FRATERNITY FRIENDS: ‘Independent’ Scottish Legal Complaints Commission seek new legal & non-legal board members - with an interest in lawyers

Related to a lawyer? Board positions on offer at legal quango. SCOTLAND’S pro-lawyer regulator of solicitors – the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (SLCC) has announced a new recruitment round for legal and ‘non-legal’ board members.

The five year term for two ‘non-legal’ and one legal board member, scooping up a fee of £212 per day including expenses claims for just about anything candidates can imagine are up for grabs at the ‘independent’ legal complaints quango - now run by a former director of the Law Society of Scotland.

For the daily sum and expenses – funded by hikes in legal fees to clients, SLCC board members will be expected to attend or participate in board meetings held in Edinburgh on the last Tuesday of every second month (January, March etc.).

On the last Tuesday of the other months, members can pick up a fee for attending the “Performance Board” - lasting no more than an hour.

Determination Committees – which rubber stamp ‘recommendations’ from the Law Society of Scotland - are usually held on Wednesdays in Edinburgh.

If appointed you will be expected to take up your position as either Legal or Non-legal Member on 1st April 2016.  Each appointee will be expected to attend a two day induction, which is currently scheduled for 11th and 12th April 2016.

Full details of the ‘skills’, ‘knowledge’ and ‘experience’ required for these appointments are contained in the Applicant Information Pack.

Closing date for applications is Monday 4th January 2016.  Interviews will be held on the 27th and / or 28th January 2016 in Edinburgh.

Interested applicants can contact former Law Society Director Neil Stevenson on 0131 201 2189 or by email at Neil.Stevenson@ScottishLegalComplaints.org.uk.

The recruitment notice put out by the SLCC states Mr Stevenson “can also arrange a chat with one of the current Members” and that “Discussions are confidential, and separate to the recruitment process.”

Neil Stevenson was appointed  to the post of SLCC Chief Executive earlier this year after the resignation of previous Chief Executive Matthew Vickers, and increasing frustration at the Law Society over the direction the SLCC was taking under an ‘independent’ CEO.

Stevenson’s appointment came after a bad year for the Law Society in the wake of the BBC Scotland investigation Lawyers Behaving Badly -  which blew the mask off lawyers investigating their own and legal aid fraud.

With the announcement of the latest round of board positions to the seven year old solicitors complaints quango, it is worth looking back on the register of interests of the current complement of the SLCC’s board – which has managed to steer the legal complaints quango in every direction the Law Society of Scotland insisted.

The changes, and growth of current board members interests in the latest 2015 SLCC board members register can be compared with the 2013 version, reported here: Solicitors regulator SLCC’s Board Members Interests reveals connections, influence & how quango positions, consultancy empires are built behind closed doors

SLCC Board Members Register of Interests 2015:

Bill Brackenridge: Non-Executive Director of the State Hospital Board. Chairman, Argyll & Bute Adult Protection Committee.

George Clark: Formerly Director of Scottish Building Society and SBS Mortgages Limited (retired 30/5/13). Formerly Consultant/Partner with Morton Fraser LLP from 1979 until 2012.

Chair of the Private Rented Housing Panel in Scotland. Previously, Chairman of Edinburgh Solicitors Property Centre from 1988 until 2001. Chairman of Homeowner Housing Panel and Private Rented Housing Panel.

Ian Gibson: Member of consultant's panel for the Charities Aid Foundation. Volunteer business mentor Scottish Chamber of Commerce. Cousin is a partner in Kirklands Solicitors Perth. Nephew is a solicitor advocate with Simpson Marwick; his partner is an advocate in Axiom stables. Trustee CLIC Sargent. Secretary of Newtonmore Camanachd Club.

Dr Samantha Jones: Director of Islandscape Photography (self-employed). Freelance consultant. Formerly, an Associate Consultant with Valuta Ltd during (2010). Previously, Clerk to the Standards Committee and HR Change Programme Manager for Scottish Parliament (2000-2010). During time with Scottish Parliament had regular professional contact with staff of the Government Legal Service for Scotland (GLSS) (2000-2010). A Licentiate of the Royal Photographic Society - voluntary unpaid role. ALB Navigator at Tobermory RNLI and the station's Lifeboat Press Officer - voluntary unpaid role. Local Development Officer, Ulva Ferry (Part time 2.5days per week) funded by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (from 1 April 2014). Freelance Development Agent, Argyll and the Isles Tourism Co-Operative (up to eight days per month from 1 October 2014).

