Louise Portman
Shifnal,Shropshire
Summary
Pragmatic, politically astute, approachable, and outcome-focused director and solicitor, and member of the Senior Leadership Group of National Highways with extensive public and private sector experience and inter-disciplinary agility who looks wider and ahead. With over 18 years’ experience as a senior manager. Known as an inclusive senior manager who recognises talent and encourages achievement, and takes people with her as part of a team. I have extensive experience in regulatory matters and enforcement, governance, administrative, planning, and environmental law. During my career, I have gained substantial local government experience, including leading a specialist planning and regulatory legal team, responsible for governance, including implementation of legislative changes, constitutional amendments, including leading the training of senior officers, stakeholders, and members.
Overview
29
29
years of professional experience
2030
2030
years of post-secondary education
Work history
Director of Legal Services (Regulatory)
National Highways Limited
Birmingham
04.2022 - 04.2025
- Leading the establishment and management of a multi-disciplinary division comprising Corporate Information Rights Team, Central Investigation Team and Regulatory and Information Legal Team.
- Oversight of the management of the criminal and/or regulatory investigations, supporting regulatory compliance with ORR, coronial inquests, information tribunals and associated judicial review challenges facing National Highways relating to service area.
- Supporting the business in looking wider at changes to our standards, processes and procedures to support continual improvement and reduce on going health and safety risk arising from the ongoing evolution of the operation of our network.
- Working with multiple stakeholders across the business, the Executive, the Board, Department for Transport policy and legal teams and our external legal suppliers to manage the collation and interpretation of information and technical input in a timely manner to support the multiple litigation and associated workstreams arising from incidents on our network.
- Maintain a clear overview so to identify and manage any collateral risks to the business derived from inconsistencies in or unprotected dissemination of information. While ensuring efficient compliance with our regulatory obligations.
- Developing relationships within the business to engender trust and deliver a 'one team' response, that’s, detailed, accurate and consistent.
- Providing on-going on demand support to communications working in a highly political and pressured environment.
- Growing capability within the team to improve performance, tailor roles and meet the demands of the business including procuring external resource.
Head of Capability and Legal Governance
National Highways Limited )
Birmingham
07.2019 - 12.2021
- Responsible for training and capability within Legal Services, Solicitor Regulation Authority (SRA) compliance, and providing support for performance management.
- Collaborated with Deputy General Counsel and Legal Practice Manager on workforce planning and budget challenge.
- SRA training principal with responsibility for trainee solicitors, managed legal project management office staff, and supervised HS2 legal subgroup.
- Appointed delegate for General Counsel and Deputy General Counsel and attended Executive Committee and other executive meetings on their behalf as required.
- Continued to service full planning caseload for Midlands Road Investment Programme.
- As lead lawyer for HS2 Phase 1 and 2, I led negotiations on arefreshed MOU, protracted negotiations on the Phase 2 bill, advising on statutory interpretation, and working with parliamentary agents to ensure the interests of National Highways were safeguarded as the Phase 2 bill was taken forward.
- Managed A38 DCO judicial review within General Counsel with the support of leading Counsel.
- Responsible for training and capability development within Legal Services, ensuring compliance with Solicitor Regulation Authority (SRA) standards, and providing support for performance management.
Senior Planning Lawyer
National Highways Limited (Highways England Company Limited)
Birmingham
09.2018 - 07.2019
- Lead senior planning lawyer for the Midlands, overseeing Road Investment Programme (RIP) schemes including M42 Junction 6, A38 Derby Junctions, and M54 Link M6 DCO, A46 Newark Bypass schemes, and acting as lead lawyer on Highway Act 1980 schemes throughout the Midlands.
- Responsible for providing legal advice on consultation, public law, and statutory procedures, drafting and negotiation of complex bespoke agreements with various bodies, including Network Rail, National Grid, and other stakeholders.
- Drafting orders, notices, and statements for the Highway Act 1980 schemes.
- Maintained oversight of external legal spend within scheme budgets.
- Lead lawyer for interface with HS2 Phase 1 and 2, including the drafting and supervision of commercial agreements.
- Provided support to a company-wide spatial planning review and EPIC work stream to ensure consistent practice and engagement with stakeholders, including the interpretation of and delivery of policy advice.
Legal Director
Shakespeare Martineau LLP
01.2015 - 08.2018
- Senior Regulatory and Planning Lawyer (to 2016) – team transfer from Wilkes LLP.
- Undertaking a caseload of general planning advice, due diligence, planning agreements, enforcement, and judicial review for public and private sector clients.
- Providing highways, planning, and regulatory advice to large unitary authority including attending committees, appeals and reviews and advising on reports and decisions.
- Providing advice on policy development and governance issues as required.
