Devol Legal

Regulatory

Legal and regulatory information

Who we are, what we do, what we do not do, and what to do if something goes wrong.

This page sets out who we are, what we do and do not undertake, how to complain, and how we handle information. It is written for clients and prospective clients, and it is deliberately plain.

Firm details

  • Trading name: Devol Legal
  • Legal entity: Devol Legal Limited
  • Registered in: England and Wales
  • Company number: 16562571
  • VAT number: GB 499 7797 80
  • Registered office: Unit 53c, Unimix House, Abbey Road, London NW10 7TR
  • Telephone: 020 4617 0560
  • Email: info@devol-legal.co.uk

Regulation

Lee Vallender was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 2005 by the Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, and has since practised in senior legal and advisory roles in local government, at a professional regulator and in professional services. He is a self-employed barrister, regulated by the Bar Standards Board.

Devol Legal Limited is not itself authorised or regulated by the Bar Standards Board.

Scope of our services

We provide regulatory consultancy and advisory services to public bodies: policy and framework review, drafting, governance design, operating model work, training and implementation support.

Where a matter requires a person or body authorised to carry on a reserved legal activity within the meaning of section 12 of and Schedule 2 to the Legal Services Act 2007, we will say so at the earliest point and assist you to instruct someone appropriate. We would rather decline an instruction than take one that is not properly ours.

Engagement terms

Every instruction is confirmed in writing before work begins, setting out the scope, the deliverables, the fee basis and the timetable. Our full terms of engagement, together with details of our professional indemnity insurance, are provided with that confirmation and are available on request beforehand. Professional indemnity insurance is arranged through Lockton.

Conflicts of interest

We carry out a conflict check against current and previous engagements before accepting any instruction. Where a conflict exists, or where there is a real risk of one arising, we tell you immediately and decline. We do not act for two clients whose interests are opposed in the same matter.

Complaints

If any part of our service falls short, we want to hear about it directly and early. Most concerns are resolved quickly once they are raised.

How to complain

Write to Lee Vallender at info@devol-legal.co.uk, or to the registered office address above, marking the correspondence for his attention. Please set out what happened, when, and what you would like us to do about it.

What happens next

  • We acknowledge your complaint in writing within five working days
  • We investigate and respond substantively within twenty-eight days
  • Where the investigation needs longer, we tell you why and give you a revised date
  • Our response sets out our findings, our reasoning, and any remedy we propose

Making a complaint costs nothing and does not affect how we handle your matter.

If you are not satisfied with our final response, or we have not resolved your complaint within eight weeks, you may be able to refer it to the Legal Ombudsman. The Ombudsman can consider complaints from individuals and from very small businesses, charities, clubs and trusts. Public bodies cannot use the scheme, so most of our clients will not be eligible, but the Ombudsman can tell you whether you are.

You must normally refer a complaint to the Ombudsman within six months of our final response, and no later than one year from the act or omission complained about, or one year from when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint.

The Ombudsman publishes data about the complaints it has decided. You can read it on the Ombudsman's decision data page.

The Bar Standards Board

If your concern is about Lee Vallender's professional conduct rather than the service you received, you can report it to the Bar Standards Board.

Other formats

This information and our complaints procedure are available in large print, as plain text or in another format on request. Contact us and we will send it in the format you need.

Confidentiality

Client information is treated as confidential and is not disclosed without instruction, save where we are required to disclose it by law.

Use of client examples

Case studies and examples of our work are published only where the client has agreed, or where the material has been anonymised so that neither the organisation nor any individual is identifiable. If you are a client and you would prefer an example not to appear, tell us and we will remove it. Some examples describe work Lee Vallender led in earlier roles, before he founded Devol Legal in 2025.

Data protection

Devol Legal Limited is the data controller for information collected through this website and in the course of an engagement. How we use that information, the lawful bases we rely on, how long we retain it and the rights available to you are set out in our Privacy Notice.

Equality and accessibility

We are committed to fair treatment in the delivery of our services and in how we work with clients and their teams. Our accessibility statement explains how we approach accessible documents, meetings and this website, and how to tell us when we get it wrong.

Photography

Architectural photography on this site is reproduced under open licences and has been converted to monochrome. We are grateful to the photographers.

  • Manchester Town Hall, Great Hall foyer, and Rochdale Town Hall, Great Hall: Michael D Beckwith, released to the public domain (CC0).
  • The Great Hall at Rochdale Town Hall: Entropyjazz, CC0.
  • St George's Hall, Liverpool: Michael D Beckwith, CC BY 3.0.
  • Grainger Market, Newcastle upon Tyne: Chris Down, CC BY 4.0.

All images via Wikimedia Commons. The portrait of Lee Vallender is the property of Devol Legal Limited.

This page was last reviewed in October 2026.