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Meet the Team

Kishma Bolaji

I wear lots of hats but by day, I am a solicitor specialising in Clinical Negligence Litigation. I am passionate about what I do and the amazing people I act for - I advocate for those injured as a result of medical negligence, and their families, to get the answers, support and compensation they need to move forward with their lives. I am also a very proud Co-Founder and Co-Chair of Birmingham Black Lawyers. I cannot put into words how rewarding a role this is. As a team we are passionate about supporting law students as well as qualified colleagues to overcome obstacles and progress to senior management positions in their respective firms. The encouragement and support we receive from the local community, within law and the wider professional community, is both humbling and empowering and we will continue to doing what we are doing until diversity within the profession at all levels tops every firm and practice’s agenda. I am a mentor, speaker, school governor, adjudicator, assessor, company director and consultant, but most importantly, I am a mother, and through BBL I am doing my part to create a kinder, more inclusive and cohesive society for my children to live and thrive in.

Tamina Greaves

I am a solicitor-advocate, having qualified as a solicitor in 2009. I specialise in criminal law and currently work for the Crown Prosecution Service as a Senior Crown Prosecutor. I joined BBL in 2011 after attending the launch event. I was keen to help BBL achieve its aim of promoting diversity in the Birmingham legal community. I was motivated as during my own journey into the profession I found it to be a very lonely experience. I had little to no guidance on how to achieve my career ambitions and wish I had exposure to an organisation like BBL. I had limited experience of meeting people who had a similar background to me, neither did I have access to any role models or mentors; it’s not that they didn’t exist there just weren’t any organisations that gave me the opportunity to get this exposure. I am intimately aware of how important it is that those from BAME backgrounds, who often start off at a disadvantage, are given certain opportunities to acquire the skills necessary to successfully navigate the journey into the legal profession and to have better prospects of achieving their career aspirations. I am immensely proud to represent BBL as co-chair and even more proud of the great success we have achieved to date.

Adeo Fraser

My name is Adeo Fraser and I am a family law barrister at 3PB Chambers. I have been a member of the Birmingham Black Lawyers committee since 2012. I joined the committee because I identified with BBL’s goal to increase, and embrace, diversity in the legal profession so that it is more reflective of society at large. Birmingham Black Lawyers has been instrumental in my development, both socially and professionally, and has provided me with opportunities that culminated in me obtaining pupillage in 2017. In my role as BBL's Network Relationships Manager, I liaise and collaborate with professional organisations that share our core values and seek to support us in the achievement of our goals.

Aleigha Adams

I am a newly qualified Crown Prosecutor at The Crown Prosecution Service and joined the BBL team when I was still a student as I was keen to improve my communication and networking skills. I volunteer with BBL because I feel passionate about helping students succeed in their journey into the legal profession. I know I would not be where I am today without the support and opportunities that BBL provided. Pursuing a career in law is a challenging path, made even more difficult by some of the barriers we face in the black community. I am grateful that through BBL, I have the opportunity to help address these difficulties and bring about change.

Jahnel Davis

I joined BBL in 2016 whilst studying my undergraduate law degree. I became a member because I did not see many individuals that looked like myself in the legal profession and I wanted to be a part of a group that worked to change that. As a member of the University liaison sub-committee of BBL, I am responsible for building and maintaining relationships with our local universities and colleges. I also arrange events so that students can connect with legal professionals.   I have worked in the legal industry as a paralegal doing civil litigation/real estate and my ambition is to qualify as a solicitor.

Dion Calder

I am a family law solicitor at Bailey Wright & Co Solicitors and I have been a member of the Birmingham Black Lawyers committee since January 2019. I joined the committee because, after being helped by Birmingham Black Lawyers through every stage of my legal journey right up until I secure employment in 2016, I wanted to help Birmingham Black Lawyers achieve this outcome for other people that look like me. My role as University Liaison is to engage with Universities and Students and arrange events aimed at providing guidance and an insight into the profession. In my spare time, I enjoy playing football and attending church.

Michaela Hunt

I am currently a trainee solicitor set to qualify in September 2021. I was first introduced to BBL through our social events. Identifying and networking with professionals with backgrounds similar to my own helped me to build up my self-confidence and maintain my motivation to keep striving in an industry where many eventually give up. Drawing from my own experience, I am passionate about helping young people and students achieve their full potential. Working with BBL, I am able to do just that! In my spare time, if I'm not cooking up a storm, you'll find me hiking up a mountain or adding to my growing list of 28 countries and counting.

Anton Alexander

I am currently a trainee at Mills & Reeve. Having been privileged to receive the BBL Student Of The Year award in 2019, I subsequently joined the committee as a University Liaison Officer in 2020, assisting in the organising and structuring of events we do with various universities across the Midlands. Having recently returned to Birmingham to begin my training contract, I am looking forward to being more hands-on with assisting in my role and continuing to see BBL thrive whilst making an invaluable contribution to diversity and inclusion within the legal industry.

Quacy Thomas

I am a Real Estate Dispute Resolution solicitor at Gateley Legal. I am passionate about helping others, in particular, playing an active role in promoting diversity and inclusion within the legal field. I sit on committees and boards that seek to help promote diversity and inclusion and aim to help young professionals strive in their areas of expertise. Birmingham Black Lawyers has been paramount in my professional development since finishing my undergraduate course in 2013. Through Birmingham Black Lawyers, I met a fantastic circle of friends, increased my confidence, and met role models I aspire to be one day. It is an honour to be a part of the Birmingham Black Lawyers team, and I am grateful that through this organisation, I can assist with making a positive impact in our community.

Janai Parker

My name is Janai Parker and I am a associate at Gateley plc within the corporate team. I joined the BBL committee in 2023 having attended various BBL events since 2015 when I was a paralegal. During these years BBL has helped me not just in my professional development, but also my personal development. I have made lifelong friends through BBL, been able to create my own network of black lawyers within the West Midlands (both aspiring and experienced), been able to rub shoulders with black trailblazers in the legal field and it has put me in a position to now use my experience and resources to support aspiring and experienced lawyers. I am passionate about promoting diversity and inclusion within the legal profession and helping the next generation of lawyers navigate into the legal profession by bridging the gap between academia and professional practice and being a tangible within-reach resource to provide support, advice and guidance to them. I have delivered talks to students through panel discussion and speed networking, I am a mentor through The Tyro Lawyer mentoring programme and I also sit on the Birmingham Law Society Council as a rep for BBL and as a member of its subcommittee REACH.