Weightmans LLP

Solicitors Regulation

Consultant

Linda advises solicitors on a wide range of matters ranging from compliance issues to Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) proceedings, and acts as an advocate before the SDT.

Examples of her work include:

Successfully obtaining an order from the SDT directing that the evidence in a case should be heard in private and that the outcome should not be published Successfully defending a solicitor accused of dishonesty before the SDT in a case relating to information supplied by a litigator to the Court Successfully negotiating a settlement of proceedings commenced against a solicitor in the SDT on terms providing for the solicitor to enter into a regulatory settlement agreement Successfully persuading the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) not to act on a complaint brought by an opponent in a complex litigation matter Successfully persuading the SRA not to take action on an allegation of dishonesty on medical grounds

Linda has appeared on international and UK television and radio discussing topical legal issues and diversity. She has written and presented College of Law Training DVDs, and she lectures regularly for MBL seminars and other legal education providers. She is a frequent contributor to many legal publications and has been interviewed and quoted extensively in the print media. Linda is a Contributing Editor to the Solicitors Regulation authority and Law Society sections of Cordery on Legal Services.

Linda’s recent lectures on solicitors’ regulation include:

Lecturing to local Law Societies on practical tips for COLPs and COFAs Lecturing at the Sole Practitioners Group Conference on regulatory changes affecting sole practitioners Training newly appointed COLPs and COFAs Lecturing on the practical implications of the Money Laundering Regulations for COLPs Lecturing on regulatory risks in Family Law to Legal Aid Practitioners Invited by the Law Society of Scotland to address the Council on developing regulation Linda is a Past President of the Law Society of England and Wales (2010-2011) and is Law Society Council Member for Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland.

She has held various key roles at the Law Society, including Chair of the Representation and Legal Affairs and Policy Board and Regulatory Affairs Board and most recently as Chair of the Regulator Processes Committee. She is a member of the Policy and Regulatory Affairs Committee and the Access to Justice Committee.

She is also Chair of the Solicitors Assistance Scheme, which provides advice and assistance to solicitors facing disciplinary proceedings, and is a member of the Association of Regulatory and Disciplinary Lawyers (ARDL).

Linda is a legal chair for the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service, the Taxation Disciplinary Board, the Phone-paid Services Authority and the Pharmacy Appeals Unit of the NHSLA. She is also a member of the HS2 Need to Sell Panel.

Linda is a Commissioner at the Criminal Cases Review Commission, the independent public body set up to investigate possible miscarriages of justice in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. She was appointed as a member of its Board in 2018 and the deputy chair of the Body Corporate in 2019.

She is also a director of the Incorporated Council of Law Reporting.

Linda is a Past President of the Law Society of England and Wales (2010-2011) and is Law Society Council Member for Leicestershire and Northamptonshire.

She has held various key roles at the Law Society, including Chair of the Representation and Legal Affairs and Policy Board and Regulatory Affairs Board and is currently the Chair of the of the Regulatory Processes Committee. She is a member of the Audit Committee and the Access to Justice Committee. She is also Chair of the Solicitors Assistance Scheme, which provides advice and assistance to solicitors facing disciplinary proceedings, and a member of the Association of Regulatory and Disciplinary Lawyers (ARDL).

Linda is a legal chair for the Taxation Disciplinary Board, the Phone-paid Services Authority and the Family Health Services Appeals Unit of the NHSLA.

She is also a director of the Incorporated Council of Law Reporting.

2016               Restorative Justice Practitioner

1994               Qualified as a solicitor

1991 – 1992         York College of Law Society Finals

1987 – 1991         University of Sheffield, Bachelor of Arts, Class 2:1 Law with honours

She delights in spending time with her three adult daughters and six granddaughters and is currently teaching her eldest granddaughter to play the piano.