Following the announcement in January that Baroness Tessa Blackstone will be stepping down as Chair of the Bar Standards Board in the summer in order to focus on other activities the BSB has now appointed Inclusive Boards to help us to find a new Chair. Details of the role and how to apply can be found here https://www.inclusiveboards.co.uk/opportunities and the deadline for applications is Sunday 5 June.
We seek to appoint a Chair who will work with the Board and executive team to lead the organisation through a time of far-reaching change in the legal services market and its regulation. The BSB welcomes applications from all candidates and values diversity in background, skills and experience. We particularly welcome applications from people from minority ethnic backgrounds as they are underrepresented on our Board.
The Chair will be an experienced non-executive who has never been a member of the legal profession, ideally with previous chairing experience. They will have a significant and successful track record of senior leadership gained in either the public or private sector, together with demonstrable experience of working with and influencing boards. The Chair will have an understanding of public interest regulation and will be passionate about the role a professional regulator plays, demonstrated through a commitment to upholding standards and ensuring good governance and transparency. The Chair will be a visible leader, able to motivate those around them, exercising diplomacy and sensitivity when required yet willing to challenge the status quo when needed. They will have a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and will have the ability to think strategically about where the Board might focus its efforts in this regard. The Chair’s integrity, standing and judgement will inspire public confidence in the regulatory arrangements and hold the respect of a highly educated, demanding and articulate profession.
All candidates must meet the definition of a “lay person” as defined by the Legal Services Act. They must never have been authorised to supply legal services by an approved regulator (e.g. as a barrister, solicitor, legal executive etc.) in England or Wales or have been a Scottish solicitor or advocate or a Northern Irish solicitor or barrister.
Disabled candidates who require reasonable adjustments should contact Inclusive Boards via [email protected] or call 020 7267 8369. The Bar Standards Board is Disability Confident. Disabled candidates who meet the essential criteria for this role will be guaranteed a first stage interview under this scheme.
ENDS
Notes to editors
About the Bar Standards Board
Our mission is to regulate barristers and specialised legal services businesses in England and Wales in the public interest. For more information about what we do visit: http://bit.ly/1gwui8t
Contact: For all media enquiries call: 020 7611 4691 or email [email protected].
