We are a team of consultants with complementing skills who work closely together to provide a seamless, cost effective service. Each member of the team has either worked for or provided services to some of the U.K.’s leading companies in the managerial, legal, retail and design sectors. This blend of expertise distinguishes us from our competitors and our size enables us to move more quickly than larger consultancies.

Prior to establishing DG Legal in 2000, David worked for Abbey, Marks & Spencer and the Legal Services Commission in varying senior management roles.

David is an expert in relation to all LSC contracting matters, practice management and quality assurance and has been instructed by a wide range of local and national bodies including The Law Society, the Welsh Assembly Government, the Legal Services Commission, Citizens Advice, Advice UK, the Home Office (Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner), the Legal Aid Practitioners Group, Central Law Training (CLT), and the Law Centres Federation. 

He has also provided advice and assistance to more than 600 legal providers over the past eleven years on a wide range of issues including LSC contracting, tenders and appeals, business management and quality assurance.  He is an expert in relation to the SQM audit process and is also a Law Society Accredited Lexcel Consultant. 

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Bhavni is a highly experienced consultant and trainer and in particular has unrivalled knowledge and experience in relation to the Law Society’s Lexcel Standard.

Bhavni was a Lexcel Executive with the Law Society between 2003 and 2008. Her responsibilities included managing a portfolio of approximately 300 practices in the Lexcel scheme, providing expert advice to all key stakeholders on the Practice Management Standards and Law Society Policy, delivering training to assessors and consultants and monitoring the application of the Practice Management Standards amongst third parties.

Previously, Bhavni worked at the Legal Services Commission for three years developing their Quality Standard and Scheme for Legal Aid suppliers (the Specialist Quality Mark).

She remains the Law Society's principal external Lexcel trainer, delivering Lexcel training courses to practices (both private and in-house) as well as training Lexcel assessors & Lexcel consultants. 

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After starting his career as a solicitor in a large legal aid practice, Matt joined the Legal Services Commission's in-house legal team. As Senior Legal Advisor to the LSC, Matt developed significant experience on the legal aid scheme. In particular, he specialised in the areas of contracting, costs, audit and procurement. Matt headed up the LSC's Continuous Improvement Team and acted as legal advisor and secretary to the Costs Appeals Committee and Contract Review Body.

Since leaving the LSC in 2008, Matt has focused on providing legal aid, practice management and commissioning consultancy and training. He is also a Law Society Accredited Lexcel Consultant and is able to assist firms in preparing for Lexcel Accreditation. 

Matt is a highly experienced consultant and works with many law firms and advice agencies as well as with local authorities and Representative Bodies. He has also managed a London Law Centre, the Toynbee Hall free legal advice centre and a LSC funded CLS Telephone Advice Centre.

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After reading law at King’s College London, Melanie was recruited by Herbert Smith LLP as a trainee solicitor. After being admitted by the Law Society, she was retained by Herbert Smith LLP as a solicitor in their litigation department and reached the level of senior associate. She was located at their London office for seven years and advised and acted upon a wide range of commercial and real estate disputes. 

Melanie joined DG Legal in 2006 and has provided advice and assistance to numerous solicitors’ firms and advice agencies primarily in relation to legal practice management and quality assurance matters. 

She also calls on her experience as a senior litigator to advise on issues arising from disputes and in particular those relating to LSC contracting, procurement and regulatory compliance.

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After starting her career with the Department of Work and Pensions, Jane obtained a First Class Honours degree at Reading University.  She then worked in audit teams for Price Waterhouse Coopers before joining the Legal Services Commission in 1993. As a Relationship Manager in the South and South West regions, and as a member of the LSC's Southern Regional Senior Management team, she has extensive experience of LSC contracting and all LSC audits and performance measures.

Since leaving the LSC, Jane has worked in a part time role as an auditor for the SQM Delivery Partnership and is therefore well placed to assist firms with their SQM audit planning.  She also provides consultancy services covering all aspects of the LSC contract and with preparing for Lexcel Accreditation.

