Future of Legal Services Forum 2010 - Speakers

Conference chairperson

Professor Stephen Mayson, consultant in legal practice
Stephen is professor of strategy and Director of the Legal Services Institute at the College of Law. In 2008, he was appointed by the Ministry of Justice to its Public Legal Education Strategy Group, and he also sits on the Legal Services Board’s research strategy group, the Bar Standards Board’s Legal Services Act advisory panel, the Bar Council’s policy advisory group, and the SRA’s ABS reference group. He continues his private consulting, strategic advisory, and non-executive work.

Stephen lectures and writes widely, and is a Senior Fellow in the Faculty of Law at the University of Melbourne. He is the author of Law Firm Strategy: Competitive Advantage and Valuation (Oxford University Press, 2007) and holds a doctorate in law firm valuation.

Speakers

Samantha Barrass, director of Corporate Regulation Project, Solicitors Regulation Authority
Samantha Barrass is the Director at the SRA leading the SRA's transformation of its approach to regulation. This encompasses the move to risk-based, outcomes focused regulation, the introduction of Alternative Business Structures (ABS) and the new approach to the regulation of City firms. Samantha has 14 years experience of leading new regulatory policy, most recently as a Director of the London Investment Banking Association and formerly at the Financial Services Authority (FSA). She has an MSc in Economics and began her career as an economist at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand.

Simon Beswick, managing partner, Osborne Clark
Simon has been Managing Partner of Osborne Clarke since 2003. He is responsible for developing the firm's vision and strategic plan as well as the execution of it and the day to day running of the firm across the UK, US and Germany.
Immediately prior to becoming Managing Partner, Simon headed the firm's Silicon Valley office where he assisted UK companies doing business in the US and US businesses and private equity/venture capital funds on their European investments and M&A transactions. Prior to that Simon led Osborne Clarke's corporate and private equity businesses.
As Managing Partner, Simon has pursued a modernising agenda that has seen the firm experience significant growth, particularly in its City office, which has built a solid reputation as a leading corporate adviser.

Jonathan Brenner, director, lawyers on demand, Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP
Jonathan is a qualified solicitor and an experienced recruiter. He co-founded ZMB, which became one of the leading independent legal recruitment businesses before its sale to Hays plc. He joined BLP in 2005 and subsequently co-founded the firm's award winning Lawyers on Demand scheme. LOD is the only such service provided by a major law firm and has swiftly developed a market-leading reputation for innovation in the legal services sector.

Alasdair Douglas, senior partner, Travers Smith LLP
Alasdair became a partner at Travers Smith in 1985, was Managing Partner of the Firm from 1995 to 2000 and became Senior Partner in 2006.
He chairs Travers Smith's Risk Management Committee and sits on the City of London Law Society Professional Rules and Regulation Committee.

Timothy Dutton QC, Fountain Court
Timothy Dutton was called to the Bar in 1979 and was appointed QC in 1998. He is currently Head of Fountain Court Chambers and was the Chairman of the Bar Council in 2008, having previously served as its Vice Chairman from 2006 to 2007. He was appointed a Recorder in 2000 and between 2004 and 2006 was the Head of the South Eastern Circuit where he had regulatory and disciplinary responsibilities.
Timothy Dutton's practice encompasses General Commercial, Public, Regulatory & Administrative Law and Professional (Professional Negligence and Disciplinary including sports). Timothy has for many years conducted a substantial specialist practice in professional discipline, and the related professional negligence and public law matters which arise in large disciplinary cases.

Abby Ewen, director of business transformation, Simmons & Simmons
Abby has worked at Simmons & Simmons for the past 8 years, 3.5 of which have been as IT Director. Prior to that she was head of IT at Withers, and has always worked in the legal environment. Abby recently took on the role of Director of Business Transformation.
During her time as IT Director, Abby has overseen a programme to refresh all of Simmons & Simmons IT infrastructure, desktop PCs and applications environment, including the establishment of three regionalised fully replicating data centres. She has also aligned the global IT department to ITIL, introducing Service Level Management to the firm and outsourcing the firm’s Service Desk. Additionally she has implemented Microsoft’s Office Communication Server globally.
Abby’s focus is on providing practical solutions to business challenges rather than technology for technology’s sake. Governance, standards, consistency and transparency also have a large part to play in her IT Department’s ability to deliver.

David Furst, immediate past president, ICAEW and chairman, Horwath Clark Whitehill
David is a partner in Horwath Clark Whitehill’s Professional Practice Group and Chairman of the firm. Until 2004 he was the firm’s chief executive. His client work is focused on the provision of strategic and management advice to professional firms. He is Immediate Past President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales and chairs the Institute’s working party on the Legal Services Act.

