[1]Deech: Lavin has played instrumental role in development of BSB
Two of the legal profession’s regulators are to begin recruitment exercises following senior resignations, Legal Futures can reveal.
Mandie Lavin is stepping down as director of the Bar Standards Board (BSB), while Nick Smedley has resigned from the board of ILEX Professional Standards (IPS).
Ms Lavin, who joined the BSB two years ago from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, where she was director of fitness to practise and legal affairs, said: “I leave the Bar Standards Board and its work in very good health. A great deal of progress has been made since I commenced in the role in June 2008. I have a six-month notice period and am working with the board to ensure an effective transition to the new director. I am very grateful to the board, who have been superb to work with. I also give enormous thanks to the staff at the BSB, who are an amazing, hard-working and talented group of people. I have especially enjoyed working with Baroness Ruth Deech, the chair of the BSB, and the Inns, who occupy a special place in my heart.”
Baroness Deech said: “We are very sorry to see Mandie leave the Bar Standards Board but wish her well in her future endeavours. Mandie has led the Bar Standards Board from being an embryonic organisation to being a fully operational independent regulator. She has been instrumental in the progress made as the Legal Services Act 2007 has taken effect. She has also ensured that we will have proper staff and systems to support the board’s work. We are very grateful for all her effort as well as her achievements. She will be sorely missed by us all.”
Meanwhile, Mr Smedley has stood down after being asked by the Law Society to undertake a preliminary scoping study into whether it should develop or endorse qualifications for paralegals (see story here [2]).
An IPS statement said: “Dr Smedley recognised that there is a conflict of interest in him carrying out this study and remaining as a member of the regulatory board for legal executives, and accordingly tendered his resignation from the board with immediate effect.
“On learning of Dr Smedley’s resignation, IPS chairman Alan Kershaw praised the fact that Dr Smedley had acted quickly to deal with the conflict issue and also recognised the important contribution Dr Smedley had made to the establishment and good governance of IPS.”