Nick Leale is a dual-qualified barrister and solicitor, specialising in professional regulation and compliance. He has extensive experience in professional disciplinary law and regulatory risk, having worked in various high-profile roles throughout his career.
Nick has held several leadership positions, leading professional conduct teams and overseeing business groups and risk teams. In 2023, he became European General Counsel and Head of Legal Practice (HOLP) at an AMLaw 200 alternative business structure law firm, and subsequently Managing Partner of the firm’s London office.
Nick has acted for regulators and professionals across various sectors, including legal, accountancy, medical & healthcare, education, engineering, and sport. He has managed many complex professional regulatory cases and presented them before various regulatory conduct committees. As the Regulatory Business Group Head at his previous firm, Nick was part of the operational management team of the firm, overseeing a team of over 50 regulatory lawyers.
In 2012, Nick was appointed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority to prosecute cases before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT). This work involved advising on evidence, drafting allegations, and presenting substantive hearings on the SRA’s behalf.
Since 2016, Nick has served as a Legal Chair of the Football Association’s National Serious Case Panel. In this role, Nick has adjudicated on cases involving various forms of discrimination and serious assaults on match officials. He was the decision-maker in the FA’s first ground closure cases following the introduction of new sanction powers in 2022.
From 2014 to 2023, Nick acted as a Legal Assessor to the Professional Conduct Panels of the Teaching Regulation Agency and in 2024 was appointed as a Legal Assessor to the conduct panels of the General Pharmaceutical Council and the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy, for whom he also acts as an Independent Reviewer of internal decisions and as an adjudicator on appeals.
In his role as HOLP, and General Counsel (and MLCO), he was responsible for all aspects of the firm’s Risk & Compliance functions, advising on client due diligence, AML compliance, cross-border conflict rules, regulatory policies, complaints handling, GDPR, and ICO referrals.
In March 2024, Nick was asked to assist in reviewing the future sustainability of the firm’s UK office, leading to the decision to wind down the UK operation in July 2024. He has since been working to ensure a compliant disposal of the UK business, protecting the interests of clients and stakeholders.
He has been a member of the Management Committee of the Association of Regulatory & Disciplinary Lawyers (ARDL) since 2008, acting as the association’s Treasurer.
Nick was called to the Bar in 1998 and cross-qualified as a solicitor in 2008.
We can have very open discussions with him, and he works quickly to resolve issues and share information. (Chambers and Partners UK 2022)
He delivers extensive knowledge in a thoughtful, measured manner that non-legal people can understand. (Legal 500 2020)
…He also fully considers the human factors played out within regulatory frameworks and reflects those considerations when advising those undertaking investigations. (Legal 500 2020)