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Law Society announces new Chief Executive Regulation

 

In anticipation of the Clementi reforms, and the governments proposals for reorganising delivery of legal services across the UK, the Regulation Board of the Law Society has announced the appointment of Antony Townsend as Chief Executive Regulation.

 

Townsend has been chief executive of the General Dental Council since 2001. Prior to that, he held a number of roles at the General Medical Council, including Director of Standards and Education, and Head of Conduct. His earlier career was with the Home Office, where, according to the Law Society’s press release, he worked primarily on “criminal justice issues”.

 

Under the new proposals, ultimate responsibility for regulating the profession will be vested in a new overarching authority, to be known as the Legal Services Board (LSB), who will delegate powers of regulation to other approved organizations - such as the Law Society, for instance. Not surprisingly, the Law Society is determined to hold on to it’s regulatory function, especially of the alternative business structures that will be permitted under the new regulatory regime, and Townsend’s primary task will be to ensure that they do.

 

According to Peter Williamson, chairman of the Law Society regulation board, Townsend “has a wealth of experience in the field of professional regulation”, and “is ideally placed to lead the Society’s preparation to become a leading front line regulator in the new legal framework”.

 

Townsend has made it clear that he intends to be “consumer focused”. Practitioners can read more on the Law Society’s web site.