Devol Legal

Case studies

Selected engagements

The following examples illustrate the range of work Lee Vallender has led across regulatory, governance, procurement and transformation contexts, including work in earlier roles before he founded Devol Legal in 2025. In each engagement, the challenge was not simply to identify a legal position, but to help the client reach an outcome that was workable, defensible and properly aligned with public-sector delivery realities. Client names are used with permission, and two examples are anonymised.

Index of engagements

Showing 8 engagements

Brent LBC

Workforce Governance Compliance Framework

Client
Brent LBC
Sector
London borough
Service lines
Governance & Assurance

The challenge

Brent LBC required a more coherent governance and compliance framework following developments in workforce governance expectations and growing concern that existing arrangements had evolved inconsistently across the organisation. Responsibilities were not always sufficiently clear, control documentation varied in quality, and there was a risk that the organisation's assurance position was weaker than it needed to be.

The brief

The brief was to review the existing compliance structure, identify weaknesses in the framework and help develop a more coherent, organisation-wide approach that could be implemented in practice rather than simply approved in principle.

The work

  • Reviewed the existing governance architecture and supporting policies
  • Identified areas of inconsistency, duplication and weak ownership
  • Designed a clearer framework across core policy and compliance areas
  • Supported the articulation of roles, escalation routes and internal accountability
  • Developed associated implementation and training support materials

Outcome

Brent LBC moved to a more structured and usable compliance framework with clearer lines of responsibility and stronger internal assurance. The revised approach was capable of wider operational adoption and supported a more confident governance position.

Why it mattered

The value of the work lay not only in stronger documentation, but in helping the organisation move from fragmented compliance activity to a clearer and more disciplined governance model.

Back to the index

A city council in the South West

City-Wide Markets & Street Trading Overhaul

Client
A city council in the South West
Sector
City council (anonymised)
Service lines
Markets & Street Trading

The challenge

The council's markets and street trading arrangements had developed over many years and reflected a mixture of historic rights, local custom, policy accretion and legacy instruments. This made the framework difficult to administer and increasingly misaligned with wider regeneration objectives.

The brief

The brief was to review the existing framework, identify routes to consolidation and modernisation, and support the council in shaping a structure more suited to modern administration and strategic planning.

The work

  • Reviewed the historic and current regulatory architecture
  • Identified legal and administrative friction points
  • Developed options for rationalisation and modernisation
  • Supported a framework more compatible with efficient administration
  • Aligned regulatory thinking with wider city and regeneration objectives

Outcome

The council moved towards a clearer and more coherent regime, reducing fragmentation and improving the basis for future service development. The work helped create stronger alignment between regulatory control, administrative usability and strategic purpose.

Why it mattered

Markets and street trading are seldom purely legal questions. This engagement mattered because it dealt properly with the economic, operational and political context alongside the regulatory one.

Back to the index

Home Office

Immigration Enforcement & Licensing Alignment

Client
Home Office
Sector
Central government
Service lines
Licensing; Enforcement

The challenge

The Home Office needed a more coherent relationship between local authority licensing functions and wider immigration enforcement objectives across a number of authority areas. The matter required close attention to overlapping legal frameworks, practical variation between local systems and the reputational sensitivity of the subject matter.

The brief

The brief was to support the development of a protocol and implementation approach capable of bringing greater consistency and clarity to the relationship between agencies and local partners.

The work

  • Reviewed the operational and legal interfaces between licensing and enforcement functions
  • Identified areas where local practice and wider objectives were misaligned
  • Supported the development of a protocol structure for multi-agency use
  • Helped shape a framework capable of broader adoption beyond the initial pilot context
  • Ensured the approach remained practically workable as well as legally coherent

Outcome

A clearer, more consistent protocol was developed to support alignment across participating areas. The work created a stronger foundation for wider implementation and provided a more disciplined basis for cross-agency coordination.

Why it mattered

This was a complex and sensitive area requiring careful judgment. The value of the engagement lay in making a difficult framework more usable, more coherent and more suitable for structured implementation.

Back to the index

A licensing authority in Lincolnshire

Taxi Licensing Reform & Driver Standards Framework

Client
A licensing authority in Lincolnshire
Sector
Local authority, Lincolnshire (anonymised)
Service lines
Licensing; Policy Drafting

The challenge

The authority's taxi licensing regime had developed incrementally over more than a decade without a comprehensive policy review. Driver standards, vehicle conditions and enforcement thresholds varied in practice and lacked a coherent policy basis. Two judicial review challenges in the preceding 18 months had exposed procedural weaknesses in how licensing decisions were being made and documented.

The brief

The brief was to review the existing taxi licensing framework, identify the root causes of the procedural failures, and help the authority develop a modern, defensible licensing regime.

The work

  • Conducted a full policy and procedural audit across hackney carriage and private hire licensing
  • Reviewed both judicial review decisions and identified the specific governance weaknesses that led to them
  • Drafted a comprehensive revised taxi licensing policy statement covering driver standards, vehicle conditions, and enforcement escalation
  • Redesigned the committee decision-making process with clearer terms of reference and structured decision templates
  • Delivered training sessions for licensing committee members and officers

Outcome

The authority adopted a modernised taxi licensing framework with significantly stronger procedural foundations. No further judicial review challenges have been brought since implementation. Officer confidence in decision-making improved measurably, and member satisfaction with committee processes increased.

Why it mattered

The authority had been operating reactively, responding to legal challenges without addressing their underlying causes. The work mattered because it replaced a fragile regime with one designed to withstand scrutiny from the outset.

