Zahida Manzoor CBE has been reappointed as Legal Services Ombudsman and Legal Services Complaints Commissioner for England and Wales by the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice Jack Straw today. She already holds both posts.
The role of Ombudsman will cease to exist once the Office of Legal Complaints, created by the Legal Services Act 2007 is fully functional in 2011, while that of the Commissioner will run until the Office of the Legal Services Complaints Commissioner closes in 2010.
The reappointments, which start on 3 March, will ensure that consumer rights are protected during the transition period for the full implementation of the Legal Services Act.
Jack Straw also amended the Commissioner's powers. Ms Manzoor will continue to set targets and make recommendations for the Law Society, focusing on timeliness and reducing the work in progress to ensure the Law Society's performance is of a high standard.
However, Ms Manzoor will not ask the Law Society to submit complaint handling plans from 1 April 2009, and will not start any investigations into complaints handling from 1 July 2009. These changes complement the significant improvements Ms Manzoor has already made with the focus now upon the Commissioner to ensure that there is no slippage in performance during the transition period.
Justice Secretary Jack Straw said:
'I am delighted that Zahida Manzoor has accepted reappointment to both her roles. She has always demonstrated a strong commitment to protecting and promoting the interests of consumers of legal services.
'Zahida has achieved significant improvements to the Law Society's complaints handling in the last few years, both in speed of performance and quality of service.
'The principal beneficiary of these improvements is the consumer. It is paramount that this momentum continues as we enter the transition phase towards the new regime provided by the Legal Services Act 2007.
'The new directions and amended powers simply reflect what we are trying to achieve during the office's final year of operation. That is, to provide a continuing oversight of the Law Society to ensure that performance does not slip before the handover to the Office for Legal Complaints.'
Notes for editors
-
Zahida Manzoor has been the Legal Services Ombudsman since 3 March 2003 and the Legal Services Complaints Commissioner since 24 February 2004.
-
Her current appointments as Legal Services Ombudsman and Legal Services Complaints Commissioner come to an end on 2 March 2009.
-
The new appointment as Legal Services Ombudsman will be from 3 March 2009 until 2 March 2011.
-
The appointment as Legal Services Complaints Commissioner will be from 3 March 2009 until 2 April 2010.
-
The new directions issued by the Justice Secretary under sections 52 (1) and (2) of the Access to Justice Act 1999 will:
-
retain the powers to set targets and make recommendations
-
revoke the powers to require information and to request a plan from the Law Society with effect from 1 April 2009
-
revoke the power to investigate complaints handling with effect from 1 July 2009.
-
The new general directions will require the Commissioner to:
-
exercise the power to investigate solely in relation to complaints handling in 2008-09; and
-
to focus any targets and recommendations on the Law Society's timeliness in complaints handling and reducing its work in progress during the final year of its operation.
-
For more information, please contact Ministry of Justice Press Office on 020 3334 35 36.
© Crown copyright material reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO and the Queen's Printer for Scotland
