Simon Mallinson – Worcestershire County Council

Simon Mallinson

Head of legal and democratic services and monitoring officer

Worcestershire County Council

 

Praised by one private practice partner for his ‘deep-rooted desire’ to help his organisation deliver for the residents and businesses of Worcestershire, Simon Mallinson has always worked in the public sector and says he enjoys the large variety of work the Council offers, which takes him back to the days when he was a trainee solicitor doing different seats. ‘The difference is the buck now stops with me,’ he says.

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Hugh Peart – London Boroughs of Barnet and Harrow

Hugh Peart

Director of legal and governance services

London Boroughs of Barnet and Harrow

 

Hugh Peart joined the London Borough of Harrow almost 20 years ago as a principal solicitor in the borough’s childcare law team. In October 2012, Barnet and Harrow officially merged their legal teams under Hugh’s leadership to form ‘HB Public Law’ with an aim to slash the councils’ legal spend by over £3m.

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Jayne Hammond – Bury Metropolitan Council, North West Legal Consortium (NWLC)

Jayne Hammond

Director of legal and democratic services

 

Bury Metropolitan Borough Council, North West Legal Consortium (NWLC)

 

Bury Metropolitan Borough Council is part of the North West Legal Consortium, set up in 2006 as the first combined consortium of barristers and solicitors. Jayne Hammond has served the council for over a decade and currently heads a team of 22 lawyers.

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Sheldon Mills – Office of Fair Trading

Sheldon Mills

Director of mergers

 

Office of Fair Trading

 

Sheldon Mills’ responsibilities include the day-to-day delivery of the Office of Fair Trading’s merger caseload, management of the mergers group and representing the OFT externally. Mills heads a team of 35, including eight competition/litigation lawyers. The OFT does not have a legal panel as it doesn’t instruct law firms, but it does deal with a range of firms that require M&A transaction clearance.

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Sanjay Prashar – London Borough of Sutton

Sanjay Prashar

Executive head of legal and democratic services

London Borough of Sutton

 

Sutton’s legal panel is part of a wider consortium led by the London Borough of Bromley and set up in 2010. Around 26 firms provide counsel for various outer London boroughs, the Corporation of London and five district councils in Kent.

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Sean McGovern – Lloyd’s of London

Sean McGovern

Director of North America and general counsel

Lloyd’s of London

 

Sean McGovern was initially brought in to do finance work at Lloyd’s at the age of 26. Since then, he has been responsible for all the regulatory and government issues for Lloyd’s, and three years ago he took on the task of promoting and protecting Lloyd’s business interests in the US and Canada.

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Kelvan Swinnerton – Canada Life

Kelvan Swinnerton

Head of legal

Canada Life

 

Kelvan Swinnerton is known for solving problems quickly. Having been a partner at insurance firm Kennedys for the best part of a decade, one private practitioner says of him: ‘Kel has a very sharp legal mind, which he couples with a drive to resolve problems proactively and practically – he always has an eye open for the most sensible solution. He also manages to maintain a lively sense of humour.’

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Kenneth Underhill – ACE European Group

Kenneth Underhill

Senior vice president and general counsel

ACE European Group

 

Kenneth Underhill admits that he is no easy taskmaster. He describes himself as ‘tough but fair – and of course ever busy’. As such, he expects both his in-house and external legal teams to have a thorough understanding of the insurance industry. As one insurance partner says: ‘He expects outside counsel to reflect ACE’s own innovative and commercial approach.’

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