CHAIR

Justin is a senior manager at A&O Shearman working at the intersection of responsible business, business development and client strategy. He trained and qualified as a lawyer at the firm six years ago, including a client secondment in the Investigations team at Meta (Facebook). In 2025, he spent six months in Dubai leading the firm’s responsible business client agenda across the Middle East alongside the partnership. Justin was recently named Emerging Leader of the Year, EMEA by the Legal Benchmarking Group.

Justin is the Founder of GROW Mentoring and the current Chair of the Trustee Board. He launched the charity at the start of his training contract to widen access to the profession and build community for people from all backgrounds. Under his leadership and thanks to an incredibly driven team, GROW has ‘grown’ from an idea on LinkedIn into a thriving, mission‑driven organisation, securing official partnerships with some of the most influential national and global companies.

Alex is Assistant General Counsel and Vice President (Legal) in the Global Markets (Fixed Income) team at Bank of America. Alex trained and qualified at A&O Shearman, during which time he was also seconded to the Private Credit team at Goldman Sachs. Alex studied Archaeology at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge, and both the PGDL and LLM Commercial Legal Practice at BPP University.

Outside of GROW, Alex is Trustee of a Model United Nations charity and an Officer in the Royal Naval Reserves.

Alex is a GROW mentor who also has paralegal and business teams experience. He is passionate about increasing access to and awareness of legal careers, believing that the best individuals to drive the industry forward can come from anywhere - regardless of background.

In addition to his role on the Board, Alex is GROW’s Chief Executive Officer.

Meg is a trainee solicitor at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP. She studied International Law and Globalisation at the University of Birmingham. As a first-generation student with a hidden disability, Meg is passionate about amplifying diverse and underrepresented voices in the legal industry and using her experience to show others that anything is possible. In 2023, she was awarded the CEPLER Award for Outstanding Achievement in Extracurricular Endeavour for her dedication to community access to justice through her university's Free Legal Advice Group.

In addition to her role on the Board, Meg is GROW’s Chief Operating Officer.

Maria is an LLB Law and European Legal Studies graduate from King's College London. She is interested in promoting accessibility and diversity and hopes that by the time she enters the legal profession these values will stay at the forefront of the industry.

In addition to her role on the Board, Maria is GROW’s Chief Impact Officer.

Ailsa is a trainee solicitor at Linklaters, having obtained a Scots Law LLB degree from the University of Glasgow. She is a huge advocate for the value of mentorship, having previously been a GROW mentor worked with her university to support new law students. She is particularly passionate about helping socially mobile students break into law, having previously been awarded the Making Links Scholarship and volunteered with the Street Law initiative to help state educated students learn about the legal profession.

Hope is a Corporate M&A Associate at Hogan Lovells International LLP, having achieved a First Class French with English degree from King’s College London. Driven by her passion to increase accessibility to the legal industry, Hope was an active pro bono volunteer and mentor during her law conversion and currently sits on the committee of Hogan Lovells’ Social Mobility Network. As part of the Pairings team at GROW, Hope is committed to championing greater diversity within the legal profession by supporting aspiring lawyers broaden their professional network.

Ryan is an Associate in the Energy & Sustainability department at Trowers & Hamlins. He plays an active role in his firm’s social impact and sustainability committees and has also previously been a GROW Mentor. Ryan studied at the University of Brighton and is keen to use his experiences to improve social mobility, accessibility and increase representation within the profession.

Lucy is an Associate in Tech & Digital at Clifford Chance. She advices global companies on strategic technology projects including complex commercial contracting and outsourcing, AI, cyber and data compliance. She has spent 6 months working in the USA and 6 months working in-house at a 'big five' global technology company.

Lucy has been recognised as a 'Rising Star' in the legal profession, one of the 21 'Women Who Will' in law and won the award for ‘Most Promising First Year Female of Potential’ at the University of Exeter. Lucy is passionate about DE&I in the legal profession and her work in this space has been highlighted in the Financial Times and the Times.

Prior to joining the Board, Lucy was GROW’s Chief Operating Officer from September 2021 to December 2024.