Nichola Vine - Head of Legal and Governance
Nichola joined WLS in 2018, previously working at Wright Hassall as a Partner. During her decades of experience as a solicitor, she has worked Eversheds, Beechcroft, Gateley, and other local authorities. Nichola qualified in 1998 and specialises in projects, construction, procurement, information and data protection, and governance. In her current role as Strategic and Commissioning Manager for Legal and Democratic Services, she advises all levels of the Council in relation to governance matters, constitutional requirements, construction and projects in relation to procurement. Nichola is COLP and Director of WLS Trading Ltd.
Alison Hallworth - Delivery Lead Adults Education and Debt
Caroline Gutteridge - Delivery Lead Commercial and Regulatory
Previously working for both public and private sector organisations, Caroline joined Warwickshire County Council (WCC) in 2013. Leaving her role as Planning Team Lead and Senior Solicitor, Caroline joined the Legal Services Management Team in 2022 as Delivery Lead for the Commercial and Regulatory Team, and specialises in Planning, Highways, Statutory Reviews, and Judicial Reviews. She routinely acts as legal adviser to Police and Crime Panel, Planning Committees and Licensing Panels, alongside defending WCC’s external clients on Planning Inquiries.
Sarah Cowen - Delivery Lead - Corporate
Sarah joined Warwickshire County Council in 2016, having previously worked as a solicitor in private practice. Sarah joined the Legal Services Management Team in August 2021 as Delivery Lead for the Corporate Teams having previously been a Senior Solicitor and Team Lead for the Employment Team. Sarah specialises in Employment, Pensions and Governance and acts a legal adviser to all areas of the council including Committees, Fire and Rescue and Warwickshire Pension Fund. Sarah also advises external clients including Warwickshire Police and District Councils.
Tim Seedhouse - Legal Service Manager in Practice Management;
Tim joined Warwickshire Legal Services (WLS) in 2012 and has been in his current role since July 2024. With over a decade of experience in legal services, Tim specialises in legal case management systems, management and business information reporting, workflow development, and finance.
Tim has led the transformation of WLS’ finance and systems management over several years, building a multitude of reporting tools and legal workflows to significantly improve service delivery. His career has involved collaboration with both corporate and local authority legal teams, working with experienced and committed lawyers and clients alike to discover innovative solutions that resolve important and often complex matters.
