PKF Francis Clark

Andrew leads the firm’s specialist national legal sector team and personally advises in the region of 100 law firms across the UK; focusing primarily on law businesses within the UK Top 200.

Having advised law firms for the last 25 years, Andrew has developed a national reputation for his practical and specialist advice to the law sector. The range of advice he provides is diverse, including strategy, profit improvement, tax planning and business structuring, as well as the usual compliance in relation to audit and accounting matters.

Nationally Andrew is the current vice chair of the Law Society Law Management Section and past chair of the ICAEW Solicitors’ Special Interest Group which works closely with national bodies and intermediaries that both represent and support the legal sector. Andrew is the current author of various benchmarking reports for groups of law firms across the UK including the Law Society Management Section’s South West benchmarking survey. He is also the co-author of the Law Society’s Solicitors and the Accounts Rules which was published in 2021.

Barrister

Natasha is Joint Head of Magdalen Chambers and specialises in housing and other civil disputes.  

Natasha is also the Co-Director of the Community Law Clinic at the University of Exeter, a student-led pro bono clinic assisting the local community.  She is passionate about access to justice and is a trustee of Advocate (the Bar's national pro bono charity).  She regularly supports Pathways to Law and other initiatives to encourage the next generation of lawyers into the legal profession.

Chief Executive Officer, Westcountry Rivers Trust

Dr Laurence Couldrick is CEO of the Westcountry Rivers Trust and has been pioneering catchment management and environmental education for over 20 years. Over that time he has developed several multi-million pound projects and long term funding streams to deliver improvements across multiple catchments including developing Payments for Ecosystem Service schemes for water quality, flood risk and carbon offsetting. Alongside this he has pushed to explain the complex problems society faces as a way of uniting the myriad of partnerships, educational institutes and community interest groups. To celebrate the Trust’s 30 year anniversary the Trust has launched an Education and Engagement Fund to match the success of our river restoration work and are looking for support to empower communities into action for their river.

Principal & CEO, South Devon College

Laurence currently serves as the Principal & CEO of South Devon College, a role he has held since 2019, bringing a strong background in strategic leadership and management from the private sector (Banking & Finance) as well as across multiple phases in education. He has steered the College toward becoming a pivotal institution in the South West, focusing on meeting local, regional, and national skills demands across critical sectors.

Under his leadership, the College has experienced significant growth, with its turnover expanding from £30 million in 2019 to £36 million today and projected £45 million by 2030, with apprenticeships having grown in scale by over 50% during the past eight years.

The College has recently been awarded Sustainability Institution of the Year at the 2024 EAUC Green Gown Awards and is one of only 27 universities and colleges in the UK to be awarded Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) Gold overall.

Laurence is a proactive leader in various capacities and sits on several local boards, actively contributing to local and regional economic development and strategic business engagement. His comprehensive career reflects a robust commitment to fostering educational excellence and sustainable community growth.

Operations Director – Binit Group Ltd

A chartered manager with 6 years’ experience of operations management within the commercial waste industry. Catherine brings expertise in both strategic and operational planning, contributing to the development and execution of initiatives that enhance organisational performance and customer satisfaction. Recently achieving the qualification of Operations and Departmental Manager, Catherine demonstrates a commitment to continuous professional development and industry best practices.”

John McCarthy is a multi-award-winning business growth specialist with over 35 years of experience in military, sports, and business environments. He helps law firm owners turn their practices into highly profitable businesses, while cutting hours and preparing for succession or exit.

With a background in Royal Marines Commando assessment, sports coaching, NHS leadership, and corporate strategy, John recently helped a law firm grow net profit from £200K to over £1M, reduce working hours by 50%, and boost its value to over £10M. He now helps other law firm owners achieve similar success with less stress and more fulfilment.

President, Cheshire & North Wales Law Society

Rachel is a Partner and Head of the Property team at Agri Advisor Legal LLP.  Agri Advisor have nine office locations across Wales and Herefordshire and deal with a very broad range of work, with a special focus on Agriculture and work for Rural Businesses. 

Rachel qualified as a Solicitor in 2008, and has since specialised in all types of Property work.  Her areas of expertise include Agricultural Tenancies, Development, Renewables, complex first registrations of Title, high value farm sales and purchases.  She became a Fellow of the Agricultural Law Association in 2016 and is a member of the committee for the Cheshire branch of the Agricultural Law Association.  In 2024 she was pleased to be ranked as a Recommended Lawyer by Chambers & Partners.

Since 2019, Rachel has acted as the Honorary Secretary for the Cheshire & North Wales Law Society, and was delighted to be appointed President for 2024-2025.

University of Exeter

Sue is a Professor of Law in the Law School at the University of Exeter.  She is an accredited CEDR mediator and teaches and researches in lawtech, AI and also mediation.  Sue is a member of the Civil Justice Council and also sits on the Learning and Development Group for the Law Society of England and Wales focusing on CPD and online learning.  She is an assessor for the Office for Students for new degree programmes.  Sue led the set-up of a student advice clinic, the Community Legal Helpdesk, at Exeter Combined Court which won the LawWorks Attorney-General Pro Bono Award. She also pioneered a Debt Literacy in Schools Project which was commended for Best New Pro Bono Activity and won an excellence award from Baroness Scotland. She is currently leading the Exeter initiative of Tech for Good SW.