The Law Society has begun the process of updating and reviewing its professional accreditation schemes with the appointment of three chief assessors.

The new chief assessors are Law Society council member for child care law Christina Blacklaws, who will lead the children law panel; Stuart Barlow, family law associate solicitor at Derbyshire firm Nelsons, who will lead on family law; and London firm Scott-Moncrieff Harbour & Sinclair mental health and incapacity law consultant Robert Robinson, who will take responsibility for mental health law.

Children, family and mental health are the three biggest accreditation schemes. The Society has already begun recruiting chief assessors for the crime and immigration and asylum schemes and will move on to the planning; clinical negligence; family mediation; civil and commercial mediation and personal injury panels early next year. It is currently developing a new conveyancing scheme.

Membership of the accreditation schemes demonstrates that a practitioner is competent to undertake work in a particular area of law. More than 15,000 solicitors and solicitors’ employees are recognised through the Society’s schemes.

Law Society president Linda Lee said: ‘We are delighted to have the expertise and knowledge of the chief assessors to help us develop these valuable schemes. The schemes are critical for legal professionals who need to demonstrate their expertise to the public courts, statutory bodies and, most importantly, to members of the public.’