Bevan Brittan LLP retains a ‘very skilled and knowledgeable’ local government practice that counts London Boroughs as well as city and councils across the country in its client roster. The team is particularly experienced at advising on development and infrastructure projects and is regularly instructed to handle the construction, procurement, and property aspects of educational and cultural projects. Birmingham-based partner Ash Woodcock leads the team, which also handles contentious and non-contentious work in relation to external audits as well as disputes related to local government powers. In London, Steven Smith is a key contact for development and regeneration schemes, while David Moore is noted for his public finance experience and Melanie Carter regularly acts on high-profile auditing matters. London-based partners Virginia Cooper and Olivia Carter are also recommended for their experience acting in disputes and judicial reviews related to jurisdictional and statutory power matters. Longstanding team member David Hutton retired in May 2023.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

‘Very skilled and knowledgeable team, always keen to help and go the extra mile.’
‘Rebecca Pendlebury is by far the most proactive and intelligent legal advisor I've ever worked with, always giving proactive advice on how to stay ahead of the game.’
‘Bevan Brittan offers high-quality expertise and a seamless integration of different subject experts to deliver an excellent service to the client.’
‘All the individuals we’ve worked with from this firm have been excellent. In particular, David Moore and Steven Smith's professionalism and courtesy, coupled with their good understand of and responsiveness to the client’s business has made them stand out head and shoulders above others.’
‘Strong public sector procurement and commercial expertise.’
‘Responsive and willing to explore the art of the possible.’

Key clients

City of Bradford Metropolitan Borough Council
County Council of the City and County of Cardiff
Flintshire County Council
Grant Thornton LLP
Local Government Association
London Borough of Hammersmith
London Borough of Haringey
Manchester City Council
Merton Council
Public Sector Audit Appointments
Reading Borough Council

Work highlights

Advised the City of London Corporation on its partnership with the Museum of London to bring about the £332m redevelopment of former Smithfield Market to provide a new, state-of-the-art facility for the Museum.
Advised the London Borough of Haringey on its Decentralised Energy Network (DEN) programme, a large-scale, innovative energy infrastructure programme to connect thousands of existing and new build housing projects across the borough to a centralised district energy system.
Advised Grant Thornton LLP on its role as statutory external auditor for Cheshire East Council in the course of a five-year investigation into standards and ethics in public office in local government, culminating in a public interest report which is now playing a critical role in the debate around necessary standards amongst councillors and senior officers.