Ian Leitch: Member of the Law Society of Scotland. Member of Audit Scotland Board and Chair of Remuneration and HR Committee (from 1 April 2014). Chair of Audit Scotland Board (from 1 October 2015).

Iain McGrory: Commissioned the services of Simpson and Marwick Solicitors, Aberdeen and Edinburgh Branches, on behalf of Grampian Police between 2002 and 2010. Independent consultant trading as IJM Professional Services providing a range of services including complaint handling and developing performance and disciplinary procedures. In 2013 chaired a Working Group on behalf of the Scottish Government - Police Reform Team, tasked with producing updated Conduct Regulations for the new Police Service of Scotland. On 8 July 2014 appointed as a Disciplinary Pool Lay Member of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries On 1 July 2015 appointed as a member of the Cabinet Office Security Vetting Appeals Panel. Provides ad hoc consultancy services to the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC).

Maurice O'Carroll: Practising Member of the Faculty of Advocates 1995 - date. Ad hoc Advocate Depute for Crown Office 2002 - date.  Brother of Sheriff Derek O'Carroll, resident Sheriff at Airdrie [who was a practising Member of the Faculty of Advocates (2000-2010).] Legal Chairman for the Homeowner Housing Panel and Private Rented Housing Panel 2012 to date.

Fiona Smith: Formerly HR Director for NHS Orkney from 2004 to 2011. Professional dealings with the NHS Central Legal Office between November 2004 and February 2011. Partner in Sorton Partners, a business advice and consultancy partnership. Owner of Niteo, a training and coaching business. Associate of VA Consultants, a training and development provider. Associate of Taylor Clarke, an Organisational Development consultancy business. Director of the Orkney Hyperbaric Trust, an unpaid voluntary role. Committee member of the Orkney West Mainland Industrial and Horticultural Society, an unpaid voluntary role.

Kevin Dunion: Formerly Scottish Information Commissioner from 2003 to 2012. Director, Dunion Associates Ltd, providing research, consultancy and training. Honorary Professor and Executive Director, Centre for Freedom of Information, School of Law, University of Dundee. Visiting Professor, Northumbria University. Board Member, World Bank Access to Information Appeals Board. Retained services of Brodies LLP and Anderson Strathern whilst Scottish Information Commissioner. Member, Standards Commission for Scotland (from September 2015).

As for the remaining staff at the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission a recent media investigation uncovered the quango is staffed mainly by families, friends & associates of solicitors, reported here: 'Independent' Scots legal watchdog consists of solicitors’ husbands, wives, sons, daughters, cousins, friends, & employers.

Previous media investigations, reports and coverage of issues relating to the SLCC can be found here: Scottish Legal Complaints Commission - A history of pro-lawyer regulation.

Paid Pipers Required : MacAskill & Scottish Legal Complaints Commission seek extra quangocrats, lawyers, ex-Police for ‘cash happy’ quango boardroom

More stooges sought for board of anti-client Scottish Legal Complaints Commission. FRESH from a recent recruitment drive which took in one parachuted-in advocate who happened to be a Scottish Government lawyer, and three ‘lay’ members which included yet another ex senior Police Officer, a barrister and an NHS Orkney official who resigned her post “for personal reasons”, the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (SLCC) and Scottish Government are again on the hunt for more quangocrats & members of Scotland’s legal profession to fill the SLCC’s bursting at the seams £150k+ expenses claiming boardroom, this despite the hapless anti-client law complaints quango being told to save money and downsize its costs in the face of falling complaints numbers & dwindling public confidence.

The new posts at the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission , which include at least two non lawyers, and a further two lawyers, all of whom will be personally appointed to the SLCC by Scotland’s Justice Secretary, Kenny MacAskill, will enjoy exquisite salaries, perks & expenses claims, with a basic remuneration of £212 per day for a meagre time commitment of up to 6 days per month. a basic The term of appointment is 5 years.

While the advertisements for the latest positions have just gone live today, it is already rumoured more retiring Police officers & quangocrats, who, having unexplainably been forewarned of the new posts, are already showing tentative interest in the well paid positions at the SLCC. It has also been revealed this afternoon certain members of Law Society committees are being encouraged to apply to join the SLCC, doubtless to keep the Law Society in their now familiar position as a fly on the wall during SLCC board meetings.

