Jane Irvine appointed as legal services watchdog

Interim Scottish Legal Services Ombudsman takes up role from 1 August

News, 20 July 2006

Jane Irvine has been appointed as the Scottish Legal Services Ombudsman, a post she has been carrying out on an interim basis since April.

Mrs Irvine will take up her official appointment as the legal services watchdog on 1 August.

The Legal Profession and Legal Aid (Scotland) Bill which was introduced on 1 March 2006 proposes to reform existing arrangements for handling complaints handling against the legal profession.

If enacted, the bill will transfer responsibility for consumer complaints from the legal professional bodies to the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission and abolish the office of the Scottish Legal Services Ombudsman.

This appointment is for a two-year period, but could be extended until the time when the the new commission is up and running.

Mrs Irvine has specialised in resolving consumer complaints and reviewing the manner of responses to consumer complaints since 1980. She acts as an arbitrator and conciliator in a diverse range of consumer issues from holiday to funeral and financial service complaints.

She also sits on the disciplinary board of the Institute of Actuaries, acts as a mediator in consumer and commercial disputes and works voluntarily as a member of the Mediation Panel for Edinburgh Sheriff Court.

As a past HM Lay Inspector of Constabulary for Scotland, Mrs Irvine reviewed the manner of responses by Scottish Police forces to complaints by members of the public for three years between 2001 and 2004. She was also the elected chair of the Scottish branch of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators 2003-2005.