The ACL Council

Iain Stark

Chairman 

Iain is a Costs Lawyer who has been practising within Legal Costs for in excess of 25 years and joined Weightmans as a Partner in May 2015. He has a reputation his advocacy skills and an ability to solve disputes via innovative solutions outside the normal ambit within the area of Legal Costs.

Iain heads the costs department within Weightmans and also the costs arm within the Weightmans Compli service.  Having established himself in the legal costs industry, Iain served on the Association of Costs Lawyers Council for a number of years, attaining Chairman status and steered the professional body through the regulatory minefield, finally attaining authorised status for Costs Lawyers throughout England and Wales.

Claire Green

Chair-elect

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, Chair of Education and Policy officer. 

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

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.

David Bailey-Vella

Council Member

David is a Costs Lawyer, and qualified in 2017, under the most recent 3-year modular course. During his six years’ of experience in the costs industry, David has worked on a variety of matters from group litigation, to work involving complex spinal injury, medical negligence and commercial work. David is now a Costs Lawyer at the housing charity Shelter, where he oversees the running of the costs team, and the management of all inter partes work and advocacy. 

Outside of work, David enjoys spending time with his husband and their adopted son. He is also a triathlete and is training for the Ironman Triathlon.

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. 

David Wright

Council Member

David is a Costs Lawyer, having recently completed the 3 year course and qualifying in December 2014. He works in Manchester as part of the Irwin Mitchell costs management team, dealing with a range of costs proceedings from costs budgeting to detailed assessment proceedings.

He was elected to the ACL Council in September 2015 and attended his first meeting in November 2015. David currently sits on the PR and Marketing committee and assisted with the launch of the new ACL website alongside contributing to articles appearing in the legal press.