Staying, Gone, Going & Awaiting : New Broom required, men need not apply say insiders. THE Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (SLCC) has for the third time in its short, expensive (to the tune of around FOURTEEN MILLION POUNDS since 2008) & time wasting existence, again begun the recruitment process to find another candidate to fill the third time unlucky role of SLCC Chief Executive, after losing its current & latest CEO Rosemary Agnew to the post of Scottish Information Commissioner. However, insiders at the commission have let it be known that the current board and staff of the SLCC “are looking for a female candidate” to fill the controversial post, which attracts a salary of around EIGHTY THOUSAND POUNDS A YEAR plus expenses, hospitality received from all quarters, and other lavish perks.
Mrs Agnew, who was recently selected to be the new Scottish Information Commissioner after a secret closed shop recruitment process held by an all female msp selection panel from the Scottish Parliament Corporate Body, has occupied the SLCC’s Chief Executive role for a little more than a year after taking on the ill fated position from the SLCC’s first Chief Executive, Eileen Masterman, who resigned on ill health grounds, coincidentally also after being able to stand little more than a year in the job based at the Stamp Office in Edinburgh.
Reports of difficulties during Ms Masterman’s time as Chief Executive of the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission saw a string of controversial decisions involving the Law Society of Scotland’s Master Insurance Policy, secret meetings with insurers Royal Sun Alliance & Marsh, who were convicted of illegal activities in the United States.
It later emerged the Scottish Government’s Finance Chief, John Swinney personally intervened on behalf of a constituent over the murky goings on at the SLCC and accused Ms Masterman of being less than honest in correspondence. It is thought this spat between Masterman and Mr Swinney eventually led to the first Chief Executive’s demise over ‘ill health’. The story was broken by popular Scots law blog Diary of Injustice in a feature : HERE
While Ms Masterman may have resigned on ill health grounds, her situation did not prevent her from engaging lawyers to negotiate a large figure payoff from the SLCC, a payoff which was personally signed off by Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill and has not been disclosed to either the public or legal profession who fund the SLCC. The saga was reported by Scottish Law Reporter in an earlier article HERE
Jane Irvine, the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission’s Chair issued the following statement seeking a new recruit for the post of Chief Executive : On behalf of The Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (SLCC) I want to thank you for your interest in becoming our new Chief Executive. As an organisation we have been operational since 1 October 2008 with our main functions as follows:
- Handling all complaints about members of the Law Society of Scotland and the Faculty of Advocates
- Overseeing the Law Society of Scotland and Faculty of Advocates conduct and insurance arrangements
- Dealing with complaints about cases that have been through conduct systems
I would like to take this opportunity to thank our departing Chief Executive, Rosemary Agnew, who has established a core team which is working well with established governance and financial polices, allowing operational matters to run smoothly. From this sound platform we are searching for a CEO who will lead us into the next phase of evolution for SLCC.
We are looking for a leader who can inspire the operational team as well as influence change. Naturally, our new CEO should continue to drive operational efficiency upwards internally as well as influencing externally to help improve service standards within the legal profession. We are looking for someone with the appropriate level of gravitas to work in partnership with key stakeholders and develop the way the SLCC evolves over the next 5 years.
The Chief Executive will be responsible for enhancing operational efficiency by reducing the time we take to deal with cases and the costs, ensuring that we are 100% user focussed. We already have a LEAN review underway and this will form a bridge into this new phase. A new CEO will also have to start to use the evidence we hold about practise trends and complaint handling to encourage higher service standards within the Scottish legal professions.
As well as the typical leadership qualities, the SLCC requires a CEO who is familiar with using evidence gathered to ensure policy within the professional bodies matches the best in regulatory practice. The successful candidate will need to be capable of negotiating with a very broad range of stakeholders from small interest groups to the Scottish Parliament. Naturally, you will have the credibility to influence and persuade as well as the capability to resolve complicated arguments, often formulated by emotive parties and / or historic practices. In return the CEO will work with an excellent small team and enjoy the support of an active Board while fronting an intellectually stimulating role meeting the demands of both the public and private sectors.
Those interested in filling the shoes of Eileen Masterman, Rosemary Agnew can send their up to date CV and covering letter/supporting statement to Munro Consulting who are handing the recruitment : Amy Dalgleish by e-mail to amy.dalgleish@munroconsulting.com or by post to Munro Consulting Ltd, Monteith House, 11 George Square, Glasgow, G2 1DY quoting reference G640.
- Job Description
- Person Specification
- Application's Close - Monday 12th March 2012
- Longlist interviews – Thursday 5th April 2012
- Meeting to select shortlist candidates – Wednesday 11th April 2012
- Shortlist interviews – Monday 16th April 2012
1 comment:
Yes sounds like its too cosy for a man to get the job although third time around a woman it might look obvious discrimination no?
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