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the natural choice in law
"Nick Leale is praised by clients as an "effective communicator" who is "alert to potential problems."" (Chambers UK, A Client's Guide to the Legal Profession 2011)
Nick leads our Professional Regulatory team. He appears as an advocate for professional regulators; manages investigations and client relationships. In the legal directories Nick is noted nationally in the professional regulatory field. He has been described by Chambers & Partners as “a confident presenter and a pleasure to work with, who puts clients at ease with his attentive and measured nature”.
Nick is a regular on the speaking circuit regularly lectures on behalf of Central Law Training on case law and evidence issues at their conferences relating to the area of professional regulation. He sits on the management committee of the Association of Regulatory and Disciplinary Lawyers, the overarching membership body for professional regulatory lawyers, and acts as the Association’s Treasurer.
Nick acts exclusively on behalf of regulators. He has appeared before the Fitness to Practise Committees of the Nursing and Midwifery Council, General Optical Council, General Osteopathic Council, General Teaching Council and General Chiropractic Council. Nick is soon to appear for the first time before the Committees of the Health Professions Council and the Solicitors Regulation Authority. He is personally appointed to the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s panel of approved prosecutors of disciplinary proceedings.
The hearings in which Nick has appeared range from interim suspension order hearings to lengthy and complex clinical/competency cases involving numerous witnesses some of whom are considered to be vulnerable. Nick also advises in a non advocacy role the Association of Accounting Technicians concerning regulatory proceedings against their members and the structure of their regulatory setup. Nick manages investigations most particularly for the General Medical Council and General Osteopathic Council, for whom he is also client relationship manager. Nick has also developed an expertise concerning regulators’ criminal proceedings and has been involved in recent months in the prosecution of a number of businesses on behalf of one client in relation to illegal internet sales of medical appliances. Other criminal cases include matters concerning protection of title.
