SRA Board announced
Date Published: 18-08-2009
Today the Law Society announced the members of the new Solicitors Regulation Authority Board (SRA) who will take up their posts on 1st January 2010. It is intended that a further two members - a solicitor from a smaller high street firm, and a lay person with a business background -will be appointed in the autumn following a further recruitment process.
In June the Law Society announced that Charles Plant had been appointed to Chair of the SRA Board.
The appointments of board members were made by an independent panel, chaired by the former Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Elizabeth Filkin, and included Charles Plant, a Law Society Office Holder, and an OCPA-accredited assessor.
Robert Heslett, Law Society President, said: "I'm confident the new Board will build on the achievements of the current Board and will establish SRA as an exemplar of best modern regulation. With the breadth of knowledge and experience shared on the Board I am sure that it will be forward thinking, developing its approach to regulation in the best interest of clients, solicitors and the public we serve."
Charles Plant, incoming Chair of the Board, said: " The SRA Board - like other legal regulators - faces significant challenges. There is a particular need to ensure that regulation of the whole profession is proportionate and effective for firms of all shapes and sizes; that it enjoys the confidence of both clients and the wide diversity of solicitors who make up the profession; that it establishes an appropriate regulatory framework for firms serving corporate clients; and that the SRA is ready to license ABS firms from 2011. We have assembled a strong Board to address these challenges."
Antony Townsend, Chief Executive of the SRA, said: "The wide range of experience amongst the members of the new Board will help lead the SRA in its developing programme of modernisation during a period of intense change and reform. My colleagues and I in the SRA executive look forward to working with the new Board to deliver effective and efficient regulation in the public interest."
The members of the new Board are as follows:
Solicitor members
Yvonne Brown * - in private practice, Yvonne Brown & Co. Solicitors; former Chair and Director of the Black Solicitors Network.
Martin Coleman - Global Head of Competition Law Group, Norton Rose LLP; member of the Legal Services Consultative Panel
Mark Humphries - Director of Mark Humphries Limited; recently retired as a partner and head of advocacy with Linklaters .
Tom Keevil - General Counsel and Company Secretary United Utilities PLC.
Cindy Leslie- partner dispute resolution, Denton Wilde Sapte.
Malcolm Nicholson - recently retired partner and head of the competition team at Slaughter & May; a member of the Competition Commission.
Lucy Winskell - partner Sintons LLP
Lay members
Dr Susan Bews* - former medical director of a pharmaceutical company; member of the Bar Standards Complaints Committee;
Tony Hobman - Chief Executive, the Pensions Regulator
Ian Menzies-Conacher - chartered accountant; former Group Taxation Director with Barclays bank;
Sara Nathan OBE - Chair of the Home Office Animal Procedures Committee, member of the JAC and the Youth Crime Commission; BBC Trust Consultant Editorial Adviser, former member of the Ofcom Board and Editor of Channel 4 News.
Sir Ron Watson CBE - Board Member of Standards for England; Chair of Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust; Former member of the Audit Commission;Vice Chair of the Local Government Association Urban Commission
Stephen Whittle OBE * - Chair Broadcast Training and Skills Regulator; former Controller, Editorial Policy BBC; GMC member
Ends
For more information please contact Melissa Davis in the Law Society press office on 020 73205811
