01
Regulatory failure
A licensing, enforcement or statutory service needs rapid review, remediation and a route back to defensible practice.
Review · Remediation · Assurance
Barrister-led advice for councils and public bodies
Legal clarity.That works in practice.
Barrister-led licensing, enforcement, markets, procurement and governance advice for councils, regulators and public bodies. Clear recommendations built around the way public services work.
30-minute initial discussion · No charge · No obligation
2005Called to the Bar
20+ yearsPublic-sector advice
9+ yearsRegulatory transformation · Deloitte UK
Principal-ledFrom scope to delivery
Why clients instruct Devol
Counsel for difficult decisions and demanding delivery.
The work usually begins when the margin for error is narrow: a statutory function is exposed, a decision is being challenged or a complex reform must be made to work in real conditions.
02
Decisions under scrutiny
A contested decision, audit finding or governance concern requires calm analysis and an evidential trail capable of standing up to challenge.
Public law · Governance · Audit
03
Complex reform
Reorganisation, procurement reform or service redesign must remain lawful while working within political, financial and operational constraints.
Reform · Delivery · Implementation
Experience informing our approach
Work grounded in public-sector reality.
These representative examples draw on work undertaken by the principal in public-sector and consultancy roles. Organisations are anonymised and the circumstances are described at a level consistent with confidentiality obligations.
London local authority
Decision-making and equality-duty assurance
A consistent framework for significant budget and service-change decisions, supported by proportionate equality analysis, consultation controls and decision templates.
English local authority
Markets and street-trading modernisation
A fragmented legacy regime brought into a coherent policy, consent, fee and delegation framework aligned with regeneration objectives.
Public-sector regulatory function
Operating-model and governance review
Legal duties, service risk and delivery constraints translated into a practical operating model with clear escalation and assurance arrangements.
Defined advisory products
Clear scopes. Useful outputs. No theatre.
Each product can be commissioned as a defined piece of work or adapted to the authority’s particular risk, timetable and procurement route.
Regulatory Function Review
An independent review of legality, governance, policy, enforcement and operating arrangements.
Typical duration · 4–6 weeksLicensing Policy Health Check
A fixed-scope review of policy, delegations, hearing procedure and decision templates.
Fixed scope · Written findingsGovernance Under Scrutiny Review
Independent assurance before or after audit, complaint, Ombudsman intervention or threatened judicial review.
Rapid review · Prioritised actionsLGR Readiness Review
Governance, workforce, contracts, statutory functions and service-continuity assessment for reorganisation.
Readiness report · Delivery roadmapCommittee Assurance Programme
Procedure review, decision templates, chair and member development, and practical officer training.
Review · Training · Templates
PrincipalFounder and Principal Adviser
Lee Vallender
Barrister · Called 2005 · Lincoln’s Inn
Lee combines legal analysis with senior delivery experience across local government and Big Four consulting. His work focuses on regulatory strategy, defensible decision-making and implementation.
Senior advice without the pyramid
Instructions are scoped and led at principal level throughout. Responsibility is not handed down to a junior delivery team after the first meeting.
Policy & perspective · August 2026
Procurement reform in practice: what public bodies should prioritise first
Practical priorities for public bodies implementing procurement reform, from governance and planning to contract management.
Read the analysisA straightforward route to instruction
Know what happens before work begins.
Start with a short conversation. If the matter is a fit, the next steps are agreed with you in writing before any work starts.
- 01
Initial discussion
A confidential, 30-minute conversation at no charge and without obligation.
- 02
Conflict check
Parties and subject matter are checked before an instruction is accepted.
- 03
Written proposal
Scope, deliverables, fee and timetable are agreed before the work begins.
A measured view on a live issue
Discuss the matter with the principal.
Tell us what has happened, what is at stake and where the pressure is coming from. The initial discussion is confidential and without obligation.