- Providing compulsory purchase compensation advice to public and private sector clients arising from schemes such as the Nottingham Express Transit Scheme and the redevelopment of Paradise Circus, Birmingham.
- Undertaking statutory nuisance prosecutions against a major clothing retailer and high high-profile nationally reported case in AONB relating to country sports.
- Working with a series of NHS trusts nationwide and liaising with relevant local councils, stakeholders, and politicians to secure CIL-compliant contributions through the planning system for the NHS services and infrastructure.
- Providing training on planning, licensing, compulsory purchase, air quality, and environmental issues to public and private sector clients.
Senior Regulatory and Planning Locum
Stratford upon Avon and Shropshire Council
01.2014 - 01.2015
Principal Solicitor/ Team Leader
Wolverhampton City Council
01.2001 - 12.2013
- Senior regulatory and planning lawyer and principal advisor to the Planning Committee, Standards Committee, Independent Remuneration Committee and Regulatory Committee, and the Cabinet.
- Developed a clear understanding of requirements for robust and defensible decision making within the remit of the legal and governance framework.
- Extensive experience in regulatory prosecutions and enforcement, particularly relating to health and safety, trading standards, including product safety, environmental protection, and benefit fraud, and unsafe private sector housing.
- Conduct with counsel of several crown court prosecutions culminating in a trial. These related to fraudulent trading activities and other serious environmental and regulatory breaches and resulted in significant custodial sentences and subsequent proceeds of crime proceedings.
- Providing legal advice on the formulation of policies relating to planning and regulatory enforcement and prosecution, member remuneration, and licensing.
- Judicial review case culminating in Wolverhampton City Council v Health and Safety Directorate – Supreme Court (2012) relating to failure of the Council to consider HSE safety advice about a major planning application close to a hazardous substances installation, contrary to the principles of the Seveso II Directive. This encompassed project management, analysis of the wider impacts including risks to regeneration timetables, funding streams, and policy delivery, and involved briefing of members, SLT, and major stakeholders, and press briefings over 4 years.
- Extensive training experience across multiple disciplines, including conduct and constitutional issues, including training senior executive officers, politicians, and stakeholders.
- Emergency applications, improvement and enforcement notices and closure orders notices, possession proceedings, and injunction to protect a Grade 2 heritage asset.
- Interpreted laws, rulings, and regulations for businesses and individuals.
- Advising upon other areas of regulatory work, including the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.
- Responsible for the procurement and management of external legal services provided and utilized by the team.
Assistant Solicitor
Squire Patton Boggs
01.1998 - 01.2001
- Commercial and residential property development for blue chip clients.
Trainee Solicitor
Irwin Mitchell LLP
01.1996 - 01.1998
- Notable experience working on defence of crown court fraudulent trading prosecution, police malfeasance litigation and working with lead partner on serious personal injury cases.
- Undertaking property work for major house builders and social landlords.
Education
Legal Practice Course -
Manchester Metropolitan University
09.1995 - 06.1996
Common Professional Examination - in Law
Manchester Metropolitan University
09.1994 - 06.1995
BA - Geography
University of Sheffield
Sheffield 09.1991 - 06.1994
Certificate in Management -
Chartered Institute of Management
Certificate in Delivering Learning in Workplace -
Wolverhampton College
Mental Health First Aid & Mental Health Advocacy i -
Bournemouth and Poole College
Skills
- Health and Safety Compliance
- Regulatory compliance
- Budget management
- Staff development
- Persuasive negotiation
- Customer Service
- Ethics enforcement
- Leadership acumen
- Corporate governance understanding
- Financial literacy
Timeline
Director of Legal Services (Regulatory)
National Highways Limited
04.2022 - 04.2025
Head of Capability and Legal Governance
National Highways Limited )
07.2019 - 12.2021
Senior Planning Lawyer
National Highways Limited (Highways England Company Limited)
09.2018 - 07.2019
Legal Director
Shakespeare Martineau LLP
01.2015 - 08.2018
Senior Regulatory and Planning Locum
Stratford upon Avon and Shropshire Council
01.2014 - 01.2015
Principal Solicitor/ Team Leader
Wolverhampton City Council
01.2001 - 12.2013
Assistant Solicitor
Squire Patton Boggs
01.1998 - 01.2001
Trainee Solicitor
Irwin Mitchell LLP
01.1996 - 01.1998
Legal Practice Course -
Manchester Metropolitan University
09.1995 - 06.1996
Common Professional Examination - in Law
Manchester Metropolitan University
09.1994 - 06.1995
BA - Geography
University of Sheffield
09.1991 - 06.1994
Certificate in Management -
Chartered Institute of Management
Certificate in Delivering Learning in Workplace -
Wolverhampton College
Mental Health First Aid & Mental Health Advocacy i -
Bournemouth and Poole College
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