Our Team

Gabriel Awosika is the Principal at Astute Legal Solicitors & Advocates and has over 10 years of combined legal practice and local authority experience. Gabriel prioritises providing his clients with practical solutions and ‘clarity in the complexity’

Prior to qualifying as a Solicitor, Gabriel was a Civil Servant for two London local authorities where he developed and honed his knowledge in Housing Law. He then moved on to Plexus Law where he gained further experience.

Gabriel also has a range of experience in Law firm management and providing regulatory training. He is also actively involved in the areas of Sports and Entertainment, whereby he currently represents footballers across the English Leagues and many award-winning musicians across Europe. He focuses on providing rights management, sponsorship, partner agreements, image rights, terms and conditions, broadcasting, merchandising, endorsements, licensing and website agreements.

Gabriel holds a Degree in Law, LLB (hons), a Masters Degree in Law, LLM (lond), a Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice, and a Post-graduate Diploma in Housing. He is also an official for the United Nations Organisation for Human Rights Defence (OHRD).

Emma graduated from Aston University in 2011 with a 2:1 in Politics & international Relations. During her studies and thereafter she discovered her true passion and enthusiasm for the legal profession while working part-time in the legal department of a property management company.

She later gained further invaluable knowledge and legal work experience in a paralegal role with a focus on Caribbean Law at a high street firm before successfully completing the GDL (post-graduate law conversion course) at the University of Law in 2015.

Emma joined Astute Legal Solicitors & Advocates as a paralegal in 2016 after having completed the LPC at the University of Law (achieving Distinction) and holding an LLB in law.

Emma deals with various matters involving both contentious and non-contentious probate, trusts, property issues, family law, landlord & tenant matters and civil litigation. She has also continued her specialism in Caribbean law at the firm.

Away from the office, Emma is avid learner of foreign languages and is currently learning Korean.

Josephine Appeah Akuoko is an expert in Immigration and Nationality Laws with several years of experience in the field. She worked as Immigration Consultant with several firms before joining Astute Dynamic. She provides clients with expert advice in Immigration and Nationality, including entry clearance applications, EU applications, leave to remain applications, settlement, asylum and point based system applications.

She acquired both her LLB and LLM degrees with BPP Law School in London. She is also a member of CILEX.

As an immigrant herself, she understands the difficulties immigrants encounter in regularizing their stay. She prides herself with giving transparent and honest advice to clients while maintaining a respectable relationship with them.

Josephine is a strong believer in professionalism and upholding workplace ethics.

If you need assistance in Immigration and Nationality matters, look no further, Josephine is your best bet at succeeding.

A leader with passion for quality work completed on time. Dedicated and professional, with strong work ethics, and commitment to organisational goals.

After working as an intensive care registered nurse for over 15 years, Therese then graduated Albany Law School with honours in 1999 and went to work for over a decade as a business representative for the New York State Nurses Association – a non-profit membership association representing unionised nurses in their professional practice Her law practice has included medical malpractice law, corporations and non-profit corporations law, contract negotiations, labor law, human resources law, and real estate development. She has a BS in Anthropology, and certifications in neurolinguistics, has been involved in business development with several start-up ventures in: fashion, beauty, music, online marketing, and wholesale fur, gemstones and jewellery.

It has been her vision since she was a teenager to positively impact our World. She has worked with the A-Star Foundation in the United Kingdom – school and after-school programs in sports, music and the arts designed to help young people find their purpose in life, and therefore encourage them to stay in school. Her law school research paper, written for her Non-profit Law class, was entitled Teach A Man To Fish: After-School Programs Work.

An extremely proactive and driven person who thrives on challenges and rises to any task assigned, Therese’s personality and life experience allow her to work successfully with a wide range of people. Her strong communication skills foster and advance relationships in all environments; maintain positive relations with staff and customers in high-volume, fast-paced operations; and foresee potential problems before they arise.

Alexander Phillips is a qualified solicitor in England and Wales and also a New York Attorney. He specialises in Civil Litigation and has extensive experience in Commercial and Property disputes.Aside from his legal knowledge, Alexander has accumulated many years of business experience in both management and accounts; both areas which add to the array of skills which he brings to Astute and to the personal service with which he so effectively serves clients.

