LESTER - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Team Leader
- Writer for LexisNexis
David has been funded by a wide range of local and national organisations including The Law Society, the Welsh Assemly Government, the Ministry of Justice, the Legal Aid Agency, Citizens Advice, Advice UK, the Home Office (Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner), the Legal Aid Practitioners Group, Central Law Training, the Law Centres Network, Comic Relief, Unbound Philanthropy, the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fund and the Baring Foundation.
David is a writer for LexisNexis and a member of the Consulting Editorial Board for LexisPSL. David has been responsible for the writing of a solicitors' accreditation scheme assessment on behalf of the Law Society and leading the assessment marking team for over ten years.
David also founded and regularly contributes to LegalVoice, a not-for-profit online magazine for legal professionals. David also founded DG Legal in 2000. Prior to establishing DG Legal, David worked for Abbey, Marks & Spencer and the Legal Aid Agency in varying senior management roles.
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 Aid Agency 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 Legal Aid contracting and all LAA audits and performance measures.
Since leaving the LSC, Jane has worked closely with DG Legal and has been a part time manager at Avon & Bristol Law Centre. Jane has helped dozens of organisations in the private and Not-for-Profit sector.
"Jane Rivers is absolutely fantastic. Thank you! , Meena Chopra, Partner, The DM Partnership"
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Management Consultant
- Manager
- Trainer
Matthew is generally recognised as an expert on the legal aid scheme. Matt started his career as a legal aid lawyer before joining the Legal Aid Board and subsequently the Legal Services Commission (now the Legal Aid Agency) as a Senior legal Adviser.
Whilst at the LSC he was National Appeals Policy Co-ordinator, Secretary and Legal Adviser to the Customer Redress Committee, Costs Appeals Committee and Contract Review Body and finally Head of Continuous Improvement. As one of the Commission's senior lawyers he took the lead on costs issues; the LSC's implementation of the Data Protection and Freedom of Information Acts; contracting and audit processes; and on Commissioning Special Projects (including CLACs and CLANS, Specialist Support and CLS Grants).
Since leaving the LSC in late 2008, Matt has been a highly regarded manager, trainer and management consultant. He was brought in by the Law Centres Federation to save Hackney Law Centre, which was close to collapse, and has also managed the Toynbee Hall Free Legal Advice Centre and the Citizens Advice CLA Telephone Centre. He is also a Law Society approved Lexcel consultant. He has worked with a with a number of firms and advice agencies (from small to large high street practices through CAB's and Law Centres to significant national ABS's), helping them to restructure and to improve their business practices, revenue generation, regulatory and legal aid contract compliance and in improving their quality systems. Matt has most recently spent 18 months working as Legal Standards Principal at the Co-operative Legal Services Ltd, one of the first national consumer ABS. Whilst there he was responsible for setting up quality procedures and for managing their family law team as well as providing advice on issues relating to legal practice management, compliance and quality assurance.
Matt is on the Board of both the Legal Aid Practitioner's Group and the Law Centres Network.