Nicola Doole
- Experience
Nicky qualified as a Solicitor in August 1998 and joined Birketts in January 2016. She is a Legal Director in our Planning and Environmental Team. Nicky is based in our Ipswich office.
Nicky has over 20 years’ experience working within local government at both County and District Councils covering child protection, property, housing and highways before specialising in planning 15 years ago. Whilst working for a regional City Council, she undertook a broad range of planning matters including planning enforcement, judicial review proceedings, planning appeals, she was the planning Solicitor for the Council’s planning committee, preparing s106 agreements and was also part of the implementation team for the Council when they were seeking to adopt the Community Infrastructure Levy.
During her time at the City Council, she was heavily involved on the planning side of the major regeneration works to modernise the city centre. Negotiating and preparing the very complex section 106 agreements, taking on some heavyweight Partners from some London firms to get the development underway. In addition to the town centre regeneration she was part of the planning team that worked on a new integrated neighbourhood community for the city; the s106 agreement included three new schools, new train station, relief road linking to a major trunk road and moving electricity pylons.
Nicky gained a great deal of experience whilst working in local government and still acts for some of our local authority clients in respect of their complex s106 agreements. In addition, she has used the wealth of knowledge she gained to also assist both our developer clients and individuals seeking to obtain and implement their own planning permissions. Shortly after joining Birketts, she successfully negotiated a complex s106 agreement for the famous London Trocadero Centre.
Nicky continues to advise our clients in respect of the very difficult area of the Community Infrastructure Levy. Planning agents regularly send their clients’ to her for advice on this highly complex area of law and she recently managed to save a client in excess of £1.25 million that the local authority wanted to charge the charity for a development in London.
Nicky is also able to turn her hand to objecting to development too and recently along with the Property Litigation Team has been assisting with some pressure groups, both locally and nationally with great success, including Stansted, Luton and the Ipswich Northern Bypass.
Nicola has a law and economics degree and holds the Legal Practice Diploma.
Nicola is recommended and named as a ‘Rising Star’ by Legal 500 [UK 2024].
Nicola has a law and economics degree and holds the Legal Practice Diploma.
Nicola is recommended and named as a ‘Rising Star’ by Legal 500 [UK 2024]. Clients in the previous edition said”Nicola Doole – exceptional manner, availability and efficiency.” In an earlier edition, Nicky was described as “excellent at providing clear, effective and timely advice on legal agreements and always making sure I know the current position on our work together”. Another client added “Nicky Doole provides clear and effective advice, with excellent client-side manner. Very approachable.”
Awards and Memberships
Nicola Doole – exceptional manner, availability and efficiency
Legal 500 [UK 2023]
