Two appointments to Scottish Legal Complaints Commission

Legal Affairs Minister Annabelle Ewing named Jim Martin as chair and Morag Sheppard as a new board member.

Mr Martin was previously Scottish Public Services Ombudsman from 2009 to 2017, Police Complaints Commissioner for Scotland from 2007 to 2009, a member of the Scottish Funding Council from 2004 to 2009, and general secretary of the EIS trade union from 1987 to 1995. He is currently a member of the Scottish Government Panel to Review the Regulation of Legal Services in Scotland.

Paying tribute to his predecessor, Mr Martin said: “Bill Brackenridge has led the organisation through a significant period of improvement in governance, performance and engagement. He helped open the door to reforms which could help better serve consumers and the legal sector, as well as dealing with some major challenges to the system.

“I am delighted to join at a time where there is real opportunity for further improvement and reform, and look forward to meeting consumer groups and professionals as we set the agenda for the coming decade.”

He also thanked Professor Kevin Dunion OBE for his service, as he has also come to the end of his statutory five year appointment.

Ms Sheppard retired from Capita Life and Pensions in June 2015, where she was frameworks director since October 2012, creating and implementing operational control frameworks deployed in the UK, Europe and India. Prior to that she was operations director from April 2008. She has studied at the Universities of Aberdeen, Munich and Edinburgh.

Her background includes corporate governance; implementing organisational change; and operational risk management in a highly regulated sector. She has directed a large complaints function, resolving a variety of complaints from the public and professional advisors.

Neil Stevenson, SLCC chief executive, said: “There has been a strong response to these and other recent vacancies on our Board, with significant competition and high calibre candidates. Members not only carry out a leadership and governance role but are also involved in some of the final binding decisions on individual complaints within our system.

“We are delighted to welcome Jim and Morag, these appointments finalise the line-up of our top team for the next few years and prepare us for what we anticipate will be a radical period of change in legal regulation and particularly complaints handling.”