The latest round of appointments come in the face of mounting criticism of the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission which has failed to make any inroads into its expected duties including monitoring of the controversial Law Society controlled client compensation schemes, the  Master Policy & Guarantee Fund, as defined in the Legal Profession & Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 2007, which itself struggled to pass through the Scottish Parliament in 2006 after threats from the then Chief Executive of the Law Society of Scotland, Douglas Mill to block Holyrood’s attempt at legal complaints reform with court action on Human Rights grounds arguing that it was a lawyer’s ‘Human Right’ to regulate cover up for their own colleagues.

So far, the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission in its three years of existence, has managed to uphold only one single complaint against an unidentified solicitor, having passed most complaints it received back to the Law Society of Scotland, after its board members took a controversial decision not to investigate any cases where instructions to solicitors began prior to 1st October 2008, the official start date of the SLCC.

Consumer Unfriendly : Scottish Government & Law Society intervened with a new law to block any attempt to use SLCC to look at historic complaints. The SLCC’s decision to refuse to look at any pre 2008 cases was taken after Petition PE1033 was lodged at the Scottish Parliament in January 2007 calling for the SLCC to investigate & adjudicate on long running cases of injustice caused by the highly prejudiced nature of the Law Society of Scotland’s regulation of complaints against solicitors. However, the Scottish Government, with the quiet support of the SLCC & Law Society of Scotland introduced a legislative amendment to the LPLA Act, the Legal Services Act 2007 (Transitional, Savings and Consequential Provisions) (Scotland) Order 2008 which included a section on the SLCC’s investigation of historical complaints. The law was presented by the Scottish Government to the Justice Committee in September 2008 and passed by the Scottish Parliament to block any further attempts to use the SLCC to investigate how poorly the Law Society had treated Scots over the years.

The official line being put out today on the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission’s latest recruitment drive for new board members is that with many of the current board members terms coming to an end, their positions need to be filled.

A Scottish Government spokesman commenting on the new recruitment round, which will see Scotland’s Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill appoint a new group of like minded individuals to the SLCC’s board, said : “The four appointments being advertised are to replace members due to step down at the end of their normal service period.  Four members are due to demit office in six months having served their allotted time.”

However, rumours are rife in the legal world that much of the current board membership of the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission who had been expected to remain in position for at least two terms, want out of the controversial law complaints quango, which, rather than repaying a staggering two million pounds of public money received from the Scottish Government, board members recently decided to reduce its vast £1.8 million cash surplus by giving back a whopping £1 million back to Scottish lawyers by way of a complaints levy cut.

An insider close to the SLCC commenting on the latest recruitment drive for new board members said “Had it not been for the barrage of online analysis of the SLCC, highlighting the poor performance of the organisation to live up to public expectations, much of the SLCC’s current board may well have remained in place for another term.”

The insider continued : “Lets be clear about this. When you have reports in the media of board members exhibiting such vile anti consumer sentiment within emails and  other venues, many people will rightly question their ability to remain impartial and independent when making policy decisions or dealing with complaints against the legal profession. Little wonder no one is choosing to renew their terms on the board.”

A senior solicitor speaking this morning on the SLCC’s hunt for new board members called for the quango to be scrapped and replaced with a Legal Ombudsman & Legal Services Consumer Panel style organisation as in England & Wales, a proposal I wholeheartedly agree with.

He said : “Even if the SLCC had fifty board members the organisation has managed to prove only one solitary thing in the past three years, that it has no credibility whatsoever as a regulator. If everyone took three years to get up and running to do their job, the country would be a shambles. This is exactly what has happened to regulation of the legal profession in Scotland, and quite frankly, the SLCC is now just an expensive embarrassment.”

He continued : “If there is to be any real attempt at cleaning up the image of the Scottish legal profession & the complaints regime, I put to you the SLCC should be scrapped, the Law Society should have all its regulatory & disciplinary functions removed, allowing it to be a representative of the profession only, and a Legal Ombudsman style office should be created along with a Legal Services Consumer Panel as exists in England & Wales. This way consumers will have their voice and representative in legal services, as will the profession, while regulation & discipline will be removed from both camps.”

I reported on the SLCC’s disastrous attempt to beef up the anti-consumer law quango in a series of reports, starting in November 2010, here : Quangocrats wanted : Scottish Legal Complaints Commission seek ‘non-lawyer’ board members with legal & ‘consumer’ backgrounds at £209+ a day.

In early February of this year, I revealed how the take-up of the lawyer position had been so poor, Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill was forced to appoint one of his own Scottish Government counsel to the ‘lawyer only’ position, reported here : Poisoned Chalice : MacAskill forced to parachute Government’s own lawyer onto Scottish Legal Complaints Commission after Advocates shun job offer.

