Partner, Head of Professional Practices
BSC, FCA

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.

CEO, In Charley’s Memory

I have been involved in In Charley's Memory from the beginning. As CEO I have watched the charity grow year on year. Not just because of the need but because I have the most amazing team who all share a passion for what we do and want to make a difference. working with clients and schools i am fortunate enough to see the difference supporting young people can make to tehir futures.

In Charley’s Memory is DASLS Charity of the Year. For more information see https://www.dasls.com/page/charity.html

Womble Bond Dickinson, Newcastle

In May 2020 Nigel became Womble Bond Dickinson's Newcastle Office Head and led the office move to The Spark, a purpose built development on The Helix. The move was one of the first to be designed, constructed and delivered since the start of the pandemic and was designed for the new ways of working.

Nigel also heads the firm’s Housing Group and is client partner for a number of major organisations in the sector. Womble Bond Dickinson is seen as a market leader in the housing sector. Nigel joined the firm in 1992 and has specialised in all aspects of residential property since that date.

He is a board member of: Your Homes Newcastle, the Arms Length Management Organisation of Newcastle City Council (NCC); Urban Green Newcastle, NCC’s innovative solution to the funding and management of the city’s parks and allotments; and NE1, the Business Improvement District company for Newcastle.

Finally, Nigel is the Vice President of Newcastle upon Tyne Law Society. He becomes President on 1 April 2024.

Pennon Group plc, Exeter

Andrew Garard was appointed as Group General Counsel and Company Secretary on 1 December 2022.

He is a qualified solicitor in England and Wales and Hong Kong and a CEDR accredited mediator.

He founded the Legal Social Mobility Partnership in 2014 before creating the Social Mobility Business Partnership in 2017. He joined Meggitt PLC as Group General Counsel and Director, Corporate Affairs in September 2019 where he was a member of the Group Executive and responsible for legal, commercial, trade compliance, government relations, ethics and contract management. Previously, he was Group General Counsel and Company Secretary at ITV plc where he was a member of the Executive Board and led a global team responsible for legal and business affairs, secretariat, compliance, insurance, health & safety, rights management and corporate responsibility. Prior to that, he was a partner at LeBoeuf Lamb Green & Macrae in their corporate department. Previous appointments include General Counsel and Company Secretary and member of the Executive Board at Cable & Wireless and Global Head of Legal at Reuters. He started his career at Clifford Chance and also Freshfields.

Magdalen Chambers, Exeter

binnit

Philippa has been working for more than 20 years in resource management and circular economy, working across all sectors, from national to local government, from small charities to large utility companies. Philippa co-founded Binit to explore some of the commercial waste challenges. As a tech-led business, she is interested in how technology can enable positive change. She has spoken at events around the world about circular economy, waste and water.