In-Person Junior Lawyers Training and Development Day

Sian Ballingall

Legal Director, Womble Bond Dickinson

Sian Ballingall is a real estate and regeneration specialist with extensive local government experience, advising on a broad range of projects, including development schemes, delivery and trading structures, and local government law. 

She previously held the post of Head of Legal Services and Deputy Monitoring Officer at Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, having supported and advised two of the predecessor unitary authorities on local government reorganisation.

Prior to joining local government, Sian was a senior associate in a real estate team of a Magic Circle law firm acting on a variety of work, including acquisitions, disposals and landlord and tenant work.

Umi Filby

Associate, Womble Bond Dickinson

Umi joined the Planning and Infrastructure team in August 2021 and prior to this was working within public sector in-house legal departments where she undertook her legal training and post qualification practice. Her experience includes a varied remit that is typical of an in-house Solicitor with specialist knowledge in all aspects of planning, including enforcement, advising at planning committee, defending judicial review claims, highways agreements, traffic regulation orders and public rights of way.

Vivienne Sedgley

Barrister, 4-5 Gray's Inn Square

Vivienne is ranked in the Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners as a leading junior for administrative and public, elections, local government and planning law. She is well versed in the workings of public bodies, having extensive in-house experience (e.g. local
authorities, government departments and the House of Commons) and knowledge of associated issues concerning access to information under the Freedom of Information and Data Protection Acts. Vivienne writes for one of the leading legal commentaries: Supperstone, Goudie and Walker: Judicial Review, and she has experience of judicial review in a wide range of
contexts.

Vivienne specialises in local government law and acts both for claimants and defendants.
She well understands the pressures and challenges facing local government, having worked extensively in-house and as a consultant for Bevan Brittan LLP. Her work includes matters as varied as heraldry, flag-flying and cemeteries. She is often called upon to advise on decision-making reports and claims for judicial or statutory review.

Rupert Beloff

Barrister, 4-5 Gray's Inn Square

Rupert has a broad public, regulatory and commercial law practice with a particular expertise in all aspects of local government law. He has extensive experience of appearing in courts and tribunals in London and nationwide at first instance and appellate level, including in high value complex claims.

Rupert advises and represents both claimants and defendants in all aspects of public and regulatory law. He has expertise in judicial review proceedings and Equality Act claims and has represented local authorities, commercial organisations and individual service providers.

He has a particular expertise in a wide range of Local Government matters including vires and local government powers; constitutional issues, powers and duties; state aid, subsidies and public procurement; discrimination and equality duties; inquests and inquiries; and planning law.

Rupert is a contributing author to Goudie, Supperstone and Walker: Judicial Review.

David Kitson

Partner, Bevan Brittan

David specialises in regulatory, governance and information law. He provides advice, training and support to various public bodies including local government, NHS Trusts, NHS CCGs, National Park Authorities, and Housing Associations, as well as to private and third sector bodies.

David's practice includes advising on vires and constitutional issues; conduct and ethical standards; complaints and investigations; information law (DPA/GDPR, FOIA, EIR and RIPA); governance and the democratic process (including technical elections issues); senior officer disciplinary and departures; and governance around shared services and outsourcing.

Prior to joining Bevan Brittan David worked for a local authority for almost 13 years, the latter 6 of which he was the Deputy Monitoring Officer and Senior Information Risk Owner. During this time he frequently delivered advice requiring a high degree of political awareness and sensitivity, and advised upon and resolved many technical and contentious issues.

Alastair Turnbull

Solicitor, Bevan Brittan

Alastair is a Solicitor in the Litigation, Advisory and Regulatory Department. He is an Information Law specialist and advises on a wide variety of data protection and privacy matters across the public and private sectors in a variety of contexts, including healthcare, housing, local authority and general commercial work. His work includes matters under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, Environmental Information Regulations 2004, UK General Data Protection Regulation, and the Common Law Duty of Confidentiality.

Alastair's wider experience includes Health and Safety matters, criminal prosecution and defence, and general commercial litigation. Matters he is involved in include Freedom of Information/Environmental Information Regulation Requests; Subject Access Requests; data protection aspects of commercial contracts in a number of different sectors; and data sharing queries in a healthcare context, including patient confidentiality.

Simon Goacher

Partner, Weightmans

Formerly head of legal and democratic services at Cheshire West and Chester Council, Simon has enjoyed a long and distinguished career in local government law spanning almost two decades.

He has led on significant projects including an innovative housing stock transfer at Wirral Council and on the promotion of a private Act of Parliament. He was awarded the title of Local Government Young Solicitor of the year in 2006. As Head of Legal Services and Monitoring Officer at Wirral Council, Simon was the lead legal adviser for key projects including regeneration schemes in New Brighton and Birkenhead.

In 2009, he was appointed Head of Legal Services and Monitoring Officer of the newly created Cheshire West and Chester Council. This involved the creation of a single authority from four councils. Simon has been a member of the projects boards for a number of major projects including the creation of Council-owned companies, as well as significant outsourcing and regeneration projects.

Simon is a go-to adviser for authorities on significant governance and vires issues throughout the country including carrying out independent reviews on sensitive and high profile issues.

He is a leading practitioner on member conduct and has carried out a number of significant investigations on behalf of local authorities into the behaviour of elected members.

Lisa Kirkman

Lisa joined VWV after previously working at two ambitious Hampshire authorities. Having most recently been Strategic Director and Monitoring Officer at Winchester City Council she has a unique insight having led teams beyond the legal sphere in areas such as audit, finance, procurement and contract management, policy, emergency planning and business continuity, communications, democratic services, elections, IT and HR. 

Lisa trained and qualified at Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, spending a further 17 years working her way up to Head of Law & Governance and Monitoring Officer before moving to Winchester City Council. 

Fiona Anthony

Solicitor and Practice & Professional Development Manager, nplaw

Fiona joined nplaw in July 2015 as a Professional Support Lawyer, having spent many years practising law in local government. She has a wide-ranging role which includes research and training for members of staff and clients. Fiona is nplaw’s Training Principal with responsibility for the team of six trainee solicitors and she co-ordinates work experience placements and student internships. She is a member of nplaw’s Management Team.

Over the last few years, Fiona has developed expertise in the area of compulsory purchase, streamlining the organisation’s processes, producing guidance notes and keeping lawyers and clients up-to-date with the many recent changes in the law. She speaks at national conferences and delivers training in this area across the country. Fiona has produced training materials for managers within a large public sector organisation which has involved writing manuals on “Compulsory Purchase Policy and Procedure” and “Compulsory Purchase Compensation and Valuation”, delivering a series of live and recorded webinars and producing assessments.