Tesco in-houser quits for consumer body

Tesco has lost its senior in-house lawyer, Deborah Prince, to the publisher of Which? magazine, the Consumers' Association.

Prince, who was Tesco's head of corporate, commercial and litigation, left on 8 June and joined the Consumers' Association as head of legal on 12 June. Prince reported to Tesco's non-lawyer general counsel Martin Field.

Prince said that after six years at the supermarket chain she had been "looking for a new challenge". She was particularly attracted by the campaigning element of the job, she added.

Which?'s newest lawyer said the arrival of the Legal Services Bill last month will be of particular interest to its readers. The publisher has operated an in-house legal service offering a range of advice to consumers for several years. The irony of her move from Tesco to a body that has been offering high-street legal services was not lost on Prince.

"It's too early for me to say what impact the Legal Services Bill will have on the service that the Consumers Association offers, but while a lot has been written about Tescolaw, we have been doing it for 10 years and not telling anybody," she said.

Prince added that one of her first responsibilities would be to review the external firms that the Consumers Association currently instructed, although it was "unlikely" she would be looking to introduce a formal panel.