Andrew Garard, group legal director and company secretary, ITV
Andrew joined ITV as Group Legal Director and General Counsel in November 2007.
Previously, Andrew was a Partner in the corporate department of LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & Macrae, focusing on mergers and acquisitions and projects primarily in the telecoms & media sectors in Europe, Asia and the US. Prior to that, Andrew was Group General Counsel & Company Secretary at Cable & Wireless PLC, responsible for global legal, regulatory, compliance & insurance affairs. He has also held positions at Reuters Group PLC (global head of legal & deputy general counsel based in the UK & general counsel Asia based in Hong Kong) and in the corporate departments of both Freshfields and Clifford Chance.

Tim Gerrard, chief executive officer, Quadrant Chambers
Tim Gerrard's role as Chief Executive is to ensure Quadrant Chambers develops as a set that is renowned for excellence throughout its service.
Tim was appointed to the role from outside the legal services field because of his experience in developing and implementing successful business strategies in other professional services sectors.
He joined the set in March 2009 from leading Jersey based international trust managers Hawkford International, where he worked as Chief Operating Officer following its management buyout. Previously, he held the positions of Managing Director - Group Services at DTZ Holdings plc, Global Head - Corporate Services at PA Consulting Group, and Chief of Staff to the Group Managing Director of Lucas Industries plc.

Dr Dianne Hayter, chair, Legal Services Consumer Panel
Chair, Legal Services Consumer Panel (and former Chair, BSB Consumer Panel). Chair, Property Standards Board. Member: Board for Actuarial Standards; Determinations Panel of the Pensions Regulator; Insolvency Practices Council. Former Vice Chair, Financial Services Consumer Panel; Member, National Consumer Council; JP; Chief Executive of a number of voluntary organisations.

Lord Hunt of Wirral, shadow business and justice minister and partner, Beachcroft LLP
David Hunt has been a partner in Beachcroft LLP since 1968 and is one of The Times Top 100 Lawyers. He chairs their Financial Services Division and has recently completer independent reviews of both the Financial Ombudsman Service and the Regulation of Law Firms. He was President of the Chartered Insurance Institute from 2008-2008 and has received individual achievement awards at the British Insurance Awards and the Insurance Times Awards. He is now Shadow Minister for Business, Innovation and Skills and also Shadow Justice Minister

Chris Kenny, chief executive officer, Legal Services Board
Chris Kenny is the inaugural Chief Executive of the Legal Services Board. His early career was in the Department of Health and the Treasury, where he held a variety of policy and management posts including Principal Private Secretary to the Secretary of State. As Oftel's Director of Regulatory Policy and then Director of Compliance between 2000 and 2003, he worked on access and competition issues and worked with industry and consumer bodies to establish the Telecoms Ombudsman. Most recently, as Director of Life and Pensions for the Association of British Insurers, he led the industry's input into the work of the Pensions Commission and the Government's response to it and worked with Lord Hunt of Wirral on the independent review of the Financial Ombudsman Service. Chris has also held non-executive posts in the NHS and third sector.

Rachel Khiara, partner, Addleshaw Goddard
Rachel Khiara is a partner in the Firm's highly regarded Professional Practices & LLP Group. Rachel advises professional practices on a range of internal governance issues, including age discrimination, profit sharing structures and partner performance. She has been actively involved with the conversion of many professional firms to LLPs, notably in the UK legal sector, since the introduction of UK LLPs and advises on the potential opportunities for professional practices arising from the Legal Services Act 2007.

Neil Kinsella, chief executive, Russell Jones & Walker
Neil has been Chief Executive of Russell Jones & Walker since 2002.
Neil joined RJW in 1991 specialising in catastrophic injury cases becoming Head of National Personal Injury. Prior to this Neil was a Partner in Pannone Napier and together with Rodger Pannone represented victims of disasters.
He lectures on various legal subjects including access to justice and new legal business structures.

Patricia Robertson QC, board member, Bar Standards Board
Patricia Robertson QC is a barrister in practice at Fountain Court Chambers and a member of the Bar Standards Board. Patricia's practice includes advising on regulation of legal and financial services and acting in disciplinary proceedings. She is a co-author of Butterworth's Guide to the Legal Services Act (eds Miller and Thorne, 2009).

Adam Sampson, chief ombudsman, Legal Ombudsman
Adam Sampson was Chief Executive of Shelter from January 2003. He has worked in the criminal justice system for some time, initially as a probation officer and latterly as deputy director of the Prison Reform Trust. In 1994, he joined the Home Office as Assistant Prisons Ombudsman and, after three years, returned to the voluntary sector as chief executive of RAPt, the national drugs charity.
Adam is a board member of a number of charities and public bodies, including End Child Poverty, the Prisoners Advice Service, and the Royal Society for the Arts. He is a commissioner on the UK Drugs Policy Commission.