Sena Frimpong is currently a Barrister at Astute Legal Solicitors & Advocates. He was called to the Bar in 2009 and now practices in all of the major areas of civil litigation with a particular emphasis on housing and property law.

He has acted for a diverse range of clients in all stages of the judicial process, (advising, drafting and representing clients at hearings). He has considerable experience in cases concerning possession, homelessness, succession, disrepair, mortgage matters and LVT cases.

Sena has also worked on judicial review cases both for and against local authorities

Sena also places great importance on his pro bono work, focusing on assisting those in ‘housing need’. He has worked extensively with the Croydon Housing Aid Society which is closely affiliated to the South West London Law Centres.

Sena holds a Degree in Law, LLB (hons) and is a member of Lincoln’s Inn.

Leon Muhammad is an Oil and Gas consultant for Astute Dynamic. Leon Muhammad has a robust and exquisite knowledge in oil and gas coupled with a level of experience second to none. Through its internationally oriented staff and partnerships with other companies in North America, South America, Africa and Asia, its reach is solid and effective in bringing to our customers the assistance and care they require and depend on in developing new businesses.

Leon Muhammad is highly trained, professional whose experience stems from the political, diplomatic, and business worlds. Leon Muhammed performs at a very high standard and connects local decision makers from politics to the social; and provides services needed for Astute Dynamic allowing them to venture into new markets which inevitably will establish long lasting relationships.

Leon Muhammad has close affiliations with petroleum and energy companies with major trading houses in the Middle East, Europe and the USA. Leon Muhammad has relationships in countries where the market has a tremendous potential for new investments that range from infrastructure, medical supplies, agriculture, food products, energy, renewable, waste management, pesticides, machinery, oil, coal, natural gas, and more. Such countries include Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, Sao Tome and Principe and East Timor, Angola, Mozambique, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, and Macedonia.

Professor Thomas is currently a consultant for several law firms in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and the United Kingdom.

The areas of law Professor Thomas is proficient include and not limited to Criminal law, Corporate Law, Immigration Law and Human Rights Law. Having worked in the public and private sector with several government officials. Professor Thomas has had several appointments; such appointments include sitting as a Judge Chief Justice for the Indigenous Cherokee Nation in the United States.

Professor Thomas is also a Consultant to clean energy group DRENEL advising on the green energy initiative which is being implemented in Africa, Asia and Europe.

In 2017, Professor Thomas was appointed as a Notary and a Certified Sovereign Underwriter under the section of the First Republic Registrars at International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court.

In 2018, Professor Thomas was appointed as a Judge for the ICJ ICC. Professor Thomas was also named Head of legal affairs for the ICJ ICC dealing with the financial sector for historical asset and redemption.

Professor Thomas was also appointed as a UN Ambassador for WOLMI International in the capacity of legal expert attached to The Geneva office; and, he was also appointed a UN ambassador to Ho-Tak security, as head of the legal department where he was charged with overseeing matters of international security.

Professor Thomas is a member of the International Association of Arbitration and The Chartered institute of Legal executives. Professor Thomas holds an LLM Masters in International Law and also PHD in international law.

PROFESSOR CEDRIC BELL (LLB, LLM, Barrister, PhD) is Chairman & Chief Executive of the Cambridge International Group which includes the Cambridge International Education Centre (CIEC) and Cambridge International Associates and takes a primary responsibility in respect of the Group’s international strategic developments. He is also President of the Accra Business School in Ghana.

He is a well-known international academic entrepreneur, lawyer and experienced conference speaker.

Professor Bell was for ten years Chief Executive of Holborn College in London, a leading private sector law and business College in the UK, which he built up and then sold on to the US Washington Post Kaplan Group. He was also the Pro Vice-Chancellor (International) and Regional Vice-Chancellor (Africa) of a large Malaysian University and is a ‘triple law graduate’ of the University of Birmingham.

