DBRG).
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Natalie HarneyCampaign Manager at Naturewatch Foundation and A-LAW Trustee
MoreNatalie Harney
Natalie has worked in the animal welfare sector since 2018. She currently leads Naturewatch Foundation’s campaign to end low welfare and illegal companion animal breeding, and her interest in extreme conformation and the law stems from her work around canine fertility clinics. She is also a Trustee for the UK Centre for Animal Law (A-LAW) and has been volunteering with the charity since 2014. She holds a BA English degree from the University of Birmingham and completed her Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) at Birmingham City University.
Learn more about the Legal Advisory Group on Extreme Conformation
in Dogs (LAGECDogs)

