Leadership team

Paul is Head of Legal Services for Hampshire County Council, supporting the Assistant Director - Legal Services in the smooth and effective running of all aspects of Hampshire Legal Services.

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 McCutcheon is Deputy Head of Legal Services, with responsibility for our Adults, Education and Litigation Group and Children’s Safeguarding teams.

Jacqui returned to Hampshire Legal Services in 2017 to Lead the Safeguarding Childcare Teams having previously been with the County Council for over 20 years. 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.

Suzanne is Deputy Head of Legal Services, with responsibility for our Commercial Property, Planning & Environment and Commercial Contracts, Governance and Information Law and Employment teams.

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.

Sarah leads Hampshire Legal Services' Commercial Contracts, Governance and Information Law and Employment teams, whose specialist lawyers provide advice on a wide range of commercial contracts and procurement matters, governance and information law and employment issues 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.

Louise is a lead lawyer for the provision of governance advice to Hampshire County Council and a number of external clients.

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.