Career Outline

Professor of Law & Practicing Lawyer
He qualified as a Barrister and taught and practiced law in the UK for a number of years. His areas of expertise were Land Law, Wills and Probate, Legal Practice Management and the Lawyering Skills.

For a number of years, he was In House Counsel and Director of Training at a large Lancashire firm of solicitors. Further, he combines legal expertise with a successful track record of high-level corporate management leadership.

He was an active participant in the legal conference and seminar circuit for over 25 years in the UK and authored over forty articles in the legal press and four academic textbooks.

He has held Professorial rank since 1996 with a number of UK and international Universities including at present with Wrexham Glyndwr University. Previously he held Visiting Professorships at the Universities of Hertfordshire, Liverpool John Moores, Cumbria, Northampton, Southampton Solent, Leeds Trinity and with Maltepe University of Istanbul.

Chief Executive of Holborn College
For ten years he was Chief Executive of Holborn College, London one of the UK‘s longest established private sector colleges of higher education.

When he took over at Holborn College the full-time student population was in the order of around 600 with a turnover of around £3.6 million per annum. As a result of the changes to the portfolio of programmes and the College’s new strategic direction which he introduced, numbers had strengthened to around 1,600 full time students and close to 5,000 distance learning students and the annual financial turnover had been increased to around £7.5 million within five years. He successfully sold the business to the Washington Post/Kaplan Group.

International Academic Entrepreneur
Professor Bell has for a number of years run his own successful international consultancy business and he has a range of Government, regulatory body, diplomatic and tertiary institutional connections across Europe, Africa, Asia and North America reflective of his wide and extensive professional interests.

Limkokwing University Worldwide
Limkokwing University is Malaysia’s most globalized University with campuses in a number of countries across Africa and Asia. Professor Bell had a significant connection with the University between 2011 – 2019 having been its Pro Vice-Chancellor (International) and Regional Vice-Chancellor (Africa).

Company Directorships & Miscellaneous
In addition to being Chairman & CEO of the Cambridge International Group, Professor Bell is Director of a number of other companies incorporated within the UK including Chairman of ATHE (Awards for Training & Higher Education) the UK Ofqual regulated awarding body. In 2017, he was appointed to the Board of Trustees of Apasen International which is a respected and long-established charity who have been providing health and social care services in London since 1984. He became Vice-Chairman of the Trustees in 2019. In 2022, he became a Trustee and Secretary of Apasen UK the ‘parent’ company.
Other Directorships include Western International College and most recently Plant Education Networks Ltd which is the holding company for the fast-growing Elizabeth School of London Education Group.

IES Rouen
Professor Bell has been connected in a Senior Consultancy capacity with IES Business School of Rouen, France for over two years and is assisting the proprietor in developing wider international collaborative partnerships with Universities in UK and USA. To date he has secured two collaborative University partnerships – one with a UK University and one with a US University.

International Anti-Corruption Court Role
Very recently Professor Bell was approached by a group within the United Nations to ascertain if he might be interested in working in a Special Advisory capacity in respect of the proposed International Anti-Corruption Court and the international campaign to set it up. The aim is to establish such a Court like the International Criminal Court at The Hague.
The initiative is led by an eminent US Judge – Judge Mark Wolf. Professor Bell has been asked to harness his significant network of contacts at Government level particularly in Africa to garner support for the initiative amongst sympathetic African nations.

Together UK – Advisory Board
Professor Bell has recently been invited to join the Advisory Board of Together UK.

This is a cross-party group of substantially non politicians who have come together to form Together UK to pro-actively campaign for the retention of the Union. It is a group of ‘big hitters’ from the worlds of business, finance, culture, sport and academe.
It has a Board of Directors and an Advisory Board. Its Patron is Lady Jane Grosvenor an icon of the Westminster/Grosvenor dynasty. It is Chaired by Dame Arlene Foster the former First Minister of Northern Ireland who now sits as a Cross Bencher in the House of Lords.

In particular, Professor Bell is working with some former Labour Government Ministers who are now in the House of Lords, who like him are pro-union, to build up the organisation particularly with regard to influencers and prominent members of the Labour Party given the likelihood of Labour returning to power at the next General Election.