Back to the index

Wirral Council

Regulatory Services Restructure & Operating Model

Client
Wirral Council
Sector
Metropolitan borough
Service lines
Public Sector Transformation

The challenge

Wirral Council faced a requirement to deliver a 25% reduction in its regulatory services budget whilst maintaining statutory service levels across environmental health, trading standards and licensing. Previous restructuring attempts had stalled due to a lack of confidence in the proposed operating model and concerns about legal risk.

The brief

The brief was to provide both the legal and operational advisory support needed to design and implement a new operating model that could deliver the required savings without compromising statutory compliance.

The work

  • Mapped the full regulatory services function across three directorates
  • Identified areas of duplication, over-specification and misaligned resource allocation
  • Designed a consolidated operating model with risk-based prioritisation across all regulatory functions
  • Developed a governance framework for the new structure including escalation pathways and performance indicators
  • Supported the formal consultation process and implementation through to go-live

Outcome

The restructure was implemented on schedule and within budget, delivering a 27% cost reduction while maintaining full statutory compliance. The new risk-based model improved case prioritisation and reduced average case resolution times by 18%.

Why it mattered

This was not simply a headcount reduction exercise. The challenge was to reshape how regulatory services operated so that the reduction in resources was absorbed through better design rather than reduced capability.

Back to the index

West Midlands Combined Authority

Procurement Governance Review & Framework Redesign

Client
West Midlands Combined Authority
Sector
Combined authority
Service lines
Commercial & Procurement; Governance

The challenge

An internal audit at the West Midlands Combined Authority identified significant weaknesses in procurement governance, including incomplete documentation trails, inconsistent evaluation procedures and insufficient oversight of contract variations. The audit findings required an immediate response and a longer-term programme of improvement.

The brief

The brief was to lead the procurement governance remediation programme, addressing both the immediate audit findings and the systemic weaknesses they revealed.

The work

  • Conducted a comprehensive review of procurement procedures, documentation and governance arrangements
  • Addressed each audit finding with a specific remediation plan and timetable
  • Redesigned the procurement governance framework including standing orders, evaluation protocols and contract management procedures
  • Introduced risk-based tiering for supplier management across 280+ active contracts
  • Delivered a programme of training for procurement officers and budget holders

Outcome

All audit findings were resolved within the agreed timetable. The subsequent follow-up audit found no outstanding issues and rated the procurement function as providing "substantial assurance." The new framework has since been adopted as a model by two neighbouring authorities.

Why it mattered

Procurement governance failures in the public sector carry real consequences: legal challenge, wasted public money and reputational damage. The work mattered because it converted a crisis into a genuinely stronger system.

Back to the index

Croydon LBC

Licensing Act Policy Statement & Cumulative Impact Assessment

Client
Croydon LBC
Sector
London borough
Service lines
Licensing; Policy Drafting

The challenge

Croydon LBC's Statement of Licensing Policy under the Licensing Act 2003 had not been substantively reviewed for three statutory cycles. The existing policy did not reflect current case law, lacked a defensible cumulative impact assessment, and was increasingly being cited in appeal proceedings as evidence of an inadequate policy framework.

The brief

The brief was to conduct a full review and redraft of the Statement of Licensing Policy, including the development of an evidence-based cumulative impact assessment for two defined areas within the borough.

The work

  • Reviewed the existing policy against current legislation, statutory guidance and relevant case law
  • Conducted stakeholder engagement with responsible authorities, residents' groups and the licensed trade
  • Developed an evidence base for cumulative impact assessment using crime data, environmental health records and public health indicators
  • Drafted a comprehensive revised Statement of Licensing Policy incorporating all four licensing objectives
  • Supported the formal consultation and committee adoption process

Outcome

The revised policy was adopted unanimously by the licensing committee and has been cited positively in two subsequent appeal proceedings. The cumulative impact assessment has provided the authority with a stronger evidential basis for contested decisions in the defined areas.

Why it mattered

A weak licensing policy undermines every decision made under it. The work mattered because it gave the authority a defensible foundation for its licensing function rather than a document that existed only in name.

Back to the index

Nursing & Midwifery Council

Fitness to Practise Governance & Process Review

Client
Nursing & Midwifery Council
Sector
Professional regulator
Service lines
Governance & Assurance; Transformation

The challenge

The Nursing & Midwifery Council's fitness to practise function was experiencing growing caseload pressures and lengthening case resolution timescales. External stakeholders had raised concerns about procedural consistency, and an independent review had identified fragmentation in how cases were triaged, investigated and escalated across different practice areas. The NMC needed to strengthen its governance framework without disrupting ongoing casework.

The brief

The brief was to review the fitness to practise governance framework, identify the procedural and structural weaknesses contributing to delays and inconsistency, and support the design and implementation of an improved operating model.

The work

  • Conducted a comprehensive review of the fitness to practise process from initial referral through to panel hearing and disposal
  • Mapped decision-making pathways and identified points of inconsistency, duplication and unnecessary delay
  • Redesigned the triage and case allocation framework to improve consistency and reduce bottlenecks
  • Developed strengthened governance documentation including escalation protocols, quality assurance mechanisms and performance indicators
  • Supported implementation through staff engagement sessions and phased rollout across all practice teams

Outcome

The revised framework reduced average case resolution times by 23% within the first year of implementation. Procedural consistency improved measurably, with internal quality audits reporting a significant reduction in process variation across practice areas. The governance improvements were noted positively in the NMC's subsequent annual performance review.

Why it mattered

Regulatory bodies exist to protect the public, and delays or inconsistencies in fitness to practise processes directly undermine that mission. The work mattered because it strengthened the NMC's ability to discharge its core regulatory function more effectively and more fairly.

Back to the index

Initial discussion

Facing something similar?

An initial discussion is confidential and carries no obligation.

Discuss your matterView our services