Andy Donovan
Founder, Attuned Consulting
Founder & Former CEO, The Compliance Office
Non-practising Solicitor
Regulatory specialist: SRA |AML | Compliance
Executive coach
I have spent more than two decades working at the heart of legal regulation - as a practising lawyer, as a senior figure at the Solicitors Regulation Authority, as the founder and CEO of The Compliance Office, and now through Attuned Consulting.
Over that time I have worked with hundreds of law firms across the full spectrum of the profession. That includes some of the largest and most prestigious firms in the world, major US international firms with UK operations, some of the fastest-growing tech-enabled practices the UK has produced, and brilliant specialist boutiques of one or two people doing exceptional work. I have also worked closely with in-house legal teams, including at household names such as Halfords.
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Through Attuned Consulting, I continue to support lawyers, law firms and investors on the compliance and regulatory challenges that matter most.
I also work with founders and senior professionals as a coach and mentor, helping people lead well, grow sustainably and stay true to what matters to them.
If any of that sounds relevant to where you are right now, I would be glad to have a conversation. You can reach me directly using the details on the contact page.
How I can help
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SRA, AML and compliance consultancy
Regulatory work is what I have built my career on. I advise law firms, lawyers and investors on the full range of SRA and AML compliance challenges, from general compliance support, law firm structuring, ABS authorisation and pre-acquisition due diligence through to systems reviews, independent audits and high-stakes regulatory problems that require real experience and sound judgement. If the issue is complex or if regulation is simply holding you back, this is where I thrive.
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Ethics, SRA and AML training sessions
I still offer training for one reason only - because I love it. I have trained lawyers and law firm staff across the country, spoken at Law Society conferences and appeared on BBC1. My training sessions are practical, engaging and grounded in genuine regulatory experience. Whether you need management development for new partners, one-to-one support for a new COLP or MLRO, or bespoke staff training on ethics, AML or conflicts of interest, I can design and deliver something that actually lands and delivers value.
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Coaching and mentoring
I work with founders, senior lawyers and compliance professionals who want to perform at their best without burning out or losing sight of what matters to them. Drawing on my own experience of building and exiting a business, alongside formal coaching qualifications and counselling training, I offer a space to think clearly, talk honestly and make better decisions.
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My style is warm, direct and genuinely supportive. It can be a lonely road. A good coach makes it less so.
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Andy's background prior to founding Attuned
2014-2025
The Compliance Office: building a market-leading consultancy from scratch​
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In 2014, my wife and I founded The Compliance Office from our kitchen table. Starting as a part-time personal consultancy, it grew steadily into what became the UK's leading specialist consultancy for SRA compliance, serving thousands of law firm staff and hundreds of firms across the country.
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Under my leadership, and with the support of a brilliant team, the business developed a national reputation for practical, high-quality compliance support, online training and SRA authorisation work. We built a proprietary online platform, grew a specialist team and became the go-to provider for law firms navigating complex regulatory challenges - including ABS authorisation, AML compliance, COLP and COFA support, and high-stakes regulatory investigations.
The business was acquired by a publicly traded company, and subsequently became part of the portfolio of Inflexion, one of the UK's most prominent private equity groups with a strong track record in the legal and professional services sector. I stepped down as CEO following the acquisition.
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The compliance consultancy work I now do through Attuned Consulting draws on everything built and learned across that decade, with a focus on the work I love to do most.
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Training and speaking: ethics, AML and professional standards
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Alongside consultancy work, I have become a sought-after speaker and trainer on professional ethics, AML and regulatory compliance for lawyers.
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I have appeared on BBC1 and spoken at multiple Law Society conferences, and have written for and contributed to publications including LexisNexis and Practical Law. My training sessions draw on real regulatory experience rather than textbook knowledge, which tends to make them more useful and more memorable for the people in the room.
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Sessions cover management and leadership development (including for new partners and managers), one-to-one support for new role-holders such as COLPs, COFAs, MLROs and MLCOs, staff training on ethics, the SRA Code of Conduct, AML and conflicts of interest, specialist training for in-house lawyers, and bespoke sessions tailored to the specific needs of the firm.
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Tribunal and NED Roles
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Outside of my consultancy and coaching work, I have held several broader professional roles that have shaped my perspective on regulation, governance and professional conduct.
I served for over ten years as a Tribunal Member at the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service, sitting part-time on disciplinary and fitness-to-practise hearings concerning doctors. I also served on the Board of CILEx Regulation, the independent regulator of Chartered Legal Executives, between 2014 and 2021, with a further period of advisory support to the Board thereafter.
These roles have given me a breadth of regulatory experience that goes well beyond the legal sector, and inform the depth of perspective I bring to compliance and governance work.​​
2007 - 2014
The Solicitors Regulation Authority: seven years at the centre of legal regulation
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Before founding The Compliance Office, I spent nearly eight years at the Solicitors Regulation Authority, ultimately managing the General Counsel team.
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That time gave me an unusually deep understanding of how legal regulation actually works from the inside. My work included advising internally on legal powers, enforcement policy and public law, drafting and contributing to the SRA Handbook - the regulatory framework that still governs solicitors in England and Wales today - and leading on information compliance and disclosure.
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I was also closely involved in the authorisation and regulatory design work that paved the way for Alternative Business Structures (ABS), the landmark change that opened up law firm ownership to non-lawyers and investors. That experience gave me a genuine and practical understanding of how the regulatory framework was built, what it is trying to achieve and where the pressure points lie - which continues to inform everything I do for clients today.
2001 - 2007
Where it began: legal private practice
Before joining the SRA I spent a number of years as a fee earner at two leading regional law firms. That experience built the foundations: detailed evidence analysis, legal drafting, liability investigation and client advocacy. It also gave me a genuine appreciation of what life in private practice actually looks like from the inside, which still informs how I work with law firms and coaching clients today.
