Heather is a Paralegal in Backhouse Jones’ road regulatory team and is an Associate Member of CILEx (the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives) having passed Level 3 Professional Diploma in Law & Practice.
Heather joined Backhouse Jones in December 2013 after spending 6 years working at a specialist personal injury law firm dealing with road traffic accident cases and developing a broad range of legal skills.
Since joining Backhouse Jones, Heather has been an integral part of the road regulatory team and gained experience dealing with a vast array of operator licensing and regulatory matters working alongside Andrew Woolfall, John Heaton and Amy Smith.
Heather’s particular specialism is advising operators in connection with Operator’s Licence applications (both new applications and variations to existing licences) and she uses her extensive expertise in this area – as well as the strong relationships she has developed with Central Licensing Unit and the Office of the Traffic Commissioner – to lead the firm’s Applications Team.
Heather is adept at handling particularly complex applications arising through business restructures (involving a change of entity or the insolvency of the licence holding entity) as well as applications where there is previous adverse history. Heather is also skilled at dealing with matters relating to financial standing.
Heather works closely with Amy Smith, advising operators in connection with complex applications, DVSA investigations, bridge strikes and preparation for Public Inquiry, and with Jonathon Backhouse in conducting reviews of operators’ compliance systems and procedures.
In her spare time, Heather uses Reiki therapy to unwind and enjoys spending time with her two daughters and walking her dogs, Harry and Eric.