Appointment of the new Chair of the Legal Services Board

The Lord Chancellor in consultation with the Lord Chief Justice announced the appointment of Sir Michael Pitt as Chair of the Legal Services Board (LSB). This appointment is for 3 years from 1 May 2014 and is subject to clearance.

The Chair receives a non-pensionable remuneration of £63,000 pa for a commitment of at least 70 days a year. The LSB is funded by an annual levy upon the legal profession.

The LSB was established by the Legal Services Act 2007 and is responsible for overseeing the regulation of legal services in England and Wales. It is independent of Government and of the legal profession, and oversees the bodies that regulate approximately 147,000 lawyers. The LSB is also responsible for appointments to the Office for Legal Complaints, and for overseeing the administration of the Legal Ombudsman scheme that resolves complaints about legal services.

The LSB comprises of a Chairman and seven members. The Board is supported by the Chief Executive and about 30 members of staff.

This appointment was made in accordance with the Code of Practice of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

Sir Michael Pitt biography

In the first half of his career, Sir Michael was involved in planning, design and construction of transport and other infrastructure in this country and abroad, working for the private and public sectors. Subsequently, he held appointments in several of the country's largest local authorities; from 1990 to 2005 he was Chief Executive of Cheshire and Kent County Councils.

More recently, Sir Michael has worked on a wide range of consultancy assignments, including a year-long appointment as independent Chair of the Government's review of the 2007 floods. He has also been Chair of a number of other organisations including NHS South West, two companies and a charity. He continues as Chair and Chief Executive of the national Planning Inspectorate until he takes up his new appointment as Chair of the LSB.

This appointment was made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, in accordance with the Code of Practice of the Commissioner for Public Appointments, there is a requirement for an appointee's political activity (if any declared) to be made public. Sir Michael has declared that he has not been involved in any political activity.