Later in March, the new non-lawyer recruits to the SLCC’s Board, which, bizarrely for ‘non lawyer’ positions included a qualified Barrister, a third retired senior Police Officer, and an NHS Orkney official who resigned her post “for personal reasons”, covered here : One more ex-cop for anti-client Scottish Legal Complaints Commission as Justice Secretary hands out five year quango jobs at £212 per day

No more tequila nights or frequent flyers for now – Many consumers will wonder what changes if any will occur with new recruits at anti-client booze fuelled Scottish Legal Complaints Commission. An investigation by Diary of Injustice into the SLCC’s board recruitment methods, using sources & Freedom of Information legislation revealed in May of this year at least eighty nine applications from a plethora of senior Police officers, quangocrats already enjoying multiple positions on other organisations, individuals linked to the Law Society & legal profession & other like minded individuals tried to get onto the notoriously anti-client lawyer watchdog, reported here : CALLED TO THE BOARD : Documents reveal 89 applications from quangocrats to join £2 MILLION cash stash Scottish Legal Complaints Commission

The initial recruitment round to the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission, was covered during 2008 in the following reports :

Call for MacAskill appointments 'sleaze investigation' as revelations show Legal Complaints Commission member was subject of Police inquiry

Law Society staff secretly migrating into 'independent' complaints commission will ensure continuing problems of regulating Scottish lawyers

Calls for full disclosure on legal complaints commission members as Justice Department 'covers up' conflicts of interest in appointments scandal

The SLCC were asked for comment on the latest round of Board member recruitment, however no statement was received by time of publication. Interestingly the SLCC is also looking to hire an Information Officer, a position which seems to replace the role of its Head of Communications, who is no longer replying to emails or Freedom of Information enquiries.

JOBSEEKING FOR GREEDY QUANGOCRATS & ‘LAWYER GROUPIES’ KEEN ON £15k A YEAR EXPENSES :

Today, the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission has advertised for two lawyers & at least two non lawyers, on the appointed for Scotland website, in the following terms :

The main functions of the Commission are to resolve complaints alleging inadequate professional service or negligence by legal practitioners, to refer complaints which allege professional misconduct or unsatisfactory professional conduct to the relevant professional body and to promote good practice in complaints handling. 

The Role involves:

• Working with the Chairing Member, other Commission Members and the Chief Executive to provide strategic direction to the SLCC.

• Chairing Determination Committees, manage oral hearings and provide final, reasoned decisions. 

• Using objective and impartial judgement in adjudicating and resolving disputes about complaints. 

• Working with the Chairing Member, other Commission Members and the Chief Executive to contribute to the development of the organisation and its effectiveness, including oversight of financial and resource management.

• Accepting responsibility for decisions of the Commission, ensuring that they are implemented and ensuring appropriate standard of corporate governance in the work of the SLCC.

• Contributing to an effective team to achieve results by providing mutual support to colleagues, to challenge and to respond to challenge constructively. 

• Assisting the Chairing Member in overseeing the promotion of standards within complaints handling and agreeing the annual report.

For lawyers, the successful Candidates must either be : a solicitor, a conveyancing or executry practitioner or have acquired rights to conduct litigation or a right of audience by virtue of section 27 of the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Scotland) Act 1990.

Amongst other essential skills, the successful lawyer Candidates will have : The professional standing and experience to provide strategic direction in an organisational capacity, The ability to chair meetings leading to dispute resolution, The ability to achieve high standards in performance in an organisational environment.

For non-lawyers (former Police, quangocrats, relatives of lawyers, even their pet poodles & gerbils with a taste for £15K a year plus in expenses may apply etc), the SLCC are looking for at least two lay members, for appointment in October, and for any other lay member vacancy which may arise within 6 months of the interviews. 

Amongst other essential skills, the successful Candidates will have : The ability to apply objective and impartial judgement to the resolution of disputes, the ability to  work collaboratively to achieve a positive outcome. Specialist experience of one or both of the following : Driving organisational performance with a customer focus preferably in a private sector environment or Experience of ethics in a regulatory environment.

These “essential skills” do not exist and never have existed in regulation of the legal profession in Scotland. They never will, as long as the Law Society of Scotland effectively controls regulation of the legal profession in Scotland.

The Scottish Legal Complaints Commission is thoroughly incapable of delivering “Customer Focus” to consumers, however it is certainly capable of delivering “Customer Focus” to the legal profession as it continues to do in the model of the “Front company for the Law Society” which it was always planned and turned out in the end, to be.

