Our People
The Right Honourable The Lord Falconer of Thoroton
Charlie Falconer chairs the Advisory Committee of Therium Access. He is an English qualified barrister and the former Lord Chancellor and first Secretary of State for Justice. Amongst others, he has held the positions of the first Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs, Solicitor General, Criminal Justice Minister, and the Housing, Planning and Regeneration Minister. He is currently a partner in Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher's London office. Lord Falconer studied at Edinburgh Academy, Trinity College, Glenalmon and Queens' College, Cambridge
John Thomas is on the Advisory Committee of Therium Access. He is an English qualified barrister and the former Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales between 2013 and 2017. More recently, Lord Thomas has been the Chair of the Commission on Justice in Wales tasked with reviewing the Welsh justice system. Lord Thomas read law at Trinity Hall, Cambridge.
John Byrne
John is on the Advisory Committee of Therium Access. He co-founded Therium in 2008 and is a director of Therium Capital Management Limited and the firm’s Chief Executive Officer. John is a solicitor and was formerly a corporate partner at Nabarro Nathanson, then managing partner of the London office of Dorsey & Whitney. In the latter role, John acquired PwC's tax litigation team and a VAT litigation team from Ernst & Young. John has previously been listed by Chambers as one of the UK's best business lawyers. John has LLB and LLM degrees from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Neil Purslow
Neil is on the Advisory Committee of Therium Access. He co-founded Therium in 2008 and is a director of Therium Capital Management Limited and the firm’s Chief Investment Officer. Neil is a solicitor with over 17 years’ experience and was previously Litigation Counsel in-house for Marsh & MacLennan Companies, Inc. (MMC). Prior to this he was in practice in the City of London with US firm Reed Smith and Withers. He is a board member of the Association of Litigation Funders the self-regulatory body for the litigation funding industry in England and Wales, of which Therium is a founding member. Neil speaks regularly at conferences and is often quoted in the media on issues related to litigation funding. He gained an MA in Jurisprudence from the University of Oxford (1995). He was ranked as a Tier 1 litigation funder by Chambers and Partners.
Jennifer Morrissey
Jennifer is on the Advisory Committee of Therium Access. She is a partner at Harcus Parker Limited where she advises on a range of private and commercial disputes with a particular focus on financial services litigation and large shareholder actions. She represents a range of private and corporate clients including a number of international and domestic investment funds, investments banks, private trust companies and high-net worth individuals. She obtained her PhD from St John's College, Oxford.
Jeunesse Mensier
Jeunesse is the Grant Programme Director responsible for leading the direction of the grant programme as it continues to expand. She selects and manages the grants and supports funded organisations. Jeunesse is a member of the Secretariat which supports the Advisory Committee and Board of Therium Access. Jeunesse also sits on the Steering Group, Project Management Group and Grants Assessment Panel of the Community Justice Fund, of which Therium Access is a founding funder. She joined Therium in 2017 from another litigation funder. Previously, she was a project manager at Group Action Edge Limited (formerly eSystems Case Management Limited), where her role included working on a complex and high profile £14 billion court action affecting numerous vulnerable individuals. She has worked in a wide range of organisations, including law firms, charities and international investment banks. Jeunesse graduated from Oxford Brookes University (BA) in 2006 and Nottingham Law School (LPC) in 2009.
Christina Gates
Christina is the Director of Therium Access. She joined Therium during May 2016 and is Head of Jersey Operation of Therium Group Holdings Limited. In addition to setting up and managing Therium's Jersey office, Christina is responsible for administration of the Jersey based corporate entities and associated cases within the Therium group. Prior to joining Therium, Christina worked for 18 years in the finance industry, including 16 years spent within the trust and fiduciary services industry with ultimate responsibility for the administration of a variety of complex fiduciary structures whilst living in Switzerland and Jersey. Christina's professional qualifications include the Diploma in Trust and Estate Practice awarded by the Institute of Financial Services and the STEP Diploma in International Trust Management awarded by Central Law Training International.
