MINISTRY OF JUSTICE
News Release (033/08) issued by The Government News Network on 23
April 2008
The Lord
Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Jack Straw, today
announced the appointment of David Edmonds as the first chair of
the Legal Services Board, following consultation with the Lord
Chief Justice of England and Wales.
"I am delighted that David Edmonds will be taking on this
important role. I am confident that he will provide excellent
leadership for the first Legal Services Board."
"The Legal Services Board is a new office, created as part
of the wider legal services reforms as embodied in the Legal
Services Act 2007. The aims of the organisation are clear - to put
the consumer first and to promote competition, innovation, and
transparency."
"As the first Chair, Mr Edmonds will take the lead in
setting the strategic direction of the Board to ensure that these
aims are met."
Mr Edmonds will formally take up post on 1 May 2008. The term of
appointment is until May 2011.
Notes for editors
1. David Edmonds has extensive experience of leading effective
senior management teams in commercial and public sector
organisations. After a career in the senior civil service and as
Chief Executive of the Housing Corporation, he spent seven years
as a Managing Director within the NatWest Group. His regulatory
experience includes five years as Director General of
Telecommunications and two years as a founding member of the Board
of Ofcom. He is currently the Chair of the Board of NHS Direct. He
has served for four years as a Commissioner at the Legal Services
Commission. He will leave both those posts in the next few months.
He is also a non-executive director of a number of PLCs, and a
Trustee of the Social Market Foundation. He holds an Honorary
Doctorate of Letters from Keele University.
2. Mr Edmonds was appointed in consultation with the Lord Chief
Justice of England and Wales, as prescribed under Schedule 1,
section 1(3) of the Legal Services Act 2007.
3. The Legal Services Act 2007 set the stage for wide-ranging
reforms to the provision and regulation of legal services in
England and Wales. The Act establishes the Legal Services Board
(LSB), which will be a single independent oversight regulator that
will replace the current oversight regulators. The Act establishes
the Office for Legal Complaints (OLC), which will administer an
ombudsman scheme that will deal with all consumer complaints about
legal services. The Act also enables the creation of alternative
business structures between lawyers and non-lawyers.
4. The LSB will be independent from government and the legal
profession. It will be a public body sponsored by the Ministry of
Justice (MoJ). The Chair and other board members will be
responsible for the design and outlook of the organisation, for
establishing the new regulatory framework and for providing
oversight of approved regulators and licensing authorities. The
LSB will become fully operational by early 2010.
http://www.justice.gov.uk