As Scotland’s Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill recently said in his criticism of the UK's Supreme Court rulings which did not suit his political viewpoint, “He who pays the piper, as they say, calls the tune.” Clearly the new recruits to the SLCC’s board, like those before them, will be required to be paid pipers who will dance to the Law Society and Mr MacAskill’s tune, rather than the tune of ordinary Scots who expect better quality and more honest legal services.

Quangocrats wanted : Scottish Legal Complaints Commission seek ‘non-lawyer’ board members with legal & ‘consumer’ backgrounds at £209+ a day

Scottish Legal Complaints Commission seek new non-lawyer board members for window dressing exercise. THE USUAL SUSPECTS, quangocrats, & other ‘regular-appointees-on-the-Government-circuit’ will today be rubbing their hands at the prospect of yet another publicly appointed position of £209+ per day to add to their growing list of jobs as it was revealed the Scottish Government announced they are seeking an additional three ‘non'-lawyer’ board members to fill positions on the anti-client Scottish Legal Complaints Commission and one further lawyer member appointment. These latest appointments to the SLCC board will be made in early 2011 by Scottish Ministers in consultation with Scotland’s Lord President, Lord Hamilton.

Curiously, the latest attempt by the Scottish Government to ‘enhance’ the consumer credentials of the notoriously anti-client Scottish Legal Complaints Commission requires the three new non-lawyer positions be filled by persons who specialise in, among other things “consumer advocacy”, “consumer rights” and “consumer needs” – three very distinct areas the SLCC and its board members have worked 100% against since it was created in early 2008.

Scotland’s top judge Lord Hamilton will have final say-so over SLCC’s new ‘non-lawyer’ appointees. While the recruitment drive appears to focus on consumer credentials, there is also a requirement for applicants to have a background in legal education and complaints handling, the provision of advice to members of the public on or in relation to such matters, the practice and provision of legal education and training, civil or criminal proceedings, court procedures and practice generally, the practice and provision of other legal services, and the monitoring of legal services. The successful candidates will only be appointed by Scottish Ministers after consultations with Scotland’s top judge, the Lord President, Lord Hamilton, who is in charge of the entire Scottish courts system.

Scottish Government amended complaints law to bolster SLCC’s board with additional quangocrats. The increase in the non-lawyer compliment of the SLCC’s board has been brought about after the Scottish Government brought in a specific amendment to the Legal Profession & Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 2007 to expand the SLCC’s board non-lawyer complement. The apparently little publicised amendment states : “This Order makes certain changes to the number and composition of the membership of the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission. The number of members (other than the chairing member) is increased from 8 to 11 (article 2(a)). This increase is made up of an increase in the number of non-lawyer members (other than the chairing member) from 4 to 6 (article 2(b)) and an increase in the number of lawyer members from 4 to 5 (article 2(c)).”

The latest quangocrats will have a chance to work with existing SLCC Board members already featured in the newspapers for being less than consumer friendly. The recruitment advertisement from the Scottish Government states : “The Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (SLCC) requires 3 non lawyer members to become part of their Board with effect from February 2011. The successful candidates will be appointed by Scottish Ministers in consultation with the Lord President of the Court of Session.As a non lawyer member you will have the ability to apply objective and impartial judgement to the resolution of disputes, have the ability to offer guidance on one or more of the following Commission activities: regulation, consumer rights, consumer advocacy, consumer needs and have the ability to contribute to an effective team.”

The advertisement continues : “The SLCC was established by the Legal Profession and Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 2007. The main functions of the Commission are to resolve complaints alleging inadequate professional service or negligence by legal practitioners, to refer complaints which allege professional misconduct or unsatisfactory professional conduct to the relevant professional body and to promote good practice in complaints handling.”

Becoming an SLCC board member brings quango style expenses claims. Successful apologists, spivs & already employed quangocrats applicants can hope to receive remuneration of the order of : £209 per day. Travel and subsistence costs and reasonable receipted childcare and dependent carer expenses directly related to the Commission’s work will be reimbursed. Term of appointment: 5 years. Time commitment: Up to 6 days per month. Around one third of the time spent on the work of the Board and two thirds on complaints. Location of meetings: Scottish Legal Complaints Commission, The Stamp Office, 10-14 Waterloo Place, Edinburgh EH1 3EG. The closing date for applications is 29 November 2010, the Application Form & Guidance Pack may be of interest to those many clients who have already been maligned & victimised by the SLCC in dealings with complaints against the legal profession.

