INFOLEGAL - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Consultant
• Solicitor and Compliance Expert

Biography Bronwen is a solicitor and compliance expert who specialises in helping firms and ABSs, including MDPs, with all aspects of applying to be authorised and licensed by the SRA. This includes advising on complex structures, identifying which individuals and entities need approving and help with producing appropriate business plans. She previously worked for the Law Society and the Solicitors Regulation Authority in many different capacities, including Head of the Professional Ethics guidance team and Head of Standards. As head of the SRA's Standards team, Bronwen played a significant role in the drafting of the new SRA Handbook 2011. Bronwen left the SRA in 2010 to set up her own consultancy, Seven Hills Legal Training and Services Limited, providing training and regulatory consultancy services to law firms. She has presented many seminars, workshops and master classes on a broad range of regulatory topics. Bronwen is the author, jointly with Tracey Calvert, of "Outcomes-Focused Regulation: Compliance in Practice" and "COLP and COFA: Compliance in Practice" for Ark Group and "Regulation and In-house Lawyers - A Compliance Guide" for the Law Society. She is also on the editorial team for the Law Society's Legal Compliance Bulletin and is a contributor to "Cordery on Legal Services". Before joining the Law Society in the 1980s, Bronwen was a solicitor in private practice with a high street legal aid firm where she dealt with crime, divorce and conveyancing. Areas of Expertise Authorisation, Code of Conduct, Accounts Rules Education Manchester University - Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) - 1967 - 1970 Bronwen is a solicitor and compliance expert who specialises in helping firms and ABSs with all aspects of applying to be authorised and licensed by the SRA. Prior to joining Infolegal she was Head of Standards for the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

Job Titles:

• Director

Biography Duncan is a director of Infolegal and a non-practising solicitor. He qualified in 1981 and has, throughout his career, been closely involved in developing new ways in which lawyers deliver services, interact with clients and compete both in and outside of the traditional legal market. During the mid 1980's he was involved in the promotion of property selling by solicitors and was for several years a member of the consultative council of the National Association of Solicitor Property Centres. In 1990 he left private practice to join the newly formed legal network LawNet, becoming Managing Director in 1995, where he was instrumental in developing one of the first quality standards for solicitors and where he worked closely with the then Legal Aid Board in developing the practice management criteria. Following a period as Legal Services Director for a web-based IT company Duncan then set up his own legal management consultancy dealing with practice development and IT-based issues and later became a policy adviser at the SRA. From 2004 to 2010 Duncan was the administrator for the Solicitors Assistance Scheme and managed the Lawyers Defence Group. Duncan specialises in the areas of areas of professional conduct, practice management, data protection, as well as in IT related issues such as cybersecurity, search engine optimisation, the use of social networking by law firms and the development of web-based legal services. He writes regularly for the web and legal periodicals, has written books on conveyancing practice, cybersecurity for law firms and data protection. He is the co-author of Volumes 12(2) (A) & (B) - "Data Protection and Freedom of Information" - of the Lexis Nexis Encyclopaedia of Forms and Precedents and both wrote and developed the Law Society's Delivering Diversity CD. Areas of Expertise Cybersecurity, IT, Data Protection, Equality and Diversity Education Manchester University - Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) - 1975 - 1978 College of Law - Chester - 1978 - 1979 Duncan is a director of Infolegal and a non-practising solicitor, having qualified in 1981. Duncan specialises in data protection, cybersecurity and IT-related issues and is responsible for technical aspects of the company. Duncan writes extensively for the internet, is the author of books on cybersecurity and data protection and a contributor to the Encyclopaedia of Forms and Precedents.

Job Titles:

• Director

Matt is a non-practising solicitor, having been admitted in 1984, and is a director of Infolegal. Formerly the Head of Management Training at CLT, he has advised numerous firms of all different sizes and profiles on various practice management concerns. Matt is the author of many law firm management books including, most recently, ‘Money Laundering Compliance for Solicitors'

Job Titles:

• Consultant
• Specialist

Vicky is a specialist independent legal aid consultant, and is an authority on all aspects of the legal aid scheme, including scope, eligibility and contractual requirements. She writes a monthly column in Legal Action and has co-written or edited a number of publications on legal aid including the Legal Aid Handbook. She is also the co-author with Matthew Moore of the Solicitors Office Procedures Manual. She has provided specialist consultancy for organisations delivering advice and legal services for 20 years and is a Chartered Quality Professional. Vicky started her career in a Trading Standards Department as a Consumer Adviser, she went on to practice as a specialist in Debt and Welfare Benefits, including casework and representation in Tribunals and the County Court. She has managed a CAB, a Law Centre and a Housing Advice Centre, so has first-hand experience of the issues involved in managing legal aid contracts. She helps organisations repair their relationship with the Legal Aid Agency if things have gone wrong for any reason, including internal audit to identify strengths and weaknesses, and effective corrective action. She provides advice and drafting of appeals against decisions by LAA staff, including Contract Manager visits, reductions and nil assessments of costs, contract notices and contract terminations. Vicky can advise on best practice for peer review, Specialist Quality Mark and contract compliance. Vicky also helps organisations bid for legal aid contracts. Vicky has also been involved in research on the developing legal market and has helped organisations update and modernise their service delivery. Her clients have included national organisations such as Citizens Advice, Law Centres Network, the Law Society of England and Wales and Resolution, as well as many individual firms of solicitors and not-for-profit agencies. Areas of Expertise Legal Aid including eligibility, scope and contractual requirements Education London South Bank University - B.Sc. Hons - M.Phil Social policy Vicky is a specialist independent legal aid consultant, and an authority on all aspects of the legal aid scheme, including scope, eligibility and contractual requirements. She has co-written or edited legal aid publications including the Legal Aid Handbook.