Davitt Jones Bould advises on a wide range of transactional, litigation, commercial and public law matters, supporting local authorities on development projects including expansions, redevelopments and major infrastructure schemes. The team is also experienced in handling public inquiries and judicial reviews, offering practical and strategic guidance in complex and high-profile matters. Co-led by Madeleine Davitt and Malcolm Iley, the team combines depth of experience with specialist knowledge across public sector legal issues. Iley is recognised for his longstanding expertise in public and government law, particularly in areas such as planning, compulsory purchase and procurement. Philippa Hipwell is a trusted adviser to local authority clients, regularly acting on significant and sensitive matters. Stephanie Hall is known for her strong planning expertise and provides clear, commercially focused advice on complex planning issues that arise in development and regeneration projects.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Their strong knowledge of the highways law challenges faced by local authority in-house legal teams allow them to quickly understand the challenges we are facing and absorb missing capacity in the team.’
‘ The commercial property and planning teams are professional, meticulous, responsive, accommodating, always deliver to deadlines (even when those deadlines are tight), friendly and approachable. Many of the team have worked previously in a local government setting and understand the governance and regulatory regime of the public sector. The teams have the experience and knowledge to deal with the most complex of matters. They also work with us to achieve the best possible outcomes and genuinely wish to help us.'
- 'All members of the teams work with us to achieve the best outcomes and have never failed to deliver for us.’
‘Dedicated team for property, planning and associated legal work. Excellent service and expert knowledge.’
‘DJB stand out from other firms because they have embraced innovative ways of working with our in-house legal services team to provide high quality and affordable legal support to the council- acknowledging the financial constraints currently facing the public sector and working with us to find solutions within set budgets.'
- 'Their pragmatic, innovative and supportive approach means we have been able to integrate private practice solicitors into our in-house legal team to cover staff vacancies – which has resulted in a seamless approach for the service area.’
Key clients
- Surrey County Council
- Woking Borough Council
- Brighton and Hove City Council
- Runnymede Borough Council
- Southampton City Council
- Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole Council (BCP)
- Spelthorne Borough Council
- Bath and North East Somerset Council
- Watford Borough Council
- North Somerset Council
- Wiltshire Council
- Chichester District Council
Work highlights
Advising Brighton and Hove Council on various commercial property matters in relation to the Brighton Marina.
Advising Lancashire County Council on the Haweswater Aqueduct Resilience Programme, a project replacing all six tunnel sections along the length of a water supply aqueduct serving 2.5 million people in Northwest England.
Advising the Wiltshire Council on the multimillion-pound development of a bridge over a railway line.
Lawyers
Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Practice head
Madeleine Davitt; Malcolm Iley
Other key lawyers
Philippa Hipwell; Stephanie Hall