SLCC’s Chair Jane Irvine claims in recruitment drive complaints quango has commitment & high standards ! A letter from the SLCC’s Chair, Jane Irvine, included in the guidance pack states : “The Board of the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (SLCC) is committed to resolving complaints and ensuring high standards of regulation of the Scottish legal profession are maintained. We work with our operational team to make that happen.As Chair of the Board I need new Board members who are committed to public service and willing to devote time and energy to both the governance and complaints handling roles that Board members engage in. Both roles are intellectually stimulating. The SLCC is still a relatively new body and we have much to learn and develop. The roles are also absorbing and enjoyable, as we work with a lively and committed operational team and sophisticated stakeholders.”

While the SLCC boast of commitment to public service, papers disclosed under Freedom of Information legislation revealed its top board members engaged in bitter insults against consumers. While the SLCC’s Chair, Jane Irvine claimed in her letter, the Scottish Legal Complaint Commission is committed to resolving complaints and ensuring high standards of regulation of the legal profession, earlier coverage of the SLCC’s board’s bitter attitudes towards consumers revealed its senior members, David Smith (husband of Court of Session judge Lady Smith), and well known Glasgow solicitor & SLCC Board member Margaret Scandal branded clients as, among other insults “frequent flyers” & “chancers” to name but a few incidents. Further investigative reports revealed SLCC board members refused to deal with consumer groups, engaging in bitter hate fuelled email exchanges over the exclusion of consumer interest organisations.

A legal source said today he was concerned over the wording of the requirements of the new appointees, pointing out the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission had never been designed to be a regulator with a remit on consumer rights or solicitor’s rights and pointed out the SLCC claims to be ‘a neutral body and operates independently of the legal profession’. He went onto say the new non-lawyer appointments may provoke a legal challenge on the basis the advertised requirements may violate solicitors right to a fair hearing under Article 6 of ECHR legislation.

He said : “I find it very odd the Scottish Government resorts to amending legislation without any substantial consultation to increase the SLCC’s compliment of board members with a specific remit on consumer rights where it was clearly never intended in the original legislation the SLCC would have any remit on solicitors rights, consumer rights or consumer advocacy.”

He continued : “The SLCC was intended to provide the profession & clients with a neutral, fair and independent regulator of complaints against the legal profession. Clearly these new appointments will create an imbalance at the SLCC where the interests of the profession, who are forced to pay for the SLCC’s extravagant upkeep, may receive less of a fair hearing with a board which will be heavily weighted against solicitors. I believe these new appointments could be open to challenge under Human Rights legislation.”

Another solicitor, speaking late this morning said : “This alarming move, which I have only heard of today, appears to be a window dressing exercise to appease the consumer lobby. There has been little debate within the profession to alter the SLCC’s role in such a radical manner and I believe this to be totally wrong, particularly considering we as solicitors are being forced to pay for it while it appears we have little say in how the SLCC is run.”

In response to solicitors claims they new arrangements would be weighted against the legal profession, a Scottish Government Spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government is confident that there is appropriate balance, with the rights of solicitors maintained.”

An official from one of Scotland’s consumer organisations commented today the SLCC’s moves to attract individuals with consumer credentials was not what it seemed and urged consumers to be wary, pointing out previous SLCC decisions regarded as highly anti-consumer, notably where the SLCC decided to refuse to investigate any historical complaints before it began its work on 1st October 2008.

She said : “These appointments are not to be confused with lay appointments. As I understand matters, the SLCC are hoping to attract people with a legal background who may also have already served on consumer bodies, probably in the knowledge once they are appointed they will no longer be able to criticise the SLCC’s conduct towards consumer complaints or how the SLCC functions as a regulator. Consumers should beware of a false sense of security being projected by the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission in these new appointments.”

As I was asked today whether I might apply, for my own part, I will certainly not. I view the SLCC’s latest attempt to bolster its already non-existent consumer credentials as being too little too late. The SLCC have never been and will never be anything other than, as one MSP put it, ”a front company for the Law Society of Scotland”, no matter who serves on it.

To be part of something lesser, the SLCC, which has proved itself to be nothing more than an anti-consumer puppet of prejudiced self regulation would be an insult to the thousands of victims who have gone before, & continue to be left behind in the wake of the scores of Andrew Penmans, John G O’Donnells and the infamous many of Scotland’s bests-to-be-avoided legal profession, protected in their positions by the 'World's worst regulator' – the Law Society of Scotland.

The Scottish Legal Complaints Commission were asked today for comment on the recruitment and also the prospect of any challenge from the legal profession over the apparent new ‘consumer oriented’ course of the SLCC. So far no reply has been received from the SLCC.

