Member Profiles

Vicky Ling, a founder member of the Civil Justice Council chaired by the Master of the Rolls, Sir Anthony Clarke, advises firms on quality standard compliance, in particular the LSC Quality Mark and Lexcel. She assists firms in meeting LSC contract requirements and making legal aid profitable. She edited “The Carter Survival Handbook” in 2007.




Andrew Otterburn has advised around 250 firms on their management, future strategy and profitability.  Author of “Profitability & Law Firm Management”, his latest book "From Recession to Upturn - financial management ans strategy for law firms" was also published by the Law Society. Andrew is a member of the Executive Committee of the Law Management Section, a core MBA faculty member and module leader for the Nottingham Law School MBA, and a lead tutor for the MMU Postgraduate Certificate in Legal Practice Management.




Margaret Peasegood is an expert in professional practice management and presentation skills, having provided consulting, facilitation, training and coaching services since 1994 to a wide variety of prominent firms in the service professions. She was managing partner of a law firm for 15 years.





Heather Stewart advises firms on strategy, strategic marketing, and planning services to deliver both profitability and to meet client needs. She provides management skills training for leaders in firms and has given in-house training to many firms on compliance with the new Solicitors’ Code of Conduct 2007. Her book, “Excellent Client Service” is published by the Law Society.



Fiona Westwood provides both consultancy and coaching to a wide range of professional firms. She is a member of the Law Society of Scotland’s Standards Working Party. The updated version of her book, “Accelerated Best Practice” was published in 2008.  Her specialities are strategic development and leadership coaching. Her main focus in both is helping her clients achieve strategic change, as implementation of change is especially difficult for professional service organisations with their complicated ownership structures.

Simon Young

Simon Young, a founder member of the Law Consultancy Network, died unexpectedly on 3rd July 2010.

Simon was a solicitor and former member of the Law Society council. He was elected to the council in 1999 to represent the Law Management Section, which he did for the next eight years. He served on the council's standards board and regulatory affairs board, and was chair of its rules and ethics sub-committee.

A graduate of Cambridge, Simon undertook his articles with Veitch Penny in Exeter, leaving as managing partner in 2002. He became a highly respected consultant and author, advising in excess of one hundred firms. His publications include the Limited Liability Partnerships Handbook (Tottel), the partnership title of the Encyclopaedia of Forms and Precedents (LexisNexis Butterworths), the New Partner’s Guide to Management (Law Society Publishing) and, jointly, the Money Laundering Reporting Officer’s Handbook (LexisNexis Butterworths).

Simon was able to combine technical excellence with humour and had the rare skill of being able to make complex subjects both interesting and enjoyable. He was a gentle giant with a very clever mind. He will be very sadly missed.