Hackney Council’s head of legal Meic Sullivan-Gould is to go before a ‘Dragon’s Den-style’ panel in the next stage of his plan to forge a brand-new qualification for lawyers specialising in local government.
As reported by The Lawyer (24 July), Sullivan-Gould has placed his ambitious plan for the qualification high on his agenda as current chair of the Association of Council Secretaries and Solicitors (ACSeS).
Sullivan-Gould will pitch the idea before a formidable panel comprising the cream of local government lawyers to try to get their agreement that his plan is a good one.
Sullivan-Gould said: “What I want is their agreement in principle that, if it were to exist, it would have their support and would meet their requirements. If it doesn’t work for them, it won’t work at all. It’s a bit like Dragon’s Den without the money.”
Private practice names on the 15-member panel include Malcolm Iley, the head of public sector at Trowers & Hamlins, and Stephen Matthew, head of public sector at Nabarro Nathanson. Public sector luminaries include the current chair of the Bar Association for Local Government and Public Sector and Birmingham City Council head of legal Mirza Ahmad as well as the heads of Kensington & Chelsea, Richmond and Warwickshire County Councils.
