Our Team
LAPG is a membership body representing legal aid practitioners in England and Wales and the clients they serve.
Our Team
LAPG Staff
Chris Minnoch
CEO
Chris
Chris has been the CEO of LAPG since 2018. He is responsible for setting the strategic direction of LAPG, supporting the board of Directors, financial sustainability and building relationships with key stakeholders.
Kate Pasfield
Director of Policy (Legal Aid)
Kate
Kate works to improve the delivery and administration of the legal aid scheme and helps our members understand legal aid policy. Kate has been with us since 2019.
Rohini Jana
Director of Legal Aid Policy (Parliamentary Affairs)
Rohini
Ro runs the APPG on Legal Aid and educates Members of Parliament on Legal Aid and Access to Justice. She has been with us since 2017.
Anna Neira Quesada
Operations Officer
Anna
Anna has been with us since 2020. She is responsible for LAPG’s Membership, keeping us running as well as social media presence. She is also part of Non-Chargeable Tasks Research Project
Andrea Shumaker
Head of Learning & Development
Andrea
Andrea is responsible for all things training at LAPG. She has been with us since January 2022. She is also part of Non-Chargeable Tasks Research Project.
Tina Puryear
Organisational Training & Development Associate for the LAPG Management & Leadership Hub
Tina
Tina joined us in June 2024. She is responsible for strengthening advice for organisations to help them be more resilient and sustainable through training, consultancy, community, advice, mentoring and resources.
Charlie Boyd
Parliamentary Affairs Officer
Charlie
Charlie joined the APPG on Access to Justice team as a Parliamentary Affairs Officer in January 2025.
LAPG Board of Directors
Nicola Mackintosh KC (Hon)
Mackintosh Law
Nicola
Co-Chair of LAPG / She is a longstanding member of the Law Society’s Mental Health and Disability Committee. She has also been a member of the Law Society Council. She is an accredited member of the Law Society’s Mental Capacity (Welfare) Accreditation scheme. She is also a member of the ad hoc Court of Protection Rules Committee and the Court of Protection ‘Hive’ group.
Jenny Beck KC (Hon)
Beck Fitzgerald
Jenny
Co-Chair of LAPG / She is a current member and former chair of The Law Society’s Access to Justice Committee. She is also a member of The Law Society’s Family Law Committee and a private law solicitor representative on the Family Justice Council.
Julie Bishop
Treasurer of LAPG / Director of Law Centres Network
Julie
Treasurer of LAPG / Director of Law Centres Network for over 10 years.
Beverley Watkins
Founder of Watkins Solicitors
Beverley
She is the founder of Watkins Solicitors and specialises in Family, Education and Public law. She is also a member of Resolution and The Law Society’s Advanced Family Panel, as well as a a member of the Education Law Association.
Lisa Phillips
Director of Switalskis Solicitors
Lisa
She is the director of Switalskis Solicitors and Solicitor Advocate specialising in Child Care Law.
Laura Janes
Consultant Solicitor
Laura
She is a consultant solicitor for Scott-Moncrieff and Associates Ltd and GT Stewart Solicitors & Advocates where she represents young people in detention. She is also a visiting fellow at the London South Bank University.
LAPG Advisory Committe
Helen Johnson
Emery Johnson Astills
Oliver Carter
Irwin Mitchell
Lucie Boase
YLAL & Hodge Jones & Allen
Phil Walsh
Miles & Partners
Rakesh Basin
Edwards Duthie Shamash
Lucy Verity
Philcox Gray
Justin Rivett
25 Bedford Row
Andrew Sperling
SL5 Legal
Ollie Persey
YLAL & Public Law Project
Katie McFadden
YLAL & GT Stewart
Jawaid Luqmani
Luqmani Thompson & Partners
Tim Baldwin
Garden Court Chambers
Paul Seddon
Seddon Costs Law
Rosaleen Kilbane
The Community Law Partnership
Helen Dunn
MCJ Law
Denisa Gannon
Central England Law Centre Limited
Ann Henderson
Bidwell Henderson
Daniel Rourke
Public Law Project
Lucy Jones-Clarkson
Senior Associate at Beck Fitzgerald
Lucy
Lucy is a Senior Associate at Beck Fitzgerald, a leading family law firm specialising in all aspects of family law. Lucy is committed to the promotion of the rights of the individual recognising that all should be able to access justice. Lucy is a member of Resolution and is Resolution Accredited Specialist in Private Law Children and Domestic Abuse.
Pam Kenworthy OBE
Solicitor – non practicing
Pam
A specialist in employment & discrimination law, Pam has worked as a consultant for 10 years dealing with complex HR issues & providing management training. She has very considerable experience in delivering both face to face & remote social welfare law services. She is also the specialist legal advisor to the Employment & Equality Law Centre and the Chair of Swale CAB.
Jo Underwood
Supervising Solicitor and Lecturer in the Legal Clinic at King’s College London
Jo
She specialises in housing and public law. As well as teaching and seeing housing clients in the Clinic, she also carries out research focused around homelessness and access to justice. Prior to working at King’s, Jo was the head of strategic litigation at Shelter.
Hana Cogingsford
Housing Solicitor and Legal Aid Supervisor at Bristol Law Centre
Hana
A Housing Solicitor and Legal Aid Supervisor at Bristol Law Centre who qualified as a Justice First Fellow, and is developing specialisms in working with complex clients, defending possession proceedings, disrepair, homelessness, and Judicial Review.
Cris McCurley
Partner at Ben Hoare Bell LLP
Cris
Cris is a partner at Ben Hoare Bell LLP and specialises in International family law and women and children who are from marginalised communities who have experienced abuse. My first Job was with North East LAPG in 1988. Member of TLS Access to Justice Committee.