Council chief recruited by shake-up law firm

Jul 29 2009 by Peter McCusker, The Journal

NORTH East law firm Dickinson Dees has appointed former Durham County Council head of legal services Linda Walker as its new head of public law and corporate governance

Ms Walker had held the post at the county council for six years and will now work closely with head of public services Tim Care to drive the expansion of the firm’s local government practice.

Newcastle firm Dickinson Dees says her arrival will assist in developing its already well established work in the public sector and coincides with the creation of a new public services team which will centralise its provision to clients who deliver public services.

Tim Care, partner and head of the new public services team, was previously head of the firm’s projects team and has now been appointed to bring together experts from the firm under the umbrella of public services.

He said: “As public authorities start to think more strategically about the services that they provide, so too do we start to think more carefully about the ways in which we provide advice to clients.

“We are focused on delivering a quality service for our clients and by bringing together colleagues from across different practice areas, we will be able to work more strategically to deliver a comprehensive service – not just to our public sector clients, but also to those who work in partnership with the public sector.”

He said: “We are extremely pleased that Linda will be joining us. Her arrival demonstrates our commitment to better understanding public authorities and the issues that affect them and I look forward to working closely with her and the rest of the public services team to further develop our business.”

Ms Walker said: “I am delighted to be joining Dickinson Dees at a time when the firm has exciting plans to bring together its public services team. Given my previous experience within local government, I will be able to assist both with the development of the new public services team and in strengthening the range of services Dickinson Dees can offer to its clients.

“I look forward to playing a key role in enabling the team to become one of the country’s leading providers of legal services.”