Leadership team

Paul is Deputy Head of Legal Services for Hampshire County Council. Apart from his role supporting the Head of Legal Services, Paul also has overall responsibility for Hampshire Legal Services’ Safeguarding and Education and Litigation and Employment Groups, as well as the business support and business development functions.

Paul’s background is employment law and he continues to provide strategic employment law advice tailored to the requirements of the public sector. Paul also advises on public sector contracts and procurement, as well as other areas of law that affect the public sector. In particular, Paul has experience of advising elected members of public bodies on the issues that they need to address when discharging their duties.

Paul, who is qualified as a solicitor, joined Hampshire County Council in 2005 from a leading Southampton law firm. Paul is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and The Employment Lawyers Association (ELA), where he is a member of the ELA In House Committee. Paul is also the Lawyers in Local Government Southern Branch lead for Employment.

Jacqui returned to Hampshire Legal Services in 2017 to Lead the Safeguarding Childcare Teams whilst Nicola Thomas was on maternity leave having previously been with the County Council for over 20 years. Following Nicola’s return, Jacqui continues to serve on the Leadership Team and is providing advice at a senior level in complex high risk cases arising from the County Council’s responsibility under the Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2016. In addition Jacqui is working alongside the Safeguarding Teams and Children’s Services’ Transformation Team to meet the T19 targets.

Tim leads Hampshire Legal Services’ Litigation and Employment Group, comprising the Highways Litigation and Insurance Team, the General Litigation Team and the Employment Law Team, whose specialist lawyers provide advice on a wide range of issues relating to employment disputes, highways claims, employer’s liability claims, judicial review, prosecutions and general commercial litigation.

Whilst Tim advises on the resolution of a wide range of actual and potential disputes, he has a personal focus on employment law, where he has substantial experience of the particular issues that need to be addressed in the public sector. This has included dealing with cases involving transfers of undertakings (TUPE) as well as equal pay and other equality issues.

Tim, who is qualified as a solicitor, joined Hampshire County Council in 2008 from a private sector law firm in Wiltshire. Tim is a member of The Employment Lawyers Association (ELA).

Jennifer, together with Nicola Thomas, leads Hampshire Legal Service’s Safeguarding and Education Group, comprising the Adult Safeguarding and Education Team and the Children’s Safeguarding Teams, whose specialist lawyers advise Hampshire County Council’s Adults' Health and Care Department in respect of the safeguarding of adults and its Children’s Services in respect of the education and safeguarding of children.

Specialising in the delivery of adult social care, Jennifer has been instrumental in the implementation of the new regime introduced by the Care Act 2014 and in the continual development of innovative ways for Hampshire Legal Services to meet the growing requirement for advice and support. Jennifer advises elected members of Hampshire County Council in relation to the transformation projects that are being undertaken by both the Adults' Health and Care and Children’s Services Departments.

Jennifer, who is a qualified solicitor, joined Hampshire County Council in 2003. Her previous experience includes working in private practice, as well as non-legal roles in the commercial and voluntary sectors. Jennifer is also the Lawyers in Local Government Southern Branch lead for Adult Social Care and Health.

Sarah leads Hampshire Legal Service’s Commercial Contracts and Procurement Group, whose specialist lawyers provide advice on a wide range of commercial contracts and procurement matters for both internal and external clients.

Sarah is Company Secretary for two local authority trading companies and provides governance advice to the board of directors. As a legal adviser to public sector organisations and internal client departments, Sarah advises the Executive Member and senior officers of Hampshire County Council and works with clients to provide pragmatic solution driven advice on the subsidy control principles, procurement law, local authority trading models and the drafting of commercial contracts.

Sarah is a qualified Solicitor and Company Secretary and joined Hampshire County Council in 2011, having previously trained at a regional law firm.

Suzanne leads Hampshire Legal Service’s Commercial Property and Environment Group, whose specialist lawyers provide advice on a wide range of environmental issues relating to transport infrastructure, planning and highways agreements, rights of way and complex property acquisitions and disposals for public sector organisations.

Suzanne advises the Executive Member and senior officers of Hampshire County Council’s Economy, Transport and Environment Department on a wide range of environmental issues, including major transport infrastructure projects. 

Suzanne, who is qualified as a solicitor, joined Hampshire County Council in 2004, having previously worked for two other local authorities.

Louise is a lead lawyer for the provision of governance advice to Hampshire County Council and a number of external clients. Louise leads Hampshire Legal Services’ Governance and Information Group, comprising the Governance and Information Law Team, whose specialist lawyers advise on governance, data protection and freedom of information.

Louise advises elected members and senior officers of public bodies on the issues that they need to address when discharging their duties. She has particular experience of governance and the broader legal issues facing national park authorities where she has acted as a monitoring officer. Louise also advises fire and rescue authority and police and crime commissioner clients. Apart from governance advice, Louise has particular experience of academy school conversions and education law more generally. She has dealt with a wide range of judicial review challenges.

Louise, who is qualified as a solicitor, joined Hampshire County Council in 2002, having previously worked for Surrey County Council. Prior to that, Louise worked in the Local Government Performance Directorate, within what is now the Department for Communities and Local Government, as a policy adviser responsible for the early development of aspects of “Best Value”, which replaced the compulsory competitive tendering process. Louise is a founder member of the Police and Crime Commissioner Legal Advice Network.