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After working in the I.T. industry and financial sector in various account management, quality assurance and training roles, Stuart spent 12 years working for the Legal Services Commission as a Contract Manager.  He then spent three years as Head of the LSC's Mental Health Unit from 2006 to 2009. Stuart has also achieved a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA).

Stuart provides consultancy services on all LSC contracting matters.  He also has a part-time role with the SQM Delivery Partnership and is highly experienced in relation to the SQM audit process and offers advice and assistance to providers in relation to SQM compliance and passing their SQM audit.  

Stuart is also a Law Society Accredited Lexcel Consultant and is able to assist firms in preparing for Lexcel Accreditation. 

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After reading law at the University of London, Rina started her career at Lovells and then Allen & Overy before joining the world of legal aid. She also provided advice and assistance on the Joint Council of Welfare for Immigrants (JCWI) immigration and asylum helpline.

Rina is a solicitor who currently writes and marks an accreditation assessment for Central Law Training and the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

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Dale qualified as an aerospace engineer after leaving school. In 1996 he gained an upper second class degree and later was awarded a diploma in business management. He held the post of director of an I.T. company but at the same time Dale chose to return to the Open University as a lecturer to teach I.T. studies to undergraduates.

Dale provides friendly but expert cost effective computer consultancy, training, servicing and maintenance to small and medium sized organisations which do not have their own in-house I.T. department.

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We also work closely with a team of other professionals such as other consultants, specialist solicitors and barristers which enables us to provide a seamless service. These include:

Vicky is an independent consultant who works with DG Legal on a regular basis.

Vicky has worked in the voluntary sector, for local government and the Legal Aid Board. She was one of the first Liaison Managers appointed by the LAB to implement its Quality Assurance Standard, Franchising and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Quality Assurance.

Vicky has been involved with Citizens Advice for over 20 years as a specialist caseworker, manager and currently as a Trustee Board Member. She has also advised over 150 firms of solicitors in England and Wales and many not-for-profit agencies providing legal advice.

Vicky assisted with the development of the supervision element of the Immigration and Asylum Accreditation Scheme, including the examination model. She also worked with Andrew Otterburn on his report concerning the possible impact on firms of implementing Lord Carter's report on Legal Aid.

She edited "The Carter Survival Handbook" published in the autumn of 2007. She is a founder member of the Civil Justice Council and is currently serving a second term. Vicky is also an active member of its Access to Justice Committee.

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Richard trained at Law Systems & Designs, a company providing specialist services to solicitors, under one of the co-founders of the Institute of Legal Cashiers, before starting his own practice in 1981. Since then he has assisted a large number of firms of solicitors with day to day accounting using his own specialist staff.

Richard also assists many firms nationally with accounts problems caused by poor or inadequate booking keeping, lack of knowledge of the Solicitors Accounts Rules, computer breakdown and employee fraud. He has unrivalled experience in dealing with the application of the Solicitors Accounts Rules and in dealing with investigations from the Law Society/Solicitors Regulation Authority and HMRC.

He also has extensive experience of solicitors accounts software and has trained for two of the major suppliers and has been recommended by other software providers to their clients needing long and short term support.

Richard is a member of the ILCA and a Fellow of the Institute of Legal Account Managers.

Nick was admitted as a solicitor in 1998, whereupon he joined Irwin Mitchell’s Public Law Unit. In 2001 he transferred to the Bar and joined Tooks Chambers specialising in public law with a particular emphasis on immigration and asylum. He regularly appears before the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal and the higher courts as well as acting in damages actions arising in the immigration context. He is the editor or co-editor of a number of publications, including the UK Human Rights Reports.

Nick is a member of Matrix Chambers.

Greg Powell is a highly regarded Crime Solicitor in the London Region. He is Managing Partner of Powell Spencer & Partners. This highly regarded firm of solicitors is active in advising clients from the local Kilburn community, as well as increasingly representing clients from across the whole of the UK. Murder cases and youth work are strong areas of focus. The firm also acted for a Guantanamo Bay detainee in 2004.
 
Greg was President of the London Criminal Courts Solicitors' Association in 2007 and is a past winner of the LAPG Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year (Crime Category).