Philippa Leigh llb

When did you start working at Beverley Bell Consulting & Training?

I began working at Beverley Bell Consulting and Training in February 2023.

What does your job entail on a daily basis? 

I work closely with Christina, and we are usually the first point of contact when a client is called to a Public Inquiry or Preliminary Hearing. We have an initial 30-minute call with a new client, which is free of charge, to find out about the case and see how we can help. We then work closely with Beverley in advance of the hearings as detailed preparation can make such a difference to the outcome. Clients are often very worried about the hearing; we help to take the pressure off by doing as much as we can for them. Time limits are always very tight and so we obtain all relevant documents, check they are correct, collate and schedule them and send them to the Office of the Traffic Commissioner once Beverley has checked them with her eagle eye for detail. We also take statements from clients in advance of the hearing and deal with any queries they have. The more we can do to reduce their stress the better!

Christina and I also help Beverley when we prepare submissions to the Office of the Traffic Commissioner for new operator licence applications or applications to change or increase existing licences.

Another key part of my role is ensuring clients respond to DVSA desk-based assessments or investigations in time and that they give the best possible response.

And finally, I deal with Beverley’s questions on a daily basis which usually start with “Philippa, please can you just…………?” And I have been known to stand half on a train and half on a station platform to ensure the train doesn’t leave until Beverley has got on!

Why Beverley Bell?

I had graduated from University with an Upper 2:1 in Law and then Beverley and my Mum got chatting in a pub (classic Northern way of networking, I know!) and Mum told Beverley I was looking for a new role and so I went to meet her and here we are! I think it was fate and I couldn’t be happier. Beverley Bell Consulting and Training has enabled me to put my legal knowledge in to practice and to learn a totally new area of legislation that I didn’t know existed before working here. I now look at lorries, buses, and coaches in a totally different way!

What is your favourite part of working at Beverley Bell Consulting & Training?

My favourite part is guiding our clients through the Public Inquiry process from start to finish and getting the best possible outcome. Preparation for a Public Inquiry hearing is a stressful process for operators, and it is very rewarding to work with them to present the best possible case to the Traffic Commissioner and to take as much of that worry away as we can. When Beverley sends her WhatsApp message to the team to say she is going offline as she has gone into the Public Inquiry room, I can’t wait for her message to come in later to tell us the result. It is such a lovely feeling when my phone beeps with her message with a great result.

That, of course, is often the start of our relationship with our clients and not the end as we then look after them to ensure they continue to keep the Traffic Commissioner and DVSA happy.

What is a fun fact about yourself?

I am qualified to be a Singing Teacher, but I now also know how fast I can run along a train platform to get on the train whilst Beverley catches up!

How will you advance your career at Beverley Bell Consulting and Training?

I am going to study this year with Beverley Bell Training to obtain both TM CPC qualifications in Goods and Passengers. I also hope to study for the Chartered Institute of Legal Executive Level 7 exam in September and I would like to be able to do some advocacy work in the future.