The ACL Council

Claire Green

Chairman

A member of the legal profession since 1986, Claire has run her own costs firm for almost 20 years. Throughout that time she has been heavily involved with the Association as a Council member on several occasions. 

As well as being a Costs lawyer, Claire is also an accredited mediator and trainer.

Claire's term of office as Chairman ends in May 2022.

Francis Kendall

Vice Chairman

Francis is a costs lawyer and has over 20 years of legal costing experience. He is a council member of the Association of Costs Lawyers and chairs the Public Relations and Marketing committee. 

This has given him extensive experience of all aspects of costs throughout the duration of proceedings, including costs budgeting and estimates, and following their conclusion.

He acts for a variety of clients specialising in media work and commercial work for City Law firms and major accountancy practices. He regularly acts in high quantum commercial litigation and has successfully assisted a number of US and IP firms in complex and substantial costs claims.

Stephen Averill

Council Member

I am the managing director of Phoenix Legal Services which I created in 2003.  I am a qualified Costs Lawyer with over 30 years of experience.  This is my second stint on council: it is my aim to support the individual members of our association as we navigate the increasingly complex world with which the Jackson Reforms have left us.  Whilst acknowledging our individual strengths, let’s use our collective voice to forge a positive way forward.

Derek Boyd

Council Member

Derek has been a member since the Association of Costs Draftsmen was established in 1977.  He previously served on the ALCD Council between 1989 and 1998 as Hon. Secretary and later as Chairman.  Apart from a small stint in his early years, he has spent most of his career working in-house and the last 32 years with Ince, dealing principally in Admiralty and Commercial, but also professional indemnity and some personal injury.  He enjoys contributing articles to the Costs Lawyer and is an unapologetic advocate for the networking side of the ACL’s tutorials and conferences.

A life-long ‘Whovian’, ‘graphic novel’ collector and a regular attendee at cosplay comic conventions, his interests outside costs might best be described as ‘geeky’, but he will point out that, since ‘The Big Bang Theory’, he has acquired a surprisingly high degree of ‘street cred’ from younger generations.

Paul Bracewell

Council Member

Paul is a Costs Lawyer and has worked in Costs for over 25 years. He is a former Council Member of the Association of Law Costs Draftsmen. Paul is also an Accredited Civil & Commercial and Workplace and Employment Mediator. 

He works on his own account as Bracewell Costs based in Greater Manchester. An experienced advocate who has represented Clients in Costs Hearings from County Court to the Supreme Court and has experience in dealing with all areas of costs work be it in Civil, Commercial, Family, Immigration or Criminal. Paul also has extensive experience of presenting Seminars and Training for not only Costs Lawyers but also Solicitor`s Groups including APIL, MASS and Manchester Law Society. 

In his spare time, Paul is a Member of the Committee at his local theatre. Apart from acting in plays, he also runs a successful award winning Youth Theatre Group.

David Cooper

Council Member

David is a Chartered Legal Executive, Costs Lawyer and Partner at Taylor Rose TTKW Limited based in Peterborough. He qualified as  Fellow of the then Institute of Legal Executives in 1976 and as a Fellow of the Association of Costs Draftsmen in 1997 so  this year he will reach his 40 year milestone as a qualified Lawyer.

He specialises in cases involving Civil and Personal Injury Litigation with a speciality also in relation to Costs Law and Procedure.

He oversees the Civil Litigation department and Costs Drafting departments at the practice. He is a past member of the council for the Institute of Legal Executives (now the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives) and is a serving member of Council of the Association of Costs Lawyers.

Adam Grant

Council Member

Adam is a Costs Lawyer, having qualified under the most recent three-year modular course in 2017.  A member of the costs profession since 2011, he works primarily with high value costs disputes arising out of catastrophic injury and clinical negligence matters.  

Adam is responsible for ACL policy issues.

Jack Ridgway

Council Member

Jack is a Costs Lawyer and qualified in 2017, under the most recent 3 year modular course.  A member of the profession since 2011 Jack has worked externally and in-house, currently at Bolt Burdon Kemp. Jack has gained experience as the receiving or paying party in a wide variety of matters, such as abuse, clinical negligence, commercial litigation, court of protection, design rights, personal injury, and probate. Jack regularly undertakes advocacy in the Royal Courts of Justice, with a particular focus on costs budgeting and applications during the substantive proceedings.  

Natalie Swales

Council Member

Natalie is a Partner at Masters Legal Costs Services LLP. Having worked in the legal costs profession since 2008, with experience both in-house and in costs consultancies, she qualified as a Costs Lawyer in 2014. 

Natalie deals with a broad range of high value commercial; clinical negligence; personal injury; media and multi-jurisdictional claims (both receiving and paying party), specialising in complex commercial work for City law firms.  She has substantial advocacy experience, having regularly attended a variety of  hearings (to include detailed assessments) in both County Courts and the Senior Courts Costs Office. 

As well as being a Costs Lawyer, Natalie is also a globally certified Legal Project Practitioner.