*/
Profession
Regulators should be led by lay chairs because their “mindset can still be too closely tied to, and concerned with, the individual branches of the profession”, despite the physical separation of their representative and regulatory arms, the Legal Services Board (LSB) has claimed.
Its proposal is to amend the internal governance rules to require that the chairs of the boards of the regulatory arms of each approved regulator be a lay person.
Announcing the consultation, Chairman of the LSB, David Edmonds, cautioned that “overly strong ties to the history, culture and rules of professional self-regulation may well have a negative impact on modernisation and independence”.
“Chairs of Boards not in any way tied to the profession is in line with good practice – the 2007 Act stipulates that my post must be held by a lay person – and is a logical next step in internal governance,” he advised. “This proposal is not intended as a criticism of any current or past Chair,” he added.
Responding to news of the consultation, the Bar Standards Board (BSB) said that it “has had a lay majority since January 2012” and “is committed to keeping this”. The spokesperson said that the BSB “currently appoints its Chair on merit, without reference to the need to hold or not to hold a legal qualification,” and added: “we will, as usual, engage constructively with the LSB consultation.”
The BSB Chair, Baroness Deech, comes to the end of her maximum two terms of office at the end of 2014, and applications for a new Chair will open in spring next year.
LSB Chair David Edmonds’ own tenure ends in April 2014, and applications for the £63,000 a year post (for a minimum of 70 days per year) close on 8 November. The Lord Chancellor is looking for “a lay Chair who is passionate about creating an environment in which regulation is as light touch as possible”, “innovative, persuasive”, with “the ability to challenge existing assumptions” and “the commitment and skills to turn those ideas into successful change”.
The consultation closes on 19 November
Its proposal is to amend the internal governance rules to require that the chairs of the boards of the regulatory arms of each approved regulator be a lay person.
Announcing the consultation, Chairman of the LSB, David Edmonds, cautioned that “overly strong ties to the history, culture and rules of professional self-regulation may well have a negative impact on modernisation and independence”.
“Chairs of Boards not in any way tied to the profession is in line with good practice – the 2007 Act stipulates that my post must be held by a lay person – and is a logical next step in internal governance,” he advised. “This proposal is not intended as a criticism of any current or past Chair,” he added.
Responding to news of the consultation, the Bar Standards Board (BSB) said that it “has had a lay majority since January 2012” and “is committed to keeping this”. The spokesperson said that the BSB “currently appoints its Chair on merit, without reference to the need to hold or not to hold a legal qualification,” and added: “we will, as usual, engage constructively with the LSB consultation.”
The BSB Chair, Baroness Deech, comes to the end of her maximum two terms of office at the end of 2014, and applications for a new Chair will open in spring next year.
LSB Chair David Edmonds’ own tenure ends in April 2014, and applications for the £63,000 a year post (for a minimum of 70 days per year) close on 8 November. The Lord Chancellor is looking for “a lay Chair who is passionate about creating an environment in which regulation is as light touch as possible”, “innovative, persuasive”, with “the ability to challenge existing assumptions” and “the commitment and skills to turn those ideas into successful change”.
The consultation closes on 19 November
Profession
Regulators should be led by lay chairs because their “mindset can still be too closely tied to, and concerned with, the individual branches of the profession”, despite the physical separation of their representative and regulatory arms, the Legal Services Board (LSB) has claimed.
The Bar Council faces both opportunities and challenges on our key areas this year
Exclusive Q&A with Henry Dannell
Casey Randall of AlphaBiolabs discusses the benefits of Non-invasive Prenatal Paternity testing for the timely resolution of family disputes
By Louise Crush of Westgate Wealth Management
Have you considered being a barrister in the British Army? Here’s an insight into a career in Army Legal Services
Rachel Davenport, Co-founder and Director at AlphaBiolabs, discusses the role that drug, alcohol and DNA testing can play in non-court dispute resolution (NCDR)
Senior barristers reflect on the progress made since the publication of Race at the Bar: A Snapshot Report in 2021, as well as the persistent challenges and cultural shifts still needed. Interviews by Mariam Diaby
‘Hard work and commitment can open doors. I believe that I am proof of that,’ says Senior Treasury Counsel Louise Oakley. She tells Anthony Inglese CB about her journey from Wolverhampton to the Old Bailey
What's it like being a legal trainee at the Crown Prosecution Service? Amy describes what drew her to the role, the skills required and a typical day in the life
Barbara Mills KC wants to raise the profile of the family Bar. She also wants to improve wellbeing and enhance equality, diversity and inclusion in the profession. She talks to Joshua Rozenberg KC (hon) about her plans for the year ahead
The winning essay is ‘A fiction of defendant participation: Single Justice Procedure offences should be moved to the civil jurisdiction’ by Hal McNulty