Workshop 2 - Speaker Profiles

David Foden F.lnst.L.Ex, Conveyancing Manager, LG Solictors

David has been a Fellow for over 20 years, specialising in residential conveyancing. He is Head of the Residential Conveyancing Department in a high street practice and still deals with a lot of unregistered conveyancing in the Welsh Hills. David sits on the Land Registry Business Users Group representing ILEX and also on the Employers Risk Management and Disaster Planning Committees.

David will become the President of Rotary Club of Oswestry from 1st June this year and with his wife, runs a sheep farm in Snowdonia National Park with a flock of 600+ sheep/rams.

David Pipkin F.Inst.L.Ex, ATE Underwriting Manager, Temple

David has spent over 30 years as a Legal Executive specialising in personal injury litigation.  Initially, he was a claimant litigator pursuing leading industrial accident and disease cases.  As an Associate at Davies Arnold Cooper for over a decade, he managed a team of lawyers and acted for defendants in personal injury and general insurance litigation. In this role he became involved in the early development of the ATE market, assisting the ABI in their involvement in the Court of Appeal test cases such as Callery v Gray.  As the London representative for FOIL he was involved in the liability insurers’ approach to ATE and worked with the government and judiciary in several key consultations.  He was a member of the ILEX National Council for over 15 years and was ILEX President in 1995/6.

This diversity of experience means that he brings an exceptional knowledge of the practice of law and the management of a law practice to Temple’s customers.  His hands-on involvement at a high level of both sides of legal disputes means that he is able to give our customers advice beyond an expert evaluation of the probability of success of a case.

Emma Oettinger, Anti-Money Laundering Policy Officer, The Law Society

Emma Oettinger is the Anti-Money Laundering Policy Officer for the Law Society of England and Wales. She was instrumental in lobbying for changes to the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 on behalf of the profession during their drafting and in preparing the Law Society's anti-money laundering and mortgage fraud practice notes. Emma continues to assist the profession with AML compliance through the preparation of training materials and the provision of the AML e-alert. Emma previously worked for Revenue and Customs Prosecution Office, enforcing confiscation orders, and was an investigative lawyer for the Crime and Misconduct Commission in Queensland, Australia.

Eddie Ryan, Managing Director of Co-operative Legal Services

Eddie is an accountant by profession and spent the first fifteen years of his career in Finance and Bank Commercial Lending before taking up the role of Head of Commercial at PPP the private medical insurer where he enjoyed a very successful four years overseeing an increase in turnover of 50% and an improvement in profitability of 470%. In June 1995 he made the career switch into the Legal world when he joined RAC as first General Manager and later Managing Director of their Legal Services Division. After a very successful ten years he left to establish the newly created Co-operative Legal Services which is now seen by many as one of the front runners in the new ABS environment.

Frances Edwards F.Inst.L.Ex, Caswell Jones

Frances was appointed the new Council Member for Wales in July 2009. Frances started work as a Secretary at age 17 for a firm of Solicitors in Newport called Llewellin & Burge, dealing with a wide range of cases including conveyancing, debts and family work, and then Charles Crookes & Jones Solicitors in Caerphilly. She is currently employed by Caswell Jones Solicitors, also in Caerphilly, where she has worked since 1995 and she is a member of the Family Team.   

Frances became an ILEX Member in 1998 and a Fellow in 2000. She was one of the founder members of the ILEX South Wales Branch when it was re-launched in 2004, becoming Treasurer and has been Chairman of the Branch since 2005. She joined the Confederation of South Wales Law Societies in 2006 and Frances has recently been appointed a Junior Vice President.

Chris Linnitt, F.Inst.L.Ex, Linnitts Solicitors

Chris is a founding partner of Linnitts Solicitors in Newton Abbot, and heads the Personal Injury Department. A Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives and a Senior Litigator of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers, Chris has practised Personal Injury and Civil Litigation in the Devon and Cornwall for almost 10 years.

As someone who was injured in an accident himself and became an above-knee amputee as a result, Chris has a genuine understanding of a client's needs when their life has been turned upside down.

He believes that there is so much more to offer those who have been injured and their families by the legal profession. Chris is passionate about assisting people in their time of need and resolving their legal issues.

A keen archer of Paignton Archers, Chris is training with a view towards being selected in the GB Paralympics 2012. He has recently won the prestigious regional VQ Award 2009. He is married to Clare, and has 2 children.

Andrew East, Associate, Prettys

Andrew qualified as a Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives in 1983. He has over 25 years experience specialising in probate and inheritance tax, including landed estates, heritage property and cross border estates and in the administration of estates and trusts, all aspects, including, in particular, the taxation of estates in the course of administration. Andrew also deals with wills, lasting powers of attorney, inheritance and capital gains tax planning compliance and structuring. 

Andrew joined Prettys in November 2007 from a major private client firm in Lincoln’s Inn. He was appointed an Associate in May 2008.

Andrew writes for the Practical Law Company and the ILEX Journal and his recent cases have included complex trust creation and IHT/CGT issues on disposal of private company shares, wills in high value and complex family situations and probate for a substantial landed estate.

He is a Member of STEP (until recently Chairman of the UK Probate & Estates Committee) and of the Law Society Probate Section.