Speakers: Lizzy Acker, Eleanor Curzon, Alex Mills
Chair: Rachel Birks, Ward Hadaway
Description: Join Junior ARDL (JARDL) for this seminar in collaboration with 23ES. Hear from a panel of barristers at 23ES on variety of bite-size topics, followed by interactive discussion and the opportunity to network. The seminar is aimed at junior members of ARDL (0-10 years PQE) to help develop essential knowledge and skills in regulatory and disciplinary law.
Lizzy Acker will speak about regulatory and professional discipline litigation from the perspective of the panel, including practical tips on the presentation of cases.
Eleanor Curzon will discuss artificial intelligence (AI) in the context of fitness to practise cases, touching on the available guidance, things to be aware of when AI may have been used by a registrant, and considerations to accommodate the introduction of AI in proceedings.
Alex Mills will speak about how to approach hearsay evidence in regulatory matters, from the perspective of both the regulator and the defence.
The Chair
Rachel Birks is a partner at Ward Hadaway where she heads the firm’s Professional Discipline and Regulatory team. She is also a Legally Qualified Chair at the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service and the immediate past chair of ARDL. Rachel has practised in regulatory law for some 23 years and is ranked in Band 2 for Professional Discipline in Chambers and Partners. Her work spans several sectors including healthcare, social care, childcare, professional services and the built environment.
The Speakers
Lizzy Acker is a barrister at 23ES. Lizzy presents, defends, chairs and acts as an Independent Legal Advisor in Fitness to Practise and Appeal cases. She often acts for professional clients in parallel criminal trials and Fitness to Practise proceedings. She has been instructed by various national regulators to review and improve their presentation of cases and/or the applicable law. Examples include, redrafting published FTP and sanctions guidance for a financial regulator, training investigators for an education regulator, training lawyers in witness handling at a medical regulator, training all teams in vulnerable and sexual complainant handling in a legal regulator, and reviewing internal processes before redesigning the conduct of sexual misconduct cases by a care regulator. She has just finished prosecuting a long 7-handed criminal money laundering trial and is looking forward to dealing with one client or respondent at a time in civilised surroundings for the rest of the year. She has been ranked in Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners since 2020
Eleanor Curzon is a barrister at 23ES, specialising in fitness to practise, professional disciplinary and regulatory work. She is regularly instructed by the General Medical Council, General Dental Council and Social Work England to present cases, and frequently defends professionals across the healthcare sector, including nurses, optometrists, physiotherapists, dieticians and carers. Eleanor also represents police officers in misconduct proceedings throughout England. Having started her practice exclusively in criminal law, Eleanor is able to bring a wide range of experience from this area into her professional discipline and regulatory practice. In 2025, she undertook a secondment to the Association of Optometrists. In August 2026, she was appointed to the Bar Standards Board’s Tribunal Representation Panel.
Alex Mills is a barrister at 23ES. He practises in regulatory and criminal law. Alex has experience presenting or defending for the majority of the healthcare regulators, as well as accountancy/audit and taxation regulators.