Scottish Legal Complaints Commission seeks new Chief Executive on £70K & pension to make Law Society’s "front company" ‘work’

Scottish Legal Complaints Commission seeks new Chief Executive. ALTHOUGH the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission has offered little in the way of a believable explanation for the abrupt resignation earlier this year of its former Chief Executive, Eileen Masterman after less than twelve months in her post, the SLCC is again engaged in a recruitment process for a new Chief Executive Officer, offering anyone willing to try and bring the hapless scandal hit law complaints quango into shape a whopping salary of around £1,350 a week, equating to around £70,000 per annum with a pension thrown in.

Diary of Injustice reported SLCC Chief Executive Eileen Masterman’s resignation after less than 12 months in the job : In an eerie reflection of events two years ago which forced the resignation of former Law Society Chief Douglas Mill, EILEEN MASTERMAN, who was appointed Chief Executive of the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission by Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill in 2008 on a salary of £1,350 a week, resigned after only one year of being in the controversial post at the scandal-hit regulator which deals with consumer complaints against Scottish solicitors. Ms Masterman had been absent from her post for six months, as I reported earlier, here : £70K Chief Executive ‘missing for 6 months’ at Scottish Legal Complaints Commission as Justice Secretary dodges questions on scandal-hit law quango

Salaries may well be high in the world of regulators where a ‘feathered nest’ is allegedly ‘crucial to attracting the most talented people for the job at hand’, however it remains a fact the thousands of clients each year who are forced to complain to the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission, face little in the way of financial redress for the vast sums of clients funds embezzled by members of Scotland’s legal profession as it turns out the SLCC itself can only make awards of up to £20,000 “for any loss, inconvenience or distress resulting from inadequate professional service”.

It will be hardly a surprise to most readers hardly any compensation has yet been paid out to victims of ‘crooked lawyers’ – this despite many Scots clients losing much more than £20,000 to some of the worst serial offenders of Scotland’s legal profession who continue to practice law.

The SLCC also state on their website : “We can also require the relevant legal practices and practitioners to reduce fees, re-do work and rectify any mistakes at their own expense. If we feel the practitioner shows a lack of competence relating to any area of the law or legal practice, we can report the matter to the relevant professional body.” However, and proving again its claim to be an effective regulator is well, rather ridiculous, the SLCC has admitted in an FOI request it does not have any power to recommend discipline or prosecution of a solicitor even after it has investigated a complaint.

If anyone feels they are up to the job of running what one Holyrood MSP privately dubbed “The Law Society’s front company”, here follows the job offer …

Scottish Legal Complaints Commission : Chief Executive

Location: Edinburgh. Salary: circa £70,000 per annum plus group personal pension scheme

The Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (SLCC) was set up under the Legal Profession and Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 2007 and opened on 1 October 2008. Providing a single point of contact for all complaints about legal practitioners operating in Scotland, the SLCC investigates and resolves complaints about inadequate professional service; refers conduct complaints to the relevant professional body and has oversight of complaint handling across the profession. The Commission is a neutral body operating independently of the legal profession and independently of Government and is considered a hybrid organisation with public and private attributes.

We are seeking to appoint the Chief Executive Officer to provide operational and strategic leadership to the SLCC whilst working closely with and supporting the Commission Members.

As CEO you will lead and motivate staff to provide consistently good service. Developing and maintaining relationships with relevant external bodies; particularly the Scottish legal profession and the Scottish Government.
As the organisation's Accountable officer, you will implement, monitor and sustain rigorous financial processes for the budget, ensuring that financial accountability and control is evident at all times. This is a key position for an experienced business leader with strong financial and operational capabilities. The role requires exceptional communication skills with the ability to influence at every level with the necessary energy to act as a true driving force within the organisation.

Dates for your diary: Closing date: 10/09/2010, First-stage interviews: 01/10/2010, Second interviews: 08/10/2010

For an informal conversation or more information, please contact Bonnie Clarke at Hays Executive on 0131 226 7972.

Applications must be received by: 17:00 on 10/09/2010.

Scottish Legal Complaints Commission recruiting at £42K as scandal ridden quango ‘hardly lifts a finger’ on cases against ‘crooked lawyers’

Scottish Legal Complaints Commission. The SCOTTISH LEGAL COMPLAINTS COMMISSION, which we have all come to know as one of the most useless quangos in existence, originally created as a result of the Legal Profession & Legal Aid Act (Scotland) 2007 to clean up regulation of Scotland’s legal services industry, has been forced to go on a recruitment drive offering posts at the hapless, anti-client complaints quango at around £42K a year, including a pension.

Sounds like a good deal ? £807 a week plus perks, plus a pension to fiddle complaints against crooked lawyers and make sure consumers have no protection against the worst legal services in existence, plus the chance to meet with the flotsam from the Law Society ? Well if that is your game, I’d say go for it.

This new need for additional staff in the quango (which recently advertised it holds a massive £1.5million in surplus funds, while refusing to pay back its public funding of nearly £2 million), is not due to the SLCC’s heavy workload of investigating complaints against crooked lawyers, because there is apparently no heavy workload at the SLCC as I revealed last week here most complaints have been passed back to the Law Society of Scotland, the well known, infamous self regulator which usually lets ‘crooked lawyers’ off the hook.

One legal insider said this afternoon : “Working at the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission is a bit like being in the trenches. Neither staff teams from the former Scottish Legal Services Ombudsman’s office or the Law Society trust each other. At times the air can be cut with a knife.”

SLCC Board members racked up a staggering £135K a year in expenses claims yet quango hardly does any work. In spite of the SLCC’s roll of infamy to-date, mired in scandals involving everything from huge expenses payouts to its board members, a systematic failure to deal with complaints on any level, consistent failures to address its duties emanating from the Legal Profession & Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 2007, media exposes on its members drunken hate filled, booze fuelled rants against consumers, reformers, critics and even victims of crooked lawyers, there are a few positions now available at Scotland’s least worked quango, which appears to be following very much in the vein of the Law Society of Scotland, as each day passes.

Fancy being called to the bars with SLCC Board members ? It could be you ! Consumer protection, we never got, and never can expect from this tragic gathering of people who have no intention of helping victims of the legal profession, but we can certainly expect ever rising expenses claims from its board members, many of whom appear to have several other highly paid jobs & quango positions, while the SLCC’s task of investigating complaints, is mostly left to rot. You can read my previous coverage of the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission and how it really has done nothing for regulation, or consumer confidence in the legal profession HERE.

Below, is the latest job offerings from the SLCC, where anti-client, anti-consumer lawyer friendly individuals who know how to whitewash a complaint, should definitely apply – sounds like just the job for any ex-Law Society staff.

Jobs at the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission

Case Investigation Manager & Gateway Team Manager

CASE INVESTIGATIONS MANAGER (refIM1)

GATEWAY TEAM MANAGER (ref GW1)

Salary for both posts in the region of £41,944. Group Self Invested Personal Pension + Benefits

The Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (SLCC) is a corporate body operating independently of the legal profession and the government. It was set up by Statute to modernise the legal complaints handling system, to ensure complaints are resolved quickly and effectively. We are looking for people with the vision, determination and drive to form a key part of our management team and lead our people, achieve objectives and play a central role in making a real impact for the people of Scotland.

You will provide leadership and team management to your team, organising staff and other resources to deal with complaints in accordance with the SLCC's Complaint Handling Procedures and quality standards. You will support and develop your team and as a member of the management team you will assist in the review and further develop our policies and procedures to provide a high quality, efficient complaints handling service.

To be successful in this role you will be educated to degree level or equivalent and ideally will have a legal or comparable qualification and a supervisory management qualification.

You will have demonstrable experience in writing and providing procedural advice and guidance, including drafting reports and be able to demonstrate leadership and management skills. You will have a track record of significant achievement with a minimum of 3 years people and performance management experience. A working knowledge of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook is essential. You will be an effective communicator who is well organised and delivers work on time and to the agreed level of quality. Ideally you will be able to influence at local, national and strategic levels, with the personal and professional manner to command confidence of stakeholders.

• Application Pack Summary (PDF 38KB)
  Application Form (PDF 56KB)
  Diversity Monitoring Form (PDF 42KB)
  Terms and Conditions (PDF 24KB)
  Case Investigations Manager Person Specification (PDF 33KB)
• Case Investigations Manager Job Description (PDF 53KB)
  Gateway Team Manager Person Specification (PDF 33KB)
  Gateway Team Manager Job Description (PDF 54KB)

To Apply:

Please contact Rick Mattison on 0131 243 2981 or rickmattison@uk.michaelpage.com, quoting reference MPTJ13091641. Please return your completed application and diversity monitoring form to Rick Mattison at Michael Page. Closing date for applications is Friday 5 March 2009. SLCC short listing will take place on Monday 22 March and interviews will be held on Monday 29, Tuesday 30, Wednesday 31 March 2010.