Fish Legal's legal work is overseen by a Legal Advisory Committee made up of practicing and non-practicing lawyers and academics.

Andrew Nathan, Chair of Legal Advisory Committee

Andrew is a solicitor with the company Hextalls Limited having been with the firm for over 40 years under its various different guises. He is a litigation solicitor and deals with a variety of insurance liability claims for various insurers.

He is a lifelong angler and says that he cannot remember a time when he had no interest in fishing. Although no one in his immediate family fished and he is therefore largely self-taught, his mother was born in Guernsey in the Channel Islands and two of her brothers (his uncles) were very keen anglers. It is therefore in his DNA... at least that is his excuse. Whilst he no longer gets the time to go coarse fishing as often as he would like he is as happy to fish a storm beach during the long winter nights for cod as he is fishing on the drift over sandbanks and reefs in the Channel Islands, fishing off rocks for mullet, casting a fly off the beach for bass or casting a fly on the Tweed for salmon and sea trout.

Happily he has passed on his passion to his son and they manage to fish together for a couple of weeks during the year up in Scotland, now joined regularly by another Legal Advisory Committee member and close friend Nick Baldock. Andrew has Nick to thank for it was Nick who introduced him to and got him involved with the old ACA LAC and he has been happy to serve on the committee and as a board member of Fish Legal to give something back to the sport that he has gained so much from.

Andrew also sits on the boards of several charities and is churchwarden of a church in Bromley. In his "spare" time he has a keen interest in most sport, in particular rugby and is to be found at most home (and some away) games supporting Blackheath from the touchline.

Tim Pryke, Legal Advisory Committee Member

Tim is a retired solicitor from Woodbridge, in Suffolk.  As a partner in private practice he specialised in general litigation with an emphasis on family law and was amongst the first solicitors in the country to qualify as a collaborative lawyer. Failing sight led to his retiring from full time work in 1997 since when he has operated as a part time consultant.

Tim caught his first fish (a roach) at the age of 5 and has been “hooked” ever since.  Describing himself as an angler first and a lawyer second he has sat on numerous committees representing angling at local, regional and national level.  He was an ardent supporter of the ACA  and has been a member of the Legal Advisory Committee of Fish Legal almost since its inception.

Tim’s passion is fishing for barbel and chub on his beloved river Wye, a river that he has fished for five or six weeks of each year since first setting foot there in 1988.  He is equally at home with a fly rod in hand fishing for trout and grayling and most winters you will find him fishing for cod and whiting off the beaches of East Anglia.  Away from fishing he is an ardent supporter of Ipswich Town Football Club.

William (Bill) Howarth, Legal Advisory Committee Member

Bill Howarth, B.A., LL.M., MIFM, CE, FRSA, FCIWEM is Professor of Environmental Law in Kent Law School at the University of Kent and Programme Coordinator of the Masters Programmes in Environmental Law and Policy, and International Environmental Law in Kent Law School.

He is a past Editor of the Journal of Water Law, author of Freshwater Fishery Law, Water Pollution Law, The Law of Aquaculture, The Law of the National Rivers Authority, Wisdom's Law of Watercourses (and co author of the 2011 edition) Flood Defence Law; co-author of Land Drainage and Flood Defence Responsibilities and Water Pollution and Water Quality Law; co-editor of Agriculture, Conservation and Land Use; consultant editor of Halsbury's Laws of England (5th Edition, Volumes 100 and 101, Water and Waterways (2009) and Volumes 45 and 46 Environmental Quality and Public Health (2010)) and author of over 100 reports, monographs, and academic journal articles on diverse aspects of water and environmental law.

He is Honorary Legal Adviser to the Institute of Fisheries Management, the Regional Representative for the International Association for Water Law, a member of the United Kingdom Environmental Law Association and the Agricultural Law Association. 

Peter Carty, Legal Advisory Committee Member

Pete is a solicitor with the Environment Agency specialising in Flood and Coastal Risk Management and also advises on fisheries, water and conservation law.

Pete has been involved with Fish Legal since 1992 when, working with Simon Jackson, they acted for the Anglers’ Co-Operative Association, the original name of the organisation set up by John Eastwood in the early 1950s.  During that time Pete has seen many changes and has noted how much broader the work has become especially with the creation of the Angling Trust, giving angling a louder voice.

It was his work with the ACA that prompted Pete to book a casting lesson on a still water and he had found a new hobby.  Pete has been a member of the Frensham Fly Fishers for nearly 20 years and is now a member of their committee.  He concentrates on fly fishing for trout in rivers, mostly going to his club’s waters but also taking on the challenge of Devon’s watercourses.  Pete is also a keen cyclist and tries to get out on his bike a couple of times a week, weather and fishing permitting.

Stephen Illingworth, Legal Advisory Committee Member

Avid fisherman and solicitor, Stephen Illingworth, has over 25 years’ of experience dealing with commercial property matters.   As you will know well, no two fishing expeditions are the same.  When it comes to catching a fish all sorts of skills are required.  It’s very much the same in legal matters.  

Stephen is a commercially minded lawyer who understands how property works in a legal context -and who finds ways to enable matters to proceed.   This knowledge is key to Stephen’s success, along with his extraordinary desire to get things done in spite of how complex or difficult a situation may be.

Stephen’s specialties include investment acquisitions, development acquisitions (and setting up plot sales), overage (including setting up, avoidance and rectification), commercial leases including advice on current trends, so you get a better deal) and S.106 planning agreements

The Chamber Directory for 2015/2016 comments that his clients say that he "thinks outside the box". He is commended by Legal 500 for his ability to ensure work is “always on time and on budget.” The Chambers and Partners 2015 directory recognises that he is “highly regarded as a "very thorough, very straightforward" practitioner. Clients are impressed and appreciate his sound advice and willingness to provide "invaluable" views on key issues.”

John Stirling, Legal Advisory Committee Member

John is a Solicitor Advocate from Edinburgh.  He specialises in property related disputes but maintains an interest in contract and family work.  Brought up on the west coast of Scotland, John caught his first sea trout at aged 10 and at night.  He has dreamed of catching fish ever since.