Dr Ana Speed

Ana graduated from the University of Birmingham with a first class BA (Hons) in Sociology and Cultural Studies in 2009. Ana completed the Graduate Diploma in Law at the University of Law (London, Bloomsbury) and the Legal Practice Course at Northumbria University, achieving distinctions in both. 

Prior to commencing her training contract, Ana worked as a financial analyst for the national commercial law firm, Womble Bond Dickinson LLP. Ana completed the Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning and advised clients about investment and retirement planning and family protection. 

Ana was admitted to the roll of solicitors in September 2016. During her training contract, Ana was seconded to the International Family Law department of the regional legal aid practice, Ben Hoare Bell LLP. Ana has experience of all areas of family law however she continues to have a particular interest in cases with an international or cross-border element. Ana's primary role is supervising clinical students in the Student Law Office, where they advise and represent members of the public on a range of family law matters. Ana supervises students in the Policy/Law Reform Clinic where they conduct research with the view to influencing law reform or policy change. Ana is also the co-module tutor of the International Family Law module. The impact of Ana's work in meeting unmet legal need in vulnerable communities was recognised at the Law Works and Attorney General Student and Pro Bono Awards 2018, where a project she co-convened was awarded the ‘Best Pro Bono Activity’ at the House of Commons. 

In 2022 Ana was awarded a PhD by publication. Her research focusses on  developing civil law responses to domestic abuse. Her work explores barriers to seeking and securing protection, the impact of major reforms which have taken place in the family justice system (including the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 and the Domestic Abuse Act 2021) and societal changes, such as Covid-19 and the UK’s departure from the European Union. More recently, Ana's research has focussed on the protection afforded to victims of domestic abuse as they cross state borders. She co-edited the leading Research Handbook on Domestic Violence and Abuse, which was published in September 2024. In 2020, Ana was part of a team who secured Modern Law Review funding to host a conference entitled ‘Gender-based violence: approaches to education, engagement and elimination’, which brought together academics and practitioners from England, Canada and Bangladesh.

Ana is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Authority. She is a visiting lecturer at the Euro University of Bahrain. 

Ana has won/been shortlisted for a number of prizes including being a finalist for Trainee Solicitor of the Year at the Northern Law Awards 2016. Ana was awarded the Winn Solicitors Prize (2012) for the best LPC performance in civil litigation and the David Gray Solicitors Prize (2012) for the best LPC performance in private client law.