Meet Sistren
The lawyers and organisers building power from the ground up
The people
Our team’s lived experiences shape how we work. We bring our whole selves into the room, to try and ensure legal support is more culturally-informed, aligned, and accountable to community needs.
Co-Founders
Samara co-founded Sistren Legal Collective to build community-centred legal support for social and racial justice movements, and to create a space where non-profit lawyers can practise the law authentically, and in alignment with their values.Over the course of her career, Samara has worked with global, national, grassroots and community-based organisations advancing social and racial justice. She has a strong interest in alternative non-profit legal forms and has supported groups including Black Lives Matter UK and the Baobab Foundation to incorporate as Community Benefit Societies. Her practice is rooted in collaboration, strategic legal guidance and dismantling traditional hierarchies in legal support.Samara has a BA in Politics from SOAS, University of London. After converting to law, she trained and qualified at Linklaters LLP and then spent four years at the law firm Bates Wells in their Charity and Social Enterprise Team. Outside of her legal work, Samara plays tag rugby for Great Britain and regularly travels to Jamaica and Kenya.
Keya co-founded Sistren Legal Collective to reimagine law as a tool for collaboration and movement-building and to challenge traditional understandings of how law is practised.Keya has worked across India, the UK, Jamaica, and the USA on issues from violence against women to social housing, and brings her experience of multiple jurisdictions and disciplines into her work. She uses law strategically to collaborate with communities, devolve legal knowledge effectively, co-create better systems, and address structural inequalities in ways that can convert theory into practice.She has a Bachelor's degree in Comparative Literature, an LLB from Cambridge and a Postgraduate Diploma in Human Rights Law from India. She trained and practiced at Linklaters LLP and at Bates Wells and serves as the Director of Programmes and Policy at GAIL. Outside of work, she parents, writes, and spends as much time as possible with family and friends in India and Jamaica.
Operations Team
Dan is Operations Director at Sistren, with responsibility for financial planning, governance, design & communications His work enables the collective by operationalising policy & procedure which align with Sistren’s values and culture.Outside of Sistren he is a strategic leader in the sport & physical activity sector in London, working to remove barriers to participation for marginalised communities. Dan has over 10 years of experience in local government, designing & delivering services which support marginalised communities. He combines operational expertise with a commitment to equity, inclusion, and practical support for grassroots organisations and movements advancing social and racial justice.
Shahina is our Operations Administrator, she is currently pursuing a Master’s in Applied Sport Psychology, having recently graduated with a BSc in Psychology and Criminology. Her academic and professional journey reflects a deep commitment to understanding human behaviour and using that knowledge to support positive change.She is passionate about inclusivity and equal rights across all avenues of life, particularly in sport, where she works to create spaces that are accessible, welcoming and empowering for everyone. As a qualified Level 2 cycling coach in multiple disciplines, she has supported riders from grassroots through to competitive pathways, leading teams at the London Youth Games and guiding young people to achieve personal milestones such as their first sportive.
Legal Consultants
Maria is a legal consultant passionate about supporting communities and driving systemic change. She holds an LLB in Law with Politics (University of Manchester) and an LLM in International Law (UCL) where she focused her studies on postcolonial approaches to the law. Her experience includes supporting immigration, charity and regulatory law teams at Bates Wells, and volunteering with migrant justice charities. Maria brings practical expertise, strategic insight, and a commitment to amplifying community voices in legal work. She is currently studying the Legal Practice Course as part of her solicitor training.
Paridhi is a legal consultant and works as Legal Counsel at the Science Based Targets initiative, a corporate climate action charity. A dual-qualified lawyer (India, England and Wales), Paridhi focuses on using her diverse skillset and experience to lawyer for communities and for the planet.She has lived and worked globally in the human rights, education, and international development sectors including as a Management Consultant at Accenture. Paridhi trained at Baker McKenzie and holds a Master-in-law from the University of Cambridge. She is a certified Heartfulness Yoga and Meditation trainer, and seeks to integrate a contemplative heart-led approach in her work and relationships.
Uvini is a Legal Consultant at Sistren Legal Collective. She is also an in-house lawyer at UNICEF UK. Uvini has an LLB from University College London and she trained and qualified at a leading US law firm, Sidley Austin LLP.With varied experience across UK and EU commercial law, child protection, and disability rights, she supports marginalised communities by providing practical, strategic legal guidance, policy recommendations, and open-source resources.