Circuit Officers
The Midland Circuit is led by Michelle Heeley KC and supported by a strong team of officers.
Circuit Officers
The Circuit Leaders have an automatic place on the Bar Council and its General Management Committee. They are involved in decision making in respect of all areas of practice and have meetings with, amongst others, the Lord Chancellor, the Ministry of Justice, the Lord Chief Justice, the President of the Queen’s Bench Division, the presiding judges, the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Attorney General, the Solicitor General, the shadow justice team and the Bar Standards Board to name but a few.
The Circuit Leader is an elected Silk who serves for a period of three years. He or she represents the Circuit and its members and establishes positive relations with the relevant bodies. The Leader is supported principally by the Circuit Junior and then by the other officers in their individual roles.
Circuit Leader
I am honoured to be able to lead the Circuit I love. As a proud Midlander I had the fortune to grow up in Birmingham and study in Nottingham, and then develop my career in Birmingham, supported every step of the way by Circuit. To now be able to lead Circuit and represent the many hundreds of hard working and talented Barristers is something I never dreamed of. I hope to promote greater diversity at the Bar, and address the issue we have with retention, I hope I can be a role model, but also give back to a Circuit that has given so much to me.Michelle Heeley KC
Circuit Junior
It is an honour to help serve the circuit in this capacity. I hope to help increase membership on the circuit so that our members can all benefit from the support on offer by experienced and very talented practitioners.Lucky Thandi
Circuit Treasurer
After making her mark as a particularly effective Junior and Assistant Junior, Jodie has put her enthusiasm and organisational skills into improving access to the bar and supporting the Women’s Forum. She has now taken on the role of Assistant Treasurer.Jodie Kembery
Women's Forum
Women remained significantly under-represented at the senior end of the profession. A diverse Bar is a strong Bar and Midland Circuit is determined that everyone should have equality of opportunity, and support in achieving their career goals. Everyone on the Women's Forum committee is dedicated to helping women on the Midland Circuit maximise their potential, through professional development, networking and support, and I'm so proud to be a part of this.Hena Vissian
Education and Training Officers
We are delighted jointly to inherit the role of Director of Education and Training from Michelle Heeley QC as she steps up to be Leader. The Midland Circuit has always produced great advocates and continues to do so. It is a great privilege to be asked to oversee the education of our pupils and new practitioners. We recognise the challenges that the modern Bar faces and are keen to help equip our junior practitioners to meet those challenges and thrive in practiceJohn Coughlan KC
Other Circuit Officers
It’s a privilege to support the Midland Circuit in my role as Information Technology Officer. We have has seen massive changes over the last few years in the way we do business, conduct hearings, and develop our skills through training. I hope to use my role to provide assistance and training for members of the Midland Circuit, as well as helping the Circuit engage with its members more effectively.Daniel Oscroft
