A Guide to Housing Peer Review Webinar

Professor Avrom Sherr, Professor Emeritus, Institute of Advanced Legal Studies

Avrom Sherr is the principal architect of a system of assessment of legal competence known as Independent Peer Review. Since 2002 this has been used as the system for assessment of the quality of publicly funded work in the UK, ensuring the quality of legal services received by the public, and he leads the operation of this work. He is currently Chair of the Hamlyn Trust and the Advice Quality Standards Project Committee. Recent work includes advising Georgia Legal Aid and the Chinese Ministry of Justice in relation to Legal Aid and the maintenance of quality in legal work; ethical research for Save The Children and safeguarding for the UKRI GCRF Accelerate Hub.

Will Flack, Consultant, DG Legal

William is a freelance solicitor and has specialised in housing law for the last twenty years. Before working freelance William worked as an in house supervisor then set up his own specialist firm. William has been a member of the management committees of two Law Centres and has worked as a volunteer in the not for profit sector. He has also worked on County Court Duty Rotas and was a Legal Aid Peer Reviewer between 2009 and 2012. William provides coaching and advisory services to organisations wishing to ensure that their caseworkers are providing excellent advice and are following best practice.

Melanie Gonga, Director & Head of Legal Practice, Springfield Advice & Law Centre

Melanie started her career in private practice, where she trained across multiple areas of law and worked under various forms of funding. She qualified, to specialise in housing, in 1997, where she remained for a further 6 years. After leaving private practice, Melanie started work at a Law Centre, where she spent 10 years as a supervising solicitor, having responsibility for the smooth-running of her branch office, for the supervision of trainees and was a County Court Duty Solicitor.

Her current post is that of Director & Head of Legal Practice at a small Law Centre, whose main client-group comprises mental health service users. Melanie has been a Housing Peer Reviewer for almost 15 years, became a Senior Panel Member in 2008, and has assisted in training subsequent Peer Reviewers and in writing the Housing Peer Review Guide. Melanie credits her approach to her work and clients, to many years spent dealing with vulnerable adults, her time spent in odd-jobs – from outdoor clerking, to patient-services, to retail – and a pragmatic approach to life.

David Gilmore, Director, DG Legal

David founded DG Legal in 2000. He has provided advice and assistance to hundreds of law firms and other legal organisations.  He delivers specialist consultancy and training on a wide range of topics including business management & strategy, tendering, compliance and quality assurance. In 2016 David was appointed as a Commissioner advising Lord Bach on policy relating to